Marina Robb - Learning with Nature: A How-to Guide to Inspiring Children Through Outdoor Games and Activities

The content of this book has come from many wide and varied sources. Some of the activities have been developed by us but many others are from indefinite sources, ranging from modern outdoor practices to ancient traditions. Thanks to all those past and present who have inspired the activities in this book.

For their direct support in helping this book come into the world, we send sincere thanks to Duncan McTeer, our patient and generous graphic designer; to Susan Kelly for all her wonderful illustrations; to Tim Robb for his hours of spelling and grammar checks; and to Catherine Hooper, who has kindly given her time and advice in the crucial latter stages of writing the book. We thank all those who have contributed to the book and consented to photos being used Gordon Hillman, Will Heap, Dhyana Miller and Julie Ruse, Dan Puplett and John Scathe with special thanks to the young people featured, and apologies to anybody whose name we have inadvertently omitted.

We are grateful for the cumulative heritage of previous teachers that have influenced each of us, with warmest thanks to Jon Young and the indigenous teachings that have deeply touched all three of us.

I thank my father and mother for sharing their openness and welcoming of people from all backgrounds and their energy for life. To my husband, Geoff Robb, for his love and generosity, sisters Alba Lewis and Deborah Lewis, and my children Dylan, Leia and Jake. I particularly thank Stephanie Pugsley, Carmen Ablack, Richard Cleminson and Arwyn Thomas for mentoring and helping me to value myself and follow my dreams. I thank my teachers along the way Annie Spencer, Dr Malcolm Plant, Don Americo, Martin Prechtel, Victor Sanchez, Salvatore Gencarelle and work colleagues, all of whom have fostered and inspired my connection with nature. Finally, I would like to thank all the young people I have met through the years who have brought me laughter, challenge and hope.

Thanks to all the amazing children who have touched my life, especially my son Oran Ash. Thanks to Mat Ash for all his support, extraordinary knowledge and skills that he has shared behind the scenes. To my parents for their unconditional love and help whenever needed. To all the dear friends and family who have been constant guides. To all those who have shared their indigenous lineages of teachings with me Eliot Cowan, Jon Young, David Wiley, Thomas Shorr-Konn and Graham Johnson. A special thanks to Gordon Hillman, Professor of Archaeobotany, for his tireless generosity and inspiration in sharing his love and knowledge of the plant world and the wild food of our ancestors. To the authors of all the field guides and informative books that have informed me in the absence of direct teachers. To all those who have supported my work over the years, including Circle of Life Rediscovery, Debby and Mark Hunter of Annan School, Alice Craggs and family at Wowo campsite, River Jones and Ian Dunford at CCE University of Sussex, and Rachel Bennington. A special thanks to Helen Thoms for introducing me to forest school and opening the door to many years of collaborative and magical work together. Thanks to the heart of gold in each and every person, the generosity of the Earth and the great mystery of life.

I feel privileged in having had many opportunities throughout my teenage years to experience a plethora of vocational trainings in primitive skills and nature awareness. I send deep thanks to my mum, Jenny Cubitt-Smith, for helping me find my way to these courses, and to both my parents for enabling me to do them, and for their ongoing love and support. I am grateful for the many teachers who inspired and motivated me. Lastly, yet importantly, my gratitude goes to all those who have stewarded wild spaces, however small, that enable this work; especially to those at Plawhatch Farm and Hawthbush Farm for opening their land to our work with young people.

Contents

In my lifetime of interest in wildlife, I have witnessed the sad and dramatic decline of many species that as a child I considered common: kestrels, skylarks, grey partridges and lapwings, to name a few. But coincidentally, I have also seen a tragic extinction in the UK countryside that of the young naturalist. I walk with my dogs twice daily through woods near where I grew up, and in years I have not seen a single child making camps, climbing trees, damming streams, let alone looking for birds nests, catching grass snakes or tracking foxes. Not one; they have gone.

Well, not gone exactly. They have been imprisoned, protected from the dirty and dangerous outdoors by being locked up inside in front of televisions and computers. Increasingly, they have become fat and bored, they have become allergic to things and less socially competent. These are not opinions, they are facts; a horrible reflection of the mistreatment of generations of young minds and bodies. From my point of view, that of a naturalist, I sincerely fear for the future of my kind. How can young people learn about nature from the Internet or in libraries? How will that ignite a lifelong interest in the most beautiful things our world has to offer? It wont. Young people need to get out and see nature; hear it, they need to feel it a newt tickling the palm of their hand, the edge of a feather, the sweetness of a ripe blackberry.

This book offers a chance to the youth of today and the nature of tomorrow. It has a wealth of structured, tried and tested projects, ideas and games designed to allow children to breathe fresh air and engage personally with a real world where their minds and bodies can develop and bloom, burst into life, and inspire them to love life.

Chris Packham (TV presenter and naturalist)