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29th June. We gathered some commonly growing plants from the woodland accessible from our road. The children chopped them up a bit and put into bottles. They added water and food colouring. Then came the fun science bit of adding bicarbonate of soda and vinegar! Jon shook them up a bit and some hit the ceiling. The kids learnt from this and can be seen taking shelter under the table for the next one!

Woodland clean up and a tree got a branch trim!

1st July. I wanted to practice the route I found for the group walking meditation session. So I shared it with Jon, the kids and Rosie's friend and his dad (making this the 3rd local woodland we have introduced them to). We didn't see any deer this time (children made an amount of excited noise!) I can't count the number of times I see Rowan squatting down investigating a hole, slug, insect or such like. On the way I collected any litter we found. The route went well. It was lovely sharing the paths I had found and we easily found our way back onto the main path from the deer path. Felt confident about the small group walking meditation coming up!

4th July. The day of the meditation. I met with 3 members of the yoga and meditation class I teach. Since mid March I have only been teaching online so it was really lovely to be back teaching in person. It was light rainy drizzle but all were well dressed for the conditions and we paused halfway for a hot drink and homemade cacao energy balls. Sharing the woodland with them and spending time there in silent contemplation of the beauty of nature and the magnificence of trees. We stopped at one point and meditated on the symbiotic relationship between the animal and plant kingdom in general by focusing on the exchange between trees and humans of oxygen and carbon dioxide. In a week where I read about Dominic Cummins interest in a machine that draws carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere at a cost of £500 per ton surely the answer is to plant more trees. This would have the added benefit of increasing wildlife habitats also. I only took one photo this visit during a part of the session where we were walking and talking. The lily pads were looking lovely on the pond.

We have a book about John Muir which from time to time I read to the children. In it it described how John Muir used to make sketches in order to notice things more clearly and see more details. This inspired Rosie and she chose to spend her pocket money on a new sketch pad. She sketched a rose Bush in our garden and a tree in Walkmill. Rosie said it was true she did notice things more clearly! She said she noticed that some of the leaves on the rose bush were orange and red which she hadn't seen until she was making her sketch!

9th July. We saw 2 of the children's friends in the woods at Walkmill. We shared with them 'the other dip'and the Giant's bench which they loved. I took them on the route I did for the walking meditation. I explained about finding the deer path leading out of the clearing and it rejoining the larger path. This time though I wasn't the first person out of the clearing and in time it became clear we were finding the larger path no time soon! It took us quite a while to get through and rejoin a different larger path. I was conscious of the kids staying nearby and not getting separated. Walkmill isn't massive but it could still be an intense experience to be temporarily lost in it! Our journey off the beaten track showed us some of the tallest fox gloves I have ever seen (in the distance of one of the pics) Also our friend explained what cuckoo spit was. All these years I don't think I knew there was a creature inside. At home we watched a youtube video showing how the frog hopper nymph creates the bubbles from the sap of the plant it drinks and excretes. We hadn't walked past the pond as a family for ages. I had during the meditation the Saturday before and had noticed they have finished upgrading the paths! However, I hadnt noticed that someone has been making a stick house just off the path. The children were very excited and it adds a new fun landmark to our and many other people's walks through Walkmill.

Some of the activities done across sessions 1 and 2

More Photos from sessions 2 and 3