February update

Hello one and all,

I hope you're doing well. As always I will share some important updates below including a new policy update, as well as some exciting news. I will send out further information regarding the Pines Foundation later in the month.   

As most of you know, one of the key motivations of opening Pines was to have more control over the people we work with and as a result have a bigger impact on the communities we feel we can help and be part of. We are so very proud of the community we have managed to create over the last five month, especially in the wake of the current struggles around Europe. Bringing together an array of cultures, nationalities, age groups and backgrounds furthers our education, as well as supporting the children's development into becoming more caring, open minded and social parts of the wider community. Watching the children support one another during session, be patient with each other and eventually succeed together not only demonstrates the fantastic work you do as parents but also sets a higher bar for us adults. It is very important to us that everyone who is part of this community feels they have a voice, and this is why we love receiving feedback and love hearing from you. 

In the last couple of months we have been scouring the city hoping to find more like minded people who can come on and support our projects. We were very lucky to find Łukasz Tulej recently (read our January blog post about Łukasz @ https://www.pinesforestschool.pl/blog) and are now delighted to introduce you to Marek Suchodolski from Lasokracja. I have known Marek for a number of years now, regularly seeking his expert advice and calling upon his Forest knowledge. Marek won't mind me saying, he is very much a man of the Forest, fitting in perfectly between a couple of Silver Birch. That said, there is a very humble side to Marek. I will regularly catch him preparing home made jam for his family and friends and agonizing over a recipe so his guests won't go hungry. A devoted father and Forest ranger, his knowledge and understanding of the Forest, bushcraft and all things wild make him the perfect addition to our community.

Winter break workshops:

Wednesday 26/02: Forest cooking. Children will have the opportunity to prepare a variety of meals over the fire, as of course eat them afterwards! (Parents will need to sign an additional consent form to take part in this session).

Friday 28/02: Survival. Children will be split into small groups, focus on building and preparing a solid shelter from natural materials found in the Forest, then work towards defending their shelter through a variety of games and activities.

As always activities are not mandatory and children can spend their time as they wish in the Forest. Our site will be set up as it usually is, offering the children a variety of adult and child-led activities. Many of the children may have already had a taster of such activities during our usual sessions, these workshops will delve deeper into the practice. 

Location: Powsin Park

Start: 10am

Finish: 2pm

Price: 120PLN (per workshop)

Age groups: 7 - 15

Places for these workshops are going quickly, if you're interested, please sign up ASAP to avoid disappointment. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Finally, a slight change in our policies. Due to the warmer weather (madness I know), we are receiving an influx of interest in our sessions. In regards to our midweek sessions, we have decided that all children who have come through our winter projects will have priority for future projects. Please sign up ASAP for these as we need to fill the groups before starting. New project dates will be sent to groups individually. In regards to our Saturdays and individual workshop dates, please sign up as soon as possible as these sessions will be 'first come first served'. Of course you can pay for a block booking, as many of you already have (preferred). If you need to cancel a Saturday session please let us know at least two days in advance, in accordance with our cancelation policy to ensure we can fill the space. Session numbers will have a direct impact on the number of practitioners. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week. 

Warm regards,

Saul and Steve