I took the little people down to the woods today. We went in disguise and didn't go alone, just in case. They had a fancy to build dens, and of course it had to be competitive. The littlest boy and I teamed up together. Our den had a nature table. You have to go some to beat a den with its own nature table. The middle boy lost his prized Swiss army knife, so we spent a nervy fifteen minutes hunting for that. After a while I offered a £5 reward to motivate those who weren't really looking properly. In the end I was the one who found it although the littlest boy tried to claim it was him.
All in all it was a good afternoon. It's not always easy filling the holidays with fun, fun, fun although I don't think it does them any harm to be a bit bored from time to time. I have a few chores they can get stuck into tomorrow. Might even offer a small payment. (You know what I'm actually saying is that I'll have to bribe them right..?)
The den making looks fun it is always something I enjoyed doing as a child! Glad you managed to find the Swiss army knife! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteYou all would do great making a home in the woods! I enjoyed the table display. I'm glad you found the knife.. it would be tragic to lose it forever. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day! Great work!
ReplyDeleteYou can't beat a bit of bribery!! Den building looks like it was fun. x
ReplyDeleteThat took me back to my childhood, when we used to make dens in the woods. Lovely memories. A bit of bribery doesn't hurt now and again.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Love your dens. Glad the knife was found.
ReplyDeleteI love that your boys are still young enough for den building. I seem to be having a constant battle over suitable curfew times. Ah well perhaps bribery might help! xx
ReplyDeleteThat is one mighty den you have there - who could fail to be impressed by one that has its own nature table? I'm all for a little bribery to get those chores done. Glad the Swiss army knife was found too - who knows what might have resulted if any bears had happened upon it! xx
ReplyDeleteBlimey, those are some Serious Dens. They took that challenge seriously! My two are getting a bit bored I think - I've been having a whale of a time pottering around the house and ticking jobs off my list, and I do often say to them "go and find something to do, I am not going to entertain you all day" but that only works for so long. I might have to drag them out for a big walk tomorrow. xx
ReplyDeleteImpressive dens. I hope that you treated yourself with the £5 reward. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery creative! We had to have some trees felled last year after a storm and the grand girls and their parents made a fort with chunks of wood and no little branches like you so effectively used. The girls still enjoy playing in the fort although some of the wood around their fort is gradually getting chopped into fire wood. Does the word "reward" feel better than "bribe?" xx
ReplyDeletei read the heading and thought "whaaat?". then I saw th pictures! so beautiful! my goodness you really are so talented. they are so evocative, of clam and peace as well as play and mischief.
ReplyDeleteI also love to think that someone would come across the little huts after you left, and be utterly entranced and bewildered by what they found!
of calm - not shellfish :-)
DeleteThese dens are brilliant! Your boys are are talented den-builders indeed, mini Ray Mears/Bear Grylls in the making. I love the concept of a den with a nature table - survival mixed with an appreciation of natural history. Glad the knife was found too.
ReplyDeleteCathy x
You are building great foundations CJ. My son is up in the Lake District this week with a mate from university wild camping, fell walking, rock climbing and filming. I think a love and knowledge of our beautiful natural world is one of the best gifts we can give to our children. My advice is to make the most of the holidays and ignore everything that doesn't matter. A washing load and food on the table a day will suffice. And yes, boys can peg out washing. It won't be perfect but we all have to start somewhere.
ReplyDeletewhat truly wonderful den building! glad the penknife was found!
ReplyDeleteI find bribery very effective and holiday slavery!....... on Friday the teenage boy helped dig out the most enormous tatty phormium, a garden company had quoted £140 to remove it, I bribed the teenager with £10 and he was delighted. win win!
I've got to ask where this is. I might pinch this idea as well. Thanks
ReplyDeleteAfter a stormy bank holiday Monday, it's so nice to be outdoors in dry sunny weather! There's some great designs there - possibly a couple of architects in the making? (When my son was keen on science, I secretly hoped that he'd be an environment engineer.) I'm very taken with all those log slices in the woods - weren't you tempted to take a couple home? They'd make lovely stools or stepping stones! Or a bug hotel ….
ReplyDeleteLove those dens (my childhood ones made from the rickety clothes horse and a sheet seem very tame by comparison). As for the nature table, well, that surely trumps everything. And I never saw payment for doing chores as a bribe. It's an incentive!
