Registered Charity providing Forest School,
Environmental Education and
Practical Nature Conservation sessions, programs, events and community projects.
Company Number 9630457 Registered Charity Number 1177701
Over forty projects in 8 years of
Expanding Minds & Connecting Communities to Nature
People’s POSTCODE Lottery: Natural play & education on Streatham Common
Nature Vibezzz received £2000 thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery. The funding boost from Postcode Local Trust which enabled Nature Vibezzz to run a community project at Streatham Common.
This project ran 10 FREE Forest School / environmental educational / practical nature conservation sessions mainly run at Streatham Common, Lambeth, London. The project activities was organized and scheduled working with local community organizations.
Project activities were run by experienced freelance forest school / environmental education / nature conservation tutors. Practical nature conservation activities were open to all & helped maintain the natural biodiversity of Streatham Common. Forest School & environmental educational activities were aimed at families; they built children’s self-esteem & confidence and contribute to a future generation interested in the natural environment. Activities were run in line with Streatham Common management plan & with advice from local partners.
Nature conservation activities included woodland management, shrub management & bramble clearance, all healthy activities that build community spirit & give participants a sense of pride in their local green space. Environmental education & Forest school activities involved showing children the beauty of natural environments, teaching how to look after wildlife, learning to use tools, & fun activities like building dens.
Postcode Local Trust exists to fund community groups and charitable organisations through a variety of grant giving programmes. To do so, the Trust relies solely on funding from the proceeds of tickets sales from People’s Postcode Lottery. When you sign up to play People’s Postcode Lottery, your postcode is your ticket. It costs £10 for 10 draws paid monthly in advance with prizes every day. A minimum of 27.5% goes directly to charities across Great Britain and internationally.
GREGGS COMMUNITY PROJECT
This project ran 10 FREE Forest School / environmental educational / practical nature conservation sessions mainly at Streatham Common with some free project activity sessions ran in local housing estates close to Streatham Common.
Project activities were run by experienced freelance forest school / environmental education / nature conservation tutors. Practical nature conservation activities were open to all and helped maintain the natural biodiversity of Streatham Common. Forest School and environmental educational activities aimed at families build children’s self-esteem and confidence, as well as helping create a future generation interested in the natural environment.
Activities were run in line with Streatham Common management plan and with advice from local partners. Nature conservation activities included woodland management, shrub management & bramble clearance: healthy activities that build community spirit and give participants a sense of pride in their local green space. Environmental education and Forest School activities involve showing children the beauty of natural environments, teaching how to look after wildlife, learning to use tools, and fun activities like building dens.
HLF START-UP PROJECT
Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Nature Vibezzz a £8600 start-up grant for a one-ear project starting May 2016.
This funding enabled Nature Vibezzz to hire a part-time project manager, run 20 free nature-focused activities in South London, train staff / volunteers and develop new community projects.
The grant-funded period helped Nature Vibezzz increase its network and opportunities regarding future heritage-focused community projects, providing us with a platform to reach, inspire and engage with a wider and more diverse range of people in historical / natural heritage.
Nature Vibezzz works with local community groups and other partner organisations developing projects and exploring new potential community projects, enabling us to run future community projects that motivate, preserve and inform people about their local historical / natural heritage.
The start-up grant provided Nature Vibezzz with stronger and more committed governance, better management structures and more skilled staff members to ensure a more secure future for our organisation's work. The newly recruited and trained volunteers provided the organisation with increased capacity and skills to secure and run successful future projects that shall benefit communities and heritage.
Nature Vibezzz would be interested in hearing from community groups, schools and charities interesting in developing partnership projects.
We are also looking for volunteers to help on project activities and with admin / PR. For more details please contact us.
Ernest Cook Trust Project
Ernest Cook Trust funded Nature Vibezzz with a grant of £1997 to run 18 forest school activities at Streatham Common. The project focused on literacy and writing curriculum areas including working with Granton Primary School staff to improve student’s creative writing skills stimulated by the project outdoor activities.
The project worked with a year group running 6 weekly sessions with each class with all students attending at least 3 sessions, with each session run for approximately 15 children. Project activities were run by experienced freelance forest school / environmental education / nature conservation tutors working with Granton School staff.
