What we'll doLiving Earth Project:
This exciting new outdoor project in partnership with Hands of Hope Charity will give children a rare opportunity to work directly with the land.
Students will gain practical skills and knowledge whilst gaining a deep understanding of what it means to live in connection with the natural world around them.
We will be discovering our historical and geographical relationship to the land around us through growing and harvesting food, cooking, foraging, preserving, exploring herbal medicines, and traditional hand-crafting. We’ll uncover stories and folklore that have linked people to the Sussex & Kent landscape for hundreds of years.
The children will be given a chance to develop a direct hands-on relationship with the land.
Working in a small community of children, teachers and mentors, students will work seasonally, at nature's pace. We will take teachings from the past and bring them into the present, learning and moving forward in a sustainable, meaningful and practical way.
As we spend time experiencing how nothing stands alone, we will witness the continuous rising and falling of life, death and rebirth. Ultimately remembering we ourselves are part of nature.
As well as being educational, the Living Earth project will be playful and fun. In keeping with Project Rewild’s ‘Free to Learn’ ethos, our work is child centred and allows lots of freedom in children’s individual learning journeys.
Children will work as part of a community, supporting and helping one another to create the best outcomes. By creating a healthy and supportive learning environment, we will encourage new friendships and improve confidence, self-esteem, and physical and mental health.
For school children, we will help students to see and feel the joy of learning. We support them in their individual needs to improve their learning experiences and outcomes whilst here and in school.
Where: Hope Farm, Hawkhurst.
We are working in collaboration with ‘Hands of Hope Charity’. The charity’s magnificent site in the heart of Sussex allows us to go deeper into land-based learning. The site has acres of organic permaculture growing space, ancient woodland, wild meadows, ponds, farmland, indoor learning spaces and a kitchen classroom.
What we will do:
Growing: Working closely with the Hands of Hope growing team, children will learn how to grow food through a sustainable and environmentally friendly ethos. We will be concentrating on growing local Sussex and Kent varieties where possible. Using no-dig/permaculture methods in the garden we will be promoting natural cycles and biodiversity.
Foraging: We will be foraging throughout the year, learning when and how to identify certain plants, trees and mushrooms for food as well as the healing properties of herbs. Students will learn how to read and understand the land around them.
Cooking: Using both grown and foraged plants children will learn how to cook fresh healthy food. We will learn more about the nutritional value of food and its benefits to our bodies.
Preserving: Working seasonally, we will be learning the art of preserving and storing food. Lacto-fermentation, drying, chutneys, jams, kombucha and pickling. We will look at how preserving extends shelf life, as well as gently changing the nutritional spectrum and why this is beneficial to humans at particular points in the year.
Crafting: We will also be learning traditional crafts to create essential tools and natural storage containers such as basket weaving, cordage, nalbinding and woodwork. We will look at why sustainability is important, where, when and how materials are harvested.
Land connection: To help us better understand the land we will learn about its historical uses as part of a thriving Sussex industry. We will learn about the geographical importance of the land and its current ecology and how we can better protect and conserve the site (and wider natural world).
Storytelling: As part of the living history programme, we will be sharing the curious legends and intriguing tales of mystery, handed down over the centuries, as part of a rich tradition of folk stories and folklore in Sussex and Kent. This will enable us to connect with the people who once lived and worked on the land.
Details:
What is it? A Drop-off outdoor education programme for children (parents do not stay).
Who is it for? Available for Home-educated and school children (alternative provision) aged 8-16 years.
When is it? Every Wednesday (term time), from 10am to 3pm.
Group size? The group will be a maximum of 12 children.
Where is it? Hope Farm, Hawkhurst, Kent
Who is teaching? This group will be led by Polly Palmer and Luke Funnell with support from staff at Hands of Hope.
Polly is an experienced permaculture growing instructor, qualified mindfulness teacher, and forest school leader. She has also trained in ethnobotany and been leading hand crafts, and mindfulness in nature groups for many years. Polly has a passion for foraging, preserving and nature-based crafts.
Luke has been leading transformative outdoor programmes for children and adults for nearly 20 years. He is an advanced bushcraft and survival instructor, nature connection and nature philosophy facilitator and skilled storyteller. Luke is also an experienced teacher and youth worker. Luke has also trained in and led foraging and ethnobotany groups for many years.
We will also be working with staff at Hands of Hope who are experts in food growing, farming and the history of the land.
