Yesterday we were looking for signs of season change in the garden. Today we took The Gruffalo Nature Trail book
and our new nature bags, and went to the woods to look for more.
I like our little local woods. Little is the operative word sadly. Apparently Suffolk has only 7% forest cover, less than the national average. This isn’t a forestry commission site, there’s no Gruffalo trail of any kind sadly. But there is a magic tree.
I love this place. I love the little stories Smallest told as we wandered through the undergrowth, looking for acorns that didn’t seem to be there yet. I think she’s probably ready for The Magic Faraway Tree books
(amazon), must see if I can find our copies.
All in all, we had a marvellous exploration, just taking our time in the absolutely glorious sunshine, and then we went to the playground across the playing fields for a while.
Apart from the obvious heart stopping moments as Tigerboy tried to negotiate climbing frames that his little legs really can’t quite stretch to, and the annoyance of him emptying the bottle of water over one of the rides, it was a good visit. Turns out he doesn’t like baby swings any more – he prefers the grown up version. I think Small was around 5 before he graduated, and it was only when I couldn’t really squish him into them that he accepted it was going to be that way. Tigerboy by way of contrast constantly wants to be a little bigger, try a little harder, be big like his sister. He idolises her and whatever she does, he wants to do too.
Mostly today that meant playing under the climbing frame in the little den there. And who can blame them?
I don’t always remember to just enjoy easy days with the little children – there’s always so much to do, and it can often seem more important to do educational activities with the older children. And yet, when it comes down to it, it’s the early foundations that make the difference. And walking in the woods, climbing, playing, exploring – those are pretty strong foundations.
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