ReplyDeleteWhatever works! The house is awash with chocolate so that's a great incentive to pull out of the bag. Otherwise, when desperate, I threaten to take things away. This morning I threw Panda on top of the wardrobe. Joe's almost surgically attached to Panda. Unfortunately Panda somehow cleared the top of the wardrobe and slithered down the back. It's a very big, heavy wardrobe which sits snugly in an alcove. This one's a job for Jay.
ReplyDeleteGod, I sound like a cruel mother don't I?
Anyway... Den-building sounds like a great idea, and it looks like you had decent weather for it too. We don't have anywhere with those kind of fun things; I think there's a forest school type of thing but it's outrageously expensive. I'm just hoping and praying the rain disappears in time for the belated Easter holidays.
And I'm glad you found the knife too. Spend that fiver on a magazine and a piece of cake!
S x
What great den building! I'm glad the weather was ok. It didn't seem to be as dire as the forecast suggested.
ReplyDeleteI do love a bit of den building ;) xxx
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic CJ - what a fantastic forest village! My little babe and I have been doing our share of building things with sticks lately (a pen for her metal pet chicken being the most important structure), but they are on a bit smaller scale. Good for you for joining in the fun too.
ReplyDeleteIt looks and sounds like you all had fun. Thank goodness the knife was found...well done mum. Your last paragraph has me smiling. Flighty xx
ReplyDeleteI used to love building dens when I was a child and my three used to love making them when they were smaller. I'm sure I could persuade them to have a go even now if they were all in good moods and the stars were aligned correctly :-) Yours look fantastic. I'm glad you found the penknife - now you can treat yourself to something. My middle son saved up for a Swiss Army Knife which arrived a couple of days ago. He is ridiculously delighted with it. Sam x
ReplyDeleteHey CJ,
ReplyDeleteThere is a place not from us - Tehidy Woods - and the thoughtful woodsmen have built little dens scattered throughout the place. Olly loves it there. The bigger boys do too, as it goes. The last time we visited, we found a fairy garden in the heart of the wood. It was magical. I'm all for boredom. I've built some fab Lego structures in my time, because I was 'boooooooooored, Mum'
Leanne xx
Den building sounds like so much fun! I quite fancy it myself, too. x
ReplyDeleteDen building sounds brilliant. Sadly I'm not very competitive. It's funny though as my Big girl is super competitive (dragging her heels getting ready?make it a competition and she has to win!!!) and little girl is just like me, not competitive at all, in fact, almost anti-competitive doing the exact opposite to what is needed to win. Here's hoping there's not too mcuh boredom to be had...we start our hols tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteYou sound infinitely more interesting during the holidays than our family. But I'm glad there is a break. I remember how much I enjoyed a week free of school as a kid. That first den reminds me of bowerbirds, you just need something bright and shiny ;) I assume your bird fan family is familiar, but just to prove my point: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/bowerbirds/laman-photography
ReplyDeleteWow, they're amazing, thanks for the link. CJ xx
DeleteImpressive dens. Did you have a picnic? I lost a small mother of pearl penknife when I dropped it out of the apple tree I was sitting in. I never found it despite looking for it and have mourned its loss ever since. So glad you found the Swiss army knife.
ReplyDeleteOne of the joys of teenagers is the loss of a sense of guilt for not filling their days for them. Mine much prefers it if he doesn't have to set eyes on me for most of the day :-) love the den and phew for finding the knife xx
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and what a great idea, I used to build dens with mine when they were wee. Ours are just starting their holidays, but being teenagers and beyond they sleep, eat and stare at square screens :/ Enjoy the rest of your holiday :)
ReplyDeleteThey never grow out of den building.... and bribery is often the only way!!
ReplyDeleteSx
I would say that was a fun, fun, fun day. I would have loved to be there building dens, and I frankly would have searched hard for the knife, I love a good reward.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
I recall the den building days. Great fun, and you'll look back on them with nostalgia...one day.
ReplyDeleteOur Master 10 & his friends love building them too. We call them bush huts in our part of the world, and our local bush is dotted all over with them. I think boredom is a wonderful & essential human experience, it nearly always precipitates some kind of creativity. When we complained of boredom our mother would say "ahh that's good news, any minute now you'll think up something terrific" - it used to drive us mad of course but now I see her wisdom.
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