CHILDREN having too much screen time is a concern to many parents and has been for some time.

Children seem to be having more mental health concerns too. At the same time, though the causal link has yet to be proven, children are spending a lot less time in free play and especially not free play in the great outdoors.

The Bramblewood Project in the Arboretum develops this theme further. Nature provides a healthy amount of randomness and opportunities for the imagination.

Each rock, stick and tree are different and unique. A rock could be a castle, a horse, a tank or anything really.

The staff at Bramblewood believe the forest school gives children opportunities to follow their own curiosity and adventuresomeness and then to grow in self-belief and self-esteem.

About 20 years ago this patch of land was left to its own devices growing into a thick woodland with dense networks of brambles. Their trick was to make two clearings in the wood to let in the sun.

They also made some wavy lined pathways through the brambles, which need to be maintained as brambles grow quickly. The waves slow down the wind as well as looking more natural.

The Bramblewood project also runs alternative provision for children with special needs. Sometimes mainstream school may be too much, too noisy or too regimented for children. Sometimes an education based outside in the woods provides the space, silence and greenery children need to learn.

There are different materials there as well as animal tracks, plants, weather, birds or bugs to learn about.

It’s not just for children. Everybody can benefit from connecting with nature. There are also plenty of bushcraft skills that can be learnt there, such as woodworking, making string from nettles, making nettle tea, hazel coppicing or cooking on an open fire.