Natural Foundations

Natural Foundations are a not for profit organisation who believe strongly in the importance of child led natural play. They have recently started offering outdoor weekly sessions at St Andrews Park and Pudding Woods at Broomfield Hospital. I took T & L along to St Andrews Park to take part in a session and I was really impressed. 

The sessions are easy to spot, with three colourful teepees set up in the middle of the park and Emma and Rachel are there to welcome you. There was a large picnic blanket set up with various containers filled with pasta (uncooked!), lentils, and porridge oats. The children had a lovely time pouring things from one container to the next and L (18 months) was just as happy as T (3.3 years) so the sessions are great for parents (or grandparents) with two under 5's. Emma and Rachel were also making 'clean mud' when we got there, and they encouraged all the children to help them make it before playing with it. (I will get the recipe for a future blog but it involved the grating of soap and tearing up of tissue paper - something my two do in the bathroom at home anyway!) 

It was a gorgeous day for our session and children were invited to take a basket and go for a walk in the woods to collect anything they found interesting. T didn't want to do this as he was too busy playing with the water and trying to make it flow down through some drain pipes whilst L was quite happy exploring the teepees! 

The sessions run all through the year though, not just on sunny days, and Natural Foundations supply outdoor waterproof clothing so that everyone can enjoy the sessions all year round.  Sessions are £2.50 per child and you can arrive at an point in the session. They do ask that you let them know if you are coming to a session so that they know how many biscuits to bring!! Contact details can be found here.