Journey sticks endless imagination ( Learning through play )

I am going to give you a bit of stick ....

No I really am going to give you a bit of stick : A journey stick.

Native American and Australian Aboriginals are said to have used journey sticks to tell stories about their travels. When they went on journeys they collected things and tied them to their stick in chronological order. By referring to their items on their stick they were able to remember their journey and recount their stories. This is a very personal way of recording a journey and there is no right or wrong way to make a journey stick.

Journey sticks can be used to explore places, create maps or used as a stimulus for creative writing of poetry.

One of the things you can do is make a card board slide so you can take a leaf slide.

Be sure not to pick any wild flowers.

All kinds of wonderful remind me of the world

All kinds of wonderful remind me of the world .

I 'm not a religious person by nature .

I spent many a year at Sunday School being brought up in the Baptist faith , life was a whirl of  services , lessons, parties and fun.

But a shadow hung over these times in the nature of racism certain people were not welcome at my church for a short time. But certain people rose up within the church and quelled this unrighteousness.

And when on a school trip to Normandy I wandered off at lunch into the forest and came upon an open chapel dedicated to those of the First World War . Chairs were stacked up , dried up leaves crunched and scrunched on the floor, then a breeze a sort of mistral whipped them into the air , souls stirred: they were remembered.

But the world is a wonderful place when we step out from its sometimes eerie shadows or forgotten corners.

Sometimes faith .. Well faith can be of the heart .

Train of thought

The Pictures comes from http://www.derby-signalling.org.uk/index.html

This is what use to run through my village the rural idal is being slowly eroded away by modern housing estates the need for housing is paramount but the solution just seems to be to build and eat up the countryside. Rather than looking at other solutions planners just want to build build build squeezing our already over flowing schools and putting pressure on local resources and infrastructures.

The station and track has long gone and all that is there now is the station master house ... which I will get a picture of soon.


I don't want further generations of mine to visit me only to find their is now longer any green spaces except one little patch of grass left in the UK that is preserved in a museum!


Do you think we are losing our countryside ?

Help my cat is trying to kill me ...

I think , I am sure , you see my cat is trying to kill me .. perhaps its my imagination  .....

See semi happy

Playful raspberry

I knew it face of evil

What do you think .. need I worry can I sleep safe ??

Story book magic and adventures. Craft Challenge. ( Learning through play )

One of the tips I picked up from forest school was how to make a story book but not in your conventional way. And this be done with little or no cost.


1. Take a piece of A3 paper cut length ways around 3 inches long.



2. Fold it in half .

3.Fold it in half again.

4. Go back in your fold till the strip of paper is concertina

5. Take an A 5 piece if card fold it in half this is your cover.


6. Stick your folded paper into your cover , you will have 8 pages to write, draw record or do what ever you want on.

7. It could also become a mini theatre for small action figures.

The only limitation is your or your child's imagination.

My story involves a squirrel who gets caught in the rain, it rains so hard that he sees a bottle floating down the road, river or where ever .. Remember it's a story so what ever you write goes.

The squirrel then spies a message in a bottle..... Cue suspenseful music.....

What's this it's not a message but a pirate map !!!!!

Then as if by magic and because it's a story an up turned Golden Acorn pirate ship sails in.

And that's where the story stops as I ran out of time ..

Can you help me finish it ?

Can you create your own story , special book , be it a pop up or picture book etc ..?

I would love to see ..

Please tweet me or drop me an email to your link !