By Marita Sanguinetti
A wonderful thing happened to me this spring.
I got to spend six days with Rowan, Sally and the amazing children at Free We Grow.
Actually I am in Dacres Wood right now.
I can ‘be’ here, in this ‘lived moment’, in the here and now, in this beautiful space, and the children remind me to be in the ‘here and now’, ‘to be’ with them fully, and with what ever appears. Continue reading “A Wonderful thing happened to me this spring”
By Sally Hall
“I have come to feel that the only learning which significantly influences behaviour is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning”. Carl Rogers
What a two years we’ve had at Dacres Wood (Nearly two years! We’ll celebrate at the end of this summer term). And what an opportunity it’s been to learn 
freely about ourselves, about others, and about our interests. I say ‘we’ because I can’t help but include Rowan and myself in the group of learners, and I think that this is just how things should be. Last week, Rowan and I were tidying up after pickup and stopped to admire some of the creations from the day… drawings, sketches and posters for the climate strike that took place on May 24th. Among the creations, Rowan had sketched a beautiful rhino, and I had painted a big blue whale, and we were both so proud! Continue reading “Self-discovered, self-appropriated learning”
Free We Grow is delighted to invite you to our next Open Day, Saturday 29th June from 1 till 4 PM.
In this occasion, we are dedicating the afternoon to the exploration and reflection on the topic of Empathy.
As part of the activities for the day, we will be screening the documentary Love, Hate and Everything in Between by filmmaker and director Alex Gabbay.
‘The documentary looks into the world of neuroscience, psychology, education and technology to explore the extraordinary relevance of empathy in today’s increasingly interconnected world.
Man’s capacity for kindness and compassion is overshadowed only by his ability to be as cruel and destructive. Can empathy resolve issues of aggression and subjugation, where wars, politics and economic sanctions have failed? ‘
Film will be projected at 2 PM with a duration of 55 minutes.
After the film we will have time for reflection and exchange of thoughts.
Please note that film is suitable for children over 12 years old, due to the graphic nature of some of the scenes. Activities for smaller children will be available during the projection of the film. There will be always an adult from FWG to accompany them and look after them while parents are watching the film.
Entry is free and there are 20 spaces available. Please email us if you would like to attend or have any questions about the event: emma@freewegrow.co.uk
During same day and times, Dacres Wood Nature Reserve will be accessible to the public, as part of the Friend of Dacres Wood Open Day. Everyone is welcome to come and wonder around this hidden gem in the heart of Forest Hill.
We look forward to sharing with you this fantastic day!
By Rowan Salim
It’s 8:30pm on a Monday evening and my WhatsApp pings. I receive this message from Sally:
For the treasure hunt: I was thinking of changing the ending of this Aesops fable so the grasshopper is grateful for a drink of wine and then leaves the owl to go to sleep.
Continue reading “The owl that dared”
Free We Grow next Parents’ information meeting will take place on Sunday 28th April 2018 from 5 to 7pm.
If you are interested in hearing more about the project, meet our facilitators and some of the founders and view the venue come along to the meeting.
If you have any question email us at hi@freewegrow.co.uk
By Sally Hall
I want to talk about sharing our stories with the people around us. At Dacres Wood we don’t live in a vacuum. Every member of the community has a home life, things that they think about, issues they are grappling with, and things that they like to spend their time doing outside of our three days in the reserve. Continue reading “Show and Tell”
By Rowan Salim
We need space, place and time to do the things we need and want to do. The conditions which we create to enable the creative or learning process have a direct impact on the process and the outcome. Continue reading “Space, place and time”
By Sally Hall
You may have noticed that Dacres Wood looked a little different after the summer holidays! In the reserve the leaves were starting to brown, the baby moorhens had grown fast, and berries, helicopters and conkers were appearing on the trees. But the biggest changes were to be seen indoors! Continue reading “The Third Teacher”
We are very excited to announce Free we Grow’s Open day on October 14th from 12 to 5pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to walk in the woods of the Nature Reserve and to meet FWG’s team and some of its community members. Tea, coffee, cakes on offer.We invite you to come to our next information meeting that will take place on:
Saturday, September 29, 2018 from 16:00 to 18:00.
For more information and for reserving a space send us an email to: hi@freewegrow.co.uk
This event is only for adults.
