Cath Elliott
'One highlight has been hearing the sounds of the children enjoying themselves in the woodland, sharing 'nature news' about the things they've noticed in nature week to week, and learning so much about what's on our doorstep!'
Cath Elliott, Forest Time
Running a forest school in a beautiful woodland near Lake Windermere, Cath Elliott aims to inspire young people to love the natural world as much as she does.
'I was inspired to create Forest Time during lockdown, after the experience of living in such a fantastic location for the past 8 years - an unspoilt and beautiful part of the Lake District National Park.
Living this close to nature draws you in, you begin to notice the changes in the natural environment more readily. I'm more connected to nature now than I've ever been, and there is a vast amount to learn here!
I wanted to encourage my own children to feel closer to nature too, to become attuned to what’s around them, and to care about their environment. I wondered how I could develop this into something valuable and important for everyone's future.
‘Forest Time Connecting in Nature’ is for preschoolers and their families to enjoy, and in the future my small venture may expand beyond the youngest of our generation, and begin to incorporate wellbeing for adults too.
My intention is to nurture an exchange between what we can learn from the woodland and nature around us, to developing a desire to protect it. How can I help the environmental crisis in some small way? My desire is to continue to find ways to encourage others to experience connecting with nature, to discover its many benefits for our health and wellbeing and our future.
Highlights have been my Forest School Leaders training at Rookhow, completed last year, and successfully running family sessions - hearing the sounds of the children enjoying themselves in the woodland, sharing 'nature news' about the things they've noticed in nature week to week, and learning so much about what's on our doorstep!
This year, we lost some very large trees from our site and the stump of an old oak tree is all that remains. The tales of Storm Arwen and Franklin will no doubt live on in our children, and those who come to Forest Time.
The challenge now is to embed care and respect for the natural world and to support this through a child's formative years and into adulthood.'
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