The Forest School & environmental educational activities built children’s self-esteem & confidence and contributed to a future generation interested in the natural environment. Increasing the participant’s self-esteem and confidence is important as low self-esteem can affect a child’s learning and development, children with low self-esteem and confidence can become isolated if they don’t develop social skills to interact with their peers and adults. Children with low self-esteem and confidence can become less engaged and lack motivation when doing academic studies, as the child may not wish to engage in tasks that they believe they cannot complete.
Activities involved showing children the beauty of natural environments, teaching how to look after wildlife, learning to use tools, & fun activities like building dens. Granton Primary School staff took the new knowledge to the classroom literacy and writing sessions with the children writing about their experiences at Forest School.
KNIGHTS HILL WOOD
CLEAN UP VOLUNTEER DAYS
Saturday 18th June 2016
10am to 12pm
Monday 20th June 2016 (postponed to 27th June due to bad weather)
10:30am to 2pm
Knights Hill Wood, Knights Hill, West Norwood,
Lambeth, London, SE27 0QA
Nature Vibezzz worked with two local community groups and a local Primary School and Children's Centre to encourage participation in the clean up days at Knights Hill Wood. This was the start of greater use of the site by the local community, including the two local community groups involved to use the site on future activities.
Through cleaning up the woods and involving volunteers in range of practical activities, we hope more people will connect with and use the site and we will help achieve Knights Hill Wood becoming a Local Nature Reserve.
These events are part of Capital Clean-up which is a partnership campaign led by the Mayor of London to help Londoners work together to spruce up their city. It is supported by McDonald’s and is part of the Mayor’s wider Team London volunteering programme.
Free refreshments were provided to participants helping on the days.
Nature Vibezzz counted with volunteers to help on both days and they were paid local travel expenses.
Tools and equipment were provided by Nature Vibezzz, but volunteers were encouraged to bring their own gardening gloves.
Tasks on the day included:
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Removing rubbish at the site to make the site more clean and pleasant for local people to use.
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Clearing some areas of ivy to encourage increased biodiversity at the site through creating the environment for wild flowers to grown.
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Removing Ivy from some trees to help the trees live for longer and encourage light into the woods, providing the conditions and encouraging more diverse plant life to grow.
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Clearing some low hanging tree branches to encourage more light into the woods and remove any potential hazards for users.
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Cutting back bramble / shrubs to create habitats in the wood that encourage a range of plant species to grow and increase biodiversity of the woods.
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Creating stage beetle habitat to encourage the growth of the population of this endangered species in the local area.
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Repairing wooden fence around wood to improve the appearance of the woodland and encourage more users.
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Planting native plant species that will thrive in the wood and increase biodiversity.
CLICK THE PDF SyMBOL TO READ THE END OF PROJECT NEWSLETTER
THE REGENERATION OF KNIGHTS HILL WOOD
This year project funded by a Awards For All grant ran 40 activities engaging with a wide range of people from the local community. The aim of the project was to improve an underused local woodland, increasing local community cohesion and teaching participants new skills, increasing their confidence and social networks (new friends).
38 Forest School / natural play / environmental educational / practical nature conservation sessions were run mainly at Knights Hill Wood in the London Borough of Lambeth. Some of the project sessions were run in local housing estates enabling the project to reach urban children and families from deprived areas that otherwise would not participate in such activities.
These mostly weekly activities (with seasonal adjustments) were run partly as after school clubs or school holiday schemes. Many of our project activities involved children & young people up to 15 years old. Other activities were practical nature conservation, which will help maintain / increase the natural biodiversity of Knights Hill Wood and these activities were open to all.
2 coach trips to countryside locations were run for local families participating in the project; this trip connected members of all the generations living in the local area. There were a total of 50 places available on these coach trips for members of the local community. Helping to connect old and young members in order to foster a stronger community.
The activities included natural play activities in outside environments, environmental education such as bug hunting and plant ID. Forest school activities included cooking on a campfire, making items from wood, and learning to use tools. Any fires created by participants on project activities were done using a portable fire pit or kelly kettle to ensure that the fires do not damage the natural environment.
We also helped improve local community usage of the woodland by installing seating and pick up litter / dog sign designed by local children.
