During August, 24 local children aged 10-12 attended a series of Summer Holiday Forest School sessions organised by the Forestry Commission. Two week-long Forest Schools took place each catering for 12 children who came from Abergavenny, Chepstow, Monmouth, Undy and the Wye Valley. Both Forest Schools were held in Forestry Commission woodland, the first week at Whitestone near Llandogo, and the second in Wetmeadow Woods just outside Trellech. Four hours of activities on each day concentrated  on developing children's’ practical skills such as tying knots and lashings, using hand tools to make musical instruments and shelters, and learning how to light small campfires to cook lunch. The sessions also provided the opportunity to spend time outdoors with other children of a similar age. Although it may seem quite risky to allow 10 and 11 year olds to use sharp tools, they were closely supervised with at least three trained Forest School Leaders helping out at every session. In addition, they worked towards using the tools, whittling sticks with a potato peeler before using a penknife and becoming competent with a junior hacksaw before being allowed to coppice small trees with a bowsaw.  Project Co-ordinator, Rachel Smith, was pleased that all the children enjoyed Forest School so much. “Many children don’t get the opportunity to play outside, building dens and campfires these days”, she said. “It was great to be able to give them the chance to use saws and penknives and other hand tools in a safe controlled environment. All the children were so sensible with these potentially dangerous tools and behaved in a very mature manner. I would have no qualms about running a similar scheme next year.”
Summer Holiday Forest School was part of the Forestry Commission’s Lottery funded Forest Schools for Monmouthshire Project which has been responsible for setting up Forest School sites around the county and for providing many groups of children, aged 4 – 16, with opportunities to learn new skills in a woodland environment. For more information about the Forest Schools for Monmouthshire Project, please contact Rachel Smith at the Forestry Commission on 01291 627412. | 
