Why Green Santa? Well, Christmas is a Christian holiday which has been grafted over a solar reality – which is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. On this day the birth of the sun, or the return of the light, literally took place. All over the Northern Hemisphere, the festivals of light culminate the biggest light festival of all. After the 21st of December, the pendulum swings back to the long days of summer.
The ancient peoples of Ireland and these Isles celebrated this with the Green Man. At the heart of this image is one of the return of life, vegetation, the spring. Conversely it is also an image of the passing of time – the old must give way to the new, from death new life springs.
Elements is celebrating the solstice for the first time. Sadly we are unable to do this at the time we were hoping to – after Advent, but we thought we’d try to squeeze this in, just to bring some luck and glee into the start of the season.
So come along and mark the awaiting of the sun’s return with us. Hope to see you there.
Dear all, we are soooo excited to announce that we are about to start our first Forest School sessions. We have been doing Forest School now for the past eight years and now have the opportunity to bring it to Bangor, Hillsbrough and Belvoir Park Forest (but this will be in October)!
Our Forest School also includes STEM and Art sessions while also enabling the children to take part in deep play in some of the most beautiful forests in their neck of the woods, pun intended!
What can you expect:
Storytelling and myths Learning about biodiversity and how we all play a part on the planet Activities from den building to geometry and art Challenges and deep play Creating seasonal crafts and a variety of activities to choose from We always ensure that our activities are low impact and environmentally friendly and work closely with our children to ensure that they get the best experiences.
We will also be organising Festival Days this year and Full Moon Nights next year. We haven’t costed them as yet, but have put the dates down so you can keep them in your diary!
Michaelmas 29th September 2020
Michaelmas is a harvest festival where we give thanks to the Earth for having provided us and ask for courage as we enter the darkness of winter.
2 pm – 3 pm: FREE this is our tiny launch party! This will be followed by our regular Forest School session. Places are limited so please book early by emailing hello@elementsschool.net.
Halloween 31st October 2020, The Quarries, 4 – 6 pm
Halloween is the Celtic New Year and we will be celebrating it as such. We will not be having terrifying and ghoulish horrors, but a gentle celebration of this important time of the year. Instead there will be stories, visits to grandfather and grandmother trees and traditional Halloween games.
Places are limited so please book early by emailing hello@elementsschool.net
Cost: TBC
Families only
Martinmas: 11 November, Hillsbrough Forest Park, 2 – 4 pm
To celebrate this lantern festival we will be walking through Hillsbrough. Priority will be given to regular Forest School attendees.
Places are limited so please book early by emailing hello@elementsschool.net
Cost: TBC
Advent Garden: 1 December 2020, the Quarries, 4 pm
We will be walking the Advent Spiral at the Quarries. Priority to be given to our regular attendees.
Places are limited so please book early by emailing hello@elementsschool.net.
Elements Forest and Garden School are looking at ways to bring our wonderful activities and curriculum to you. So keep coming back to this page for dates.
We are currently seeking parks and local forests to bring our own brand of exciting Forest School activities and education near you.
From STEM subjects and storytelling, wildlife activities and wonderful play, we are hoping that our first sessions will take place from August onwards.
If you know of a park or a local forest which you think would be great for us to hold our school in, please let us know!