WALCOT FOUNDATION
Forest School After School Club for Granton Primary School
Learning through play – Nature the way
This project ran forest school / natural play / environmental educational / sessions delivered at Granton Primary School and Eardley Road Sidings nature reserve in the London Borough of Lambeth. The project were twelve (6 week) outdoor education programmes for children attending Granton Primary School.
These weekly sessions were delivered as After School Club, with 2 programme sessions aimed for different age groups, ran every school week Thursdays and Fridays. Each programme was aimed at children of age ranges with set of specific activities to enhance the academic benefits for the different groups. These sessions ran during the school year with two (6 week programmes) during every half term. Following school's health and safety / child protection policies each session is facilitated by 2 Forest School Leaders, each session ran with 10 to 15 children. The project activities are additional and not within statutory funding or replacing existing activities at Granton Primary School. All project sessions were tailor-made and created to be improving children’s skills, increasing confidence and self-esteem in each session.
Throughout the project staff worked closely with Granton Primary School staff. The school supported the project in various ways including help find participants, supporting students to learn to design project posters and flyers, use of school computer IT, tracking participants progress, allowing participants to leave class early to participate when necessary, and more.
The activities included learning about environmental education i.e. bug hunting; plant ID, through play i.e. collecting natural items. Forest school activities included learning about fire safety, cooking on a campfire, bushcraft, outdoor survival skills, building dens, and learning to use tools safely.
Fire learning project on Eardley Road Sidings nature reserve was done using a portable fire pit or kelly kettle to ensure that the fires do not damage the natural environment of the site. All activities done on Eardley Road Sidings nature reserve had the approval of the relevant authorities.
The activities contributed to children's vocabulary through tutors introducing them to new words and from interacting with their peers. Their understanding of vocabulary was increased through children spending time in new environments (i.e. woodland), learning plant and animal names and learning how to take care of nature. Their understanding of vocabulary was increased through taking part in different activities, using a variety of tools, learning to cook outdoors, etc.
Project newsletter avaiable here Granton After School Newsletter
Trust For London Project At Lollard St Adventure Play Ground
Nature Vibezzz in partnership with Lollard st Adventure Playground has been awarded funding from Trust For London , this will fund a 2 year community project.
The project staff runs healthy activities that build community spirit & give participants a sense of pride in their local green space. Most project activities are aimed at families with pre-school children and these include regular forest school activities at the site.
Gardening & Forest School Activities
Gardening & Forest school activities involve showing children the beauty of natural environments, teaching how to look after wildlife, learning to use tools, & fun activities like pond dipping. The Forest School activities at Lollard Street Adventure Playground are aimed at pre-school children and parents / carers. The activities provide an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning.
During these practical sessions steps are created to help the children’s process in adjusting to outdoor play and learning. Each child’s learning independence is promoted through child-initiated activity. On the practical sessions we use a range of diverse activities and experiences that suit different children’s individual learning styles. Children work together and as individuals gaining independence and overcame fears in a challenging environment (under supervision of trained tutor). Whilst achieving many attainable challenges.
Forest School activities include woodcraft, learning to use tools, making signs for community garden, organic vegetable gardening, planting flowers, making insect hotels, introducing healthy eating / recycling / looking after environment and fire making. The children attending develop their self-esteem, confidence and social skills whilst learning new skills and about nature / their local natural environment.
WREF
Development Of Wildlife Garden
The creation / development of the wildlife garden / organic growing area through community volunteering days and corporate (volunteer teams from companies) volunteer days include activities such as fencing the area, building planters, creation of different wildlife habitats, creation of compost bins and signage.
The project staff work with Lollard Street Adventure Playground staff, volunteers, site users and local community to continue to fundraise to further develop the area for additional improvements to the garden area.
Fern Lodge Healthy Life Skills Summer Camp
Read this year's newsletter
2019
See pictures in this newsletter
WHY HEALTHY LIFE SKILLS: BACKGROUND
Children, as any human being, need Health to be able to function in a society and to make a positive contribution to it.
They also need Health to be able to learn and grow and to enjoy anything they do now and will do later as adults.
This is why is not only important to learn Healthy Habits but to practice them in a fun and relaxed environment such as a Summer Camp, where the classroom walls aren’t the limit to knowledge.
