BLOG: Making connections with Wellies in the Woods
Hannah Smith, Team Manager and Facilitator at Groundwork East, reflects on the purpose of Wellies in the Woods, her time connecting with families, and why this programme is so important for children’s futures.
Families join Wellies in the Woods knowing that outdoor learning is important, but Wellies shows them that any given green space, no matter how small, can be used as an outdoor play opportunity.
Making families feel at ease when they attend a session is very important. I do this by e-mailing families that have booked to introduce myself, so they know what to expect, and ensuring that I arrive half an hour before the session begins which allows families to meet me and ask any questions. We always start with an introduction, where I do my best to learn everyone’s names from the get go! Getting to know families in this way reassures the group that we will be a close-knit team for the next eight weeks.
During Wellies sessions, families tell me that they already go on walks together and that they read books at home. After a few weeks of sessions, they’ll tell me ‘now our walks are interesting and exciting because we’ll do a scavenger hunt, or we’ll stop and build a bug home’ or ‘we took our story book outside with us at the weekend and went on a bear hunt together!’ The project is about gently changing family habits and helping them see that their outdoor green spaces and nature are fun!
Wellies in the Woods in one word – reconnecting.
By the second or third week, you’re really seeing different connections families have made. Mostly, it’s the confident children who are helping children that aren’t so confident. Then the mums will start chatting with one another, and it becomes this lovely support group. Not only do the children reconnect with their parents and guardians and have fun with each other, they also connect with the other families around them. When that moment clicks and you see these connections happen, I take a step back because my work is done. Wellies has become theirs.
I remember facilitating a session when I had just come back from maternity leave. After having extended time off, it was nerve wracking coming back to Wellies – even though I can probably do the programme with my eyes closed! I told the group it was my first session back, and to bear with me; in response, the mums were telling me not to worry, that they’ve all been there and know what it’s like. They were there for me. That group of mothers supported me when I felt unsure and nervous, but I was also supporting them through the programme, and we were going through the Wellies journey together. By the end of the session, they were all exchanging numbers and making a WhatsApp group. It was the perfect group for me to come back into work.
Wellies is providing education for the futures of children – and for the future of the planet.
Wellies gets children to problem solve and risk solve early on. If they take that to school, they’re already at an advantage. Through the literacy aspect, Wellies also builds a love of reading and books through outdoor play and activities. Our hope is that we raise levels of school-readiness in preschool children throughout the programme.
They are the next generation to look after the world and to inherit our outdoor spaces, and if we can get preschoolers to connect with nature and take care of it when they are very young, then hopefully these children will continue to love nature as they grow up.
Your donation helps us create a greener and fairer future. Every penny given to our Wellies in the Woods programme goes to help give children a better start in life.
Notes to editors
For more information please contact: media@groundwork.org.uk
About Groundwork
Groundwork is a federation of charities with a collective mission to take practical action to create a fair and green future in which people, places, and nature thrive. We support communities and businesses to build capacity and resilience in order to tackle hardship, achieve a just transition to net-zero and help nature recover in a way that reduces inequality and leads to healthier, happier lives for all: www.groundwork.org.uk