A woodland forage can be fun for parents and children

Helen O’Callaghan says the outdoors is full of excitement.

IN early October, 22 third-class children stood in silence in a wood. Eyes closed, they were doing a sense meditation, noting the breath coming in and out of their nose, allowing the quietest sounds to enter their hearing, tasting the air, noticing the smells — trees, nearby cows, other animals.

The mostly nine-year-olds were involved in a project run by Wexford Forest School in association with Earth Force Education. Led in the five-minute meditation by Ciara Hinksman of Earth Force Education, the children were then asked to gently open their eyes and encouraged to find a place within the boundary of the forest school where they couldn’t see any other children.