Parents concerned with academic results will find that children learn more when the activities are interesting, varied, carefully selected for an ample range of benefits and well balanced between very active, energetic, and passive, calming activities.
Nature Vibezzz camp facilitators’ enthusiasm and passion carefully ensure that the children are fully engaged in meaningful activities as well as keep them safe and enjoying their holidays while learning Healthy Life Skills.
SUMMER CAMP CONCEPT
OBJECTIVES
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To promote a life long healthy lifestyle.
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To rise awareness of the environment surrounding us.
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To practice physical activities in a healthy environment, balancing personal achievement with team work and cooperation.
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To develop healthy habits towards food, exercising and disposing of waste.
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To experiment a positive and fun approach to nature and to learning in general experiencing the making of objects with different techniques and tools.
As educators concerned with children’s Health we envision the Three Main Areas of Wellbeing, which must be developed at the same time for them to have a balanced learning:
Physical Wellbeing
Mind Wellbeing & Knowledge
Emotional Wellbeing
In life these areas overlap and can be experienced in a wide range of activities. That’s why all the Skills we have chosen reflect at least two of the Three Main Areas of Wellbeing.
We understand how ambitious this Summer Camp is but we believe it’s possible to achieve each objective through the simplicity of activities chosen
Camp Activities Include:
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Exercising: multisports and games in nature
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Nature Exploration: nature walks, orienteering, bushcraft
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Growing food, healthy eating and cooking
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Handicraft skills
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Recycling/reusing
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Educational outings
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Live music
Healthy Life Skills Summer Camp 2019 newsletter cover
Promoting a life long healthy lifestyle, rising awareness of the environment, practicing physical activities, balancing personal achievement with team work and cooperation, developing healthy habits towards food, exercising,
This summer camp cannot be possible without the support from parents, volunteers, young volunteers (ranging from 10 to 21 years old) and local residents.
Healthy Life Skills Summer Camp 2019 newsletter cover
Memories, Heritage and Community of Knights Hill Woods & Tivoli Park
This year and a half project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund runs a wide range of activities, programs, events, workshops aimed to everyone in the community
For pictures and outline of sessions and workshops see the newsletters designed by project's volunteers:
NEWSLETTER 1 NEWSLETTER 2
Click here to see book cover
See book preview here
Memories, Natural Heritage and Community of Knight's Hill Woods & Tivoli Park:
THE BOOK
As a culmination of this extensive project Nature Vibezzz's team has published a book put together by volunteers with research on the historical aspect of the area, interviews to local residents recording their past and memories from the area and also the actual state of the woods, park and surroundings: the distribution of its wildlife, and the works that have been carried on by Nature Vibezzz's team of professionals, volunteers and community at large involved in the project.
Book will be soon available in all Lambeth libraries and it'll be also part of Lambeth Archives.
THE FILM
Also recorded by volunteers and put together by a young filmmaker, this film shows the area including photographs and maps researched found in Lambeth Archives.
WATCH film teaser
Children's Summer Play Scheme
Four free sessions were run for children 5 to 13 years old at Fern Lodge Housing Estate communal gardens and at Streatham Common Woods.
Children participated in gardening harvesting organic fruits and vegetables that they use to help prepare healthy meals.
Forest School activities were also run for the children were they enjoyed outdoor cooking, using tools, safely lighting fires, making nature perfume, climbing, nature photography, collect natural items and nature walks.
Tesco bags of help at Fern Lodge Estate
Free after school forest school at Fern Lodge Estate, West Norwood, London
New community project funded by Tesco bags of help.
Nature Vibezzz will be running 10 free Wednesday after school sessions starting Wednesday 18th April 2018.
These 10 free after school activities will be run 3pm to 5pm on Wednesdays at at Fern Lodge housing estate community hall. Most activities will partly taking place on Streatham Common and some entirely based at Fern Lodge housing estate (using community garden / park area).
The activities will include gardening, games in nature, natural crafts, tool work, fire lighting, den making, outdoor cooking and caring for the environment.
Activities are open to everyone so please come along and join in this new free, fun and educational community project.
For more details email info@naturevibezzz.org
Nature Vibezzz's Overnight Camping at