Article by Jenny Sanderson, leader at Badgers Forest School Bristol and FSA Member
Children’s Charity Angels approached my husband, Rob David from Bunkersonix, to write a song for their latest campaign – The Angels Welly Beat Schools Challenge. This is to raise money to fund the Angels pop up school and feeding kitchen for vulnerable street children within a settlement in South Africa. The charity aims to re-engage the children with learning and re-integrate them back into the school system.
Rob went out to South Africa in January to make a documentary with Children’s TV presenter Andy Day who is fronting the campaign and to film the first part of the song’s music video with the street children. One of the prizes on offer to challengers is the chance to dance with Andy in the music video and, for the biggest fundraiser, there is the chance to win a visit from Andy.
The footage from South Africa came back full of wellies! Obviously January is a time at forest school where wellies feature heavily in our activities. Our toddler group – Little Badgers – love the muddy puddles on the way to our log circle. We measure the puddles with sticks to see if the water will flood our boots. We stamp in them and splash in them. We paint with mud, we throw mud splats at the beech trees. We love the mud.
Our children have also been interested in sounds lately – we have been following a music theme after going round tapping things with sticks. We went on a sound hunt and have been making different percussion instruments.
The Angels Welly Beat Schools Challenge seemed like a perfect opportunity to build on all the things our children are interested in at the moment and connect with an outdoor education project in another country.
Andy paid us a surprise visit last week to show us how to do the Welly Beat dance. Once the children realised Andy didn’t just live in the telly we all got stuck in literally to dancing in the mud. It was brilliant!
In May we’re following it up with a sponsored welly wander for the whole family. Our children will love to show off their special places to the adults and siblings who can’t normally make it. We’re going to finish off with a picnic and more welly dancing. This time it will be probably midges instead of mud…
For more information about the Challenge and how easy it is to get involved click here.
Put Your Wellies On!……
