Exploring trees with kids who tend to the cautious side. We discover it’s all about the ‘right’ tree, and bouncing and swinging can be as much fun as climbing.
As a child I dreamt of climbing trees. I don’t think I ever really did. There was a bush in our back garden I could sort of climb up a bit but i didn’t get very far. It made me feel a bit inadequate. It was only looking at it again as an adult I realised that the thing with climbing trees is finding the right tree. Also that the right tree is not the same for everyone. For some kids a tree with branches that start high up is just a challenge waiting to be met, but for me and B, we need trees which are easy and helpful to access. They’re surprisingly hard to find but we’re lucky in that we have a local park which has several very good options.
354 – Tree bouncing
Sunday 12 January. Weather: dry and sunny. Temperature: 7°C
An unexpectedly brilliant day this. It didn’t start well. I was feeling lazy and B got side tracked into other things so we finally made it round to the park about midday. Officially we were getting the last few of the Twinkle lights down from the trail but I was hoping to finally get B feeding the squirrels. She loves squirrels and there’s an over population this year. That completely failed to happen for the third time (maybe she’d got too old for them?) because we got distracted. Fresh from her tree climbing adventures in the back garden, B was suddenly seeing all sorts of possibilities in the trees. They’re really wonderful at the square– big and old and with lots of interesting branches and crannies and places to hide. During the covid lockdown (when B was five) we spent hours there working out different ways to play. We hadn’t done it for ages and suddenly I find B, while potentially too old for squirrels, is ready for this on a whole other level.
Before I even looked, she was about a metre up and finding ways to move from one area of tree to the other. She uses one tree as a lookout, climbing high and trying to see things on the ground nearby. I told her how, in lockdown, we worked out you could sit on a strong branch and bounce it gently up and down. She loves the idea and we’re off, moving from tree to tree, looking for the best options. I love hooking my arms over the top of high branches and leaning on them but B is not so keen. She prefers going up and down and sideways. She gets scared if she gets stuck but gets used to the idea of going back and trying again. We’re both a long way from being dare devils but we really enjoy working out what we can do and how far we can get.
I set her the task of doing the number for the day and she has a great idea with pine needles but struggles to make it visible against the ground. In the end we try something different, finding a particularly squelchy bit of mud and a stick. Then head home both happy and invigorated. I am so chuffed. This is what the challenge was meant to be after all. Finding fun stuff and playing and exploring. It’s not easy to get going always when its cold, but today was a great reminder of how much fun it can be.
Back at home we start thinking about a plan for next week. I’m realising that its going to be a lot easier if I can plan a bit more in advance, while also being open to last minute changes and events. Realistically, with the full schedule of clubs starting up again this week I’m realising we’re never going to have more than about thirty minutes on week days. It should be do-able but definitely better with preparation in advance. B has an idea for Wednesday and I get a great one for Monday. Roll on week #2!
253 – Climbing trees again
Wednesday 23 April. Cloudy. 14°C
How did it take us so long to have another tree climbing day? We have done it in passing quite a bit. B shins up the garden tree almost every time she’s out there and the Brownies had a lot of fun during their scavenger hunt, but it’s the first time since January B and I have had an official ‘tree climbing day’.
It’s Spring now and everything is warmer and buzzier but the coniferous trees in the park are much the same as they were in January. We head for the best climbing one in the far corner. Inspired by the brownies I see if I can get a bit higher than last time. Then get stuck and B has to help me down. “Put your foot there! NO! NOT THERE! There!”.
I show B how you can use your arms to help support your weight. She laughs at me when I fail to realise that it’s best to check above your head before trying to go up (“OW!”). We then find a fun game of one of us putting my bag as high as we can get to and seeing if the other one can get it down. B is better at this than me despite being a lot shorter. Finally we find comfy places to sit in the branches and watch the world go by.
