Excellence in Woodland – Spring Wood
Course Date
6th August 2021
Course Time
4:00 pm
Course Location
DE73 8BJ
6 – 8 August 2021
A weekend of high-quality workshops to inspire outdoor professionals.
This weekend brings together highly experienced deliverers of woodland-based crafts/skills to provide you with valuable guidance and instruction.
You are welcome to arrive from 4pm on the Friday, ready for an 8.45 start on Saturday morning. Choose from a fantastic selection of bushcraft workshops, all delivered by highly experienced professionals.
The Programme
Friday 4pm arrivals and set up your camp
Tree ID walk 8.30pm
The Workshops
Bushcraft Facilitation Skills
Join Liz and Dave for an enlightening look at how Bushcraft skills can be used to relate and engage those with emotional challenges. With some quite commonly used crafts/skills we will draw out important aspects/concepts which can enhance people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Led by Liz Benstead and Dave Watson.
Weaving the Woodland
Enjoy some creative time outdoors, observing the colours, textures and shapes of nature, then learn how to use the age-old technique of tapestry weaving to create your own little piece of woven art.
Led by Irene Evison.
Mallets and Tent Pegs
Create useful products as well as develop skills using a Froe, Mallet, Bow Saw and Knife. Learn how to select appropriate ash, split evenly and develop the techniques in order to make quality items that you can use in your outdoor education setting.
Led by Liz Benstead.
Bushcraft Puds
Using regular ingredients and a little bit of know how discover how to make delicious, no compromise puddings using the campfire. You will learn how to make a variety of desserts referencing the different heat/timings of the fire.
Led by Katie Rees.
Knots and Lashings
Gain confidence in a variety of knots and lashings in order to tie up your basha sheet/tarp in any situation. Discover how to create angles from which to anchor your shelter even when they don’t appear to exist.
Led by Rupert Loch.
Make Your Own Quality Bow Drill Kit
Making a quality bow drill kit will help enhance your own technique and therefore confidence. Understanding the finer qualities of each piece of equipment will help you grasp why the little details make a significant difference. You will finish with your own quality set to take away and show off with.
Led by Dave Watson.
Carving Projects
With a selection of simple techniques, create a variety of fun and practical items to brighten up your home or inspire your own students.
Led by Terry Longhurst.
Make a Bucksaw
Join Pete for this great workshop making use of a bow saw blade along with a selection of carefully trimmed branches along with the usual know how to create a very workable collapsible bucksaw.
Led by Pete Morton.
Fire Roll
No this is not a first aid session but a look at a fascinating and novel fire lighting method using cotton wool, a bit of ash and some know how. Through desperate measures this technique was used by prisoners of war in the 1940s to light their cigarettes.
Led by Pete Morton.
Science through Bushcraft
This is the third time that Rupert has presented a workshop at Excellence in Woodland. It continues to follow the theme of looking at ways in which curriculum science, mainly at secondary level, can be taught using the outdoors to support the learning experience. The workshop is aimed at Teachers of science, Bushcraft practitioners who work with school age pupils, Forest School leaders and anyone with an interest in providing a rounded learning experience for their students. The workshop will sample a range of topics and approaches to teaching, combining the acquisition of bushcraft skills and linking these to key parts of the science curriculum at GCSE and KS3.
Led by Rupert Loch.
Bread & Butter
In this session you will learn how to make a couple of simple bread recipes and cook them on the fire. No bread is complete without creamy butter, so we’ll make some of that too. Depending on seasonal availability, we may even add some foraged foods to flavour our breads and butter.
Led by Mel Grenfell.
Nordic Slinging Braids
In this session you will learn how to make a decorative Nordic braid using the co-operative slinging technique, and make your own set of weights to take away with you. These are fun to make and an excellent activity to explore in a variety of settings: forest schools, youth groups, mindfulness groups, team-building sessions etc.
Led by Mel Grenfell.
Game Prep
Learn how to prepare a variety of small game such as pigeon/rabbit/squirrel as well as fish and cook them in a variety of ways to suit the situation.
Led by Pete Morton.