Workshops and projects for Schools

Nature Awareness
(Little Owl in bone oak)

Crafts, games and techniques to cultivate ones sensory perception of the natural world. Great for summer school activities, art, drama and roleplay. Learn the identification and uses of trees, plants, minerals and animals, combined with folklore, story and song.

(a weasel hunting a rabbit)

Ancient Technology & Experimental Archaeology

Alchemy, Charcoal, Paper & Bread......is an assortment of workshops on primitive charcoal making, earth oven building, bread making, paper making and alchemy for schools art and colleges. This experience enables artists of all ages and abilities to reach a grass roots level of mark making. Creating charcoal from willow to draw with and from other woods to be used in primitive forges or ovens.

This is a multi-faceted, interactive learning tool... experience the making of artists willow charcoal and charcoal fuel, organic paper, a clay oven and organic
bread. Throughout this process the participants will learn primitive fire making skills and fire safety, tree identification and nature awareness skills, charcoal making, the origins of chemistry and alchemy, paper making, oven building, clay sculpture, processing grain into flour, bread making and drawing with charcoal.

This workshop is relevant to ecology, geography, renewable energy, archaeology, history, chemistry, physics and art. The oven will become a community resource for your school or centre. We will run a drawing workshop using your homemade willow charcoal. Some of the earliest cave art was drawn
using charcoal. This will bring to life the history of the uses of charcoal for fuel, art and gunpowder. This series of workshops may be booked all together or
individually. This may last from one day to one week.

Experimental Archaeology Workshops include Tanning and Curing hides, Charcoal making, Willow work, Wattle and Daub, Cookery, Ovens and Pots, Stone Tools, Bone Tools, Wood work, Metal work and more.

Coracle Colloquy

These are light weight flat bottomed boats, made of wooden poles and skinned with waterproofed material or cow hide. Learn how to make your own whilst
developing poetic knowledge and skill on a workshop combining poetry, the art of colloquy and ancient technology

Ali The Chemist

This eccentric Alchemist will guide you through the elements and origins of chemistry.

Learn the powers of fermentation using nature's harvest... the powers of friction and combustion using ancient fire lighting skills... the processes of decomposition, composting and primitive smithcraft.

Ali will visit your school and bring his travelling alchemy workshop.

Ivan on the Penny Hooks Brook

Horn made of willow bark, pinned together with haw thorns,

blown for May Day celebrations.

.....Weekend and Day Courses for 2007.....

for bookings and enquiries please call Chris on 07816591151

Besom Making Day

...Sat 3rd February...

A day of making besoms and brooms and learning

about the folklore of Birch trees

By Star & By Stone

....Fri 16th, Sat 17th & Sun 18th March...

weekend of caving and astronomy in the Mendip Hills

caves, history and geology by day astronomy and folklore by night

Organic food and refreshments,
Age range 5 and upwards
£45

Springtime Nature Awareness Awakening

..........Saturday 7th April ..........

Follow a springtime trail of plant life , animal tracks and nature awareness.... re-discovering the magic of the season. A fun family day of sharing nature and education. Wild foods, woodland wisdom & storytelling.

.........Sunday 8th April.........

First flowers... a practical day of looking closer at the plant kingdom in Spring... their uses in the great outdoors and at home. Folklore, foraging and food.

Iron Age Days and Celtic Celebration

.........Saturday 14th, Sunday 15th April.........

Step back into the past... spend a day with the Iron Age tribe as they celebrate the season with story, poetry, practical crafts and skills- make a pot, weave a basket, basic smithing, earth ovens, visit the sacred spring, receive a blessing from the druids...

.........Coracles, Coracles and Coracles......

......Saturday 26th, Sunday 27th May.......

Make your very own coracle from natural materials... then learn the circular arts of propelling the light weight craft forwards!

..........Primitive Musical Instruments..........

.......Saturday 2nd June.......

Music is all around us... in the wind, the trees, with beasts and birds, machine and man made miracle... Join in and enjoy a day making primitve musical instruments, whistles, horns, harps, percussion and reeds.

....Wild Food & Iron Age Round House....

.......Saturday 22nd September.......

Two days of dicovering wild foods of the fields and hedgerows, woodland and wetland, cooking with open fire, earth oven and hot stones, fashioning our own utensils, and helpiong to build an Iron Age Round House.

........Tree Lore in Legend and History.......

.........Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th September.........

Discover the legends and lore of the trees of the forest and hedgerows. Family days of story, enchantment and enactment of myth... recognising the spirits of nature.

...Animal Magic...

...Saturday 6th, Sunday 7th October...

A journey deeper into the lore and teachings of the animal kingdom.

Saturday focusing upon behaviour, tracks, calls and cunning...

Sunday will be a day of folklore and finding familiars

Photos by Neil Pinnock and Chris Park