Wild Earth Creative Education

Another interesting project from one of my senior DT students looking to expand his range of skills. After discussing some options we opted to try some marquetry techniques using thin veneers of various hardwoods. A couple of practice pieces led to trying to produce a mountain landscape that was then turned into this really nice decorative box. Having not done any marquetry for a number of years this was a really interesting project to be involved in! Great work.

Sadly our run of senior Home Ed Forest School sessions at Howsham Mill has now come to an end but we went out in style! These carved mushrooms and dragonflies were fabulous and we rounded the session off with a model raft race down the river.

It has been a pleasure to deliver these sessions over the last 7 years and thank you to all those who have supported them - I hope they have inspired our young people to carry on their love of the outdoors and creativity! 🔥🌳🍁🍂🌿🙏

Happy Easter! My Home Ed DT group have been busy over the last couple of weeks making all kinds of 'eggcelent' Easter decorations. Some really creative ideas here and hope that you all have a wonderful weekend.🥚🍬🍰

My Home Ed DT group had the theme of 'Robots' using primarily wood as their material. As you can see there were lots of fantastic ideas and there are also some robot pets too! Great work 👏

My Forest Ed group had a busy session at Howsham Mill this month. The focus was to make flatbreads but the added challenge was to carve their own spatula to help turn them during cooking. With the winter storms we had plenty of fresh willow to use so we covered splitting, stop cuts and then shaping before trying them out over the fire. The advanced group also made some useful mallets for our future craft work. Well done to all!

My Home Ed DT group had a change of focus material for the start of the Spring Term and we have been exploring copper. We covered cutting, shaping, forming and texturing as well as heat treatment to anneal the material so we could explore forms. The results are these fabulous jewellery dishes inspired by leaves and some tags using offcuts. Great work! 🔥

Encourage kids to spend more time in the woods and connect with the land to uncover invaluable lessons and experience nature’s blessings. By exploring forests, fields, and streams, kids can learn about the intricate balance of ecosystems, the beauty of biodiversity, and the importance of conservation. They can gain hands-on knowledge and appreciation for the natural world, fostering a sense of stewardship and wonder. This connection to nature can teach children resilience, creativity, and mindfulness, providing lifelong benefits and enriching their understanding of the world around them. It all adds up to woodland fun.

Good to get a mention on BBC R2 Vernon Kay show this morning for a glorious autumn morning near York running a Forest Ed session. As well as some tree identification using leaves, buds and fruits we also made these wonderful 'Green Man' inspired masks. These have been decorated with leaves, sticks, berries and acorns and look fantastic! 🍁🍂🌿🌳

Happy Halloween! Our Home Ed DT group worked really hard to make these fabulous Jack O'Lanterns to light their way for tonight's spookiness. Enjoy your evening and stay safe!

My Home Ed Forest group took on the challenge of creating these wonderful, miniature woodland doors to provide inspiration for the number of primary school children who visit Howsham Mill. We looked at some existing solutions and discussed how they could be made from natural materials before finding a secluded spot to begin their build. Some really good use of materials here with some clever finishing touches - great work!

A fine flotilla of model fishing boats made by my Home Ed D&T group! These were inspired by an example I saw while abroad earlier in the summer and when I showed a photo to the group they were keen to give it a go. This project has taken several weeks of careful design work and used offcut and recycled materials in the construction. Considering that they are aged between 9-13 yrs I think they show remarkable skill. Well done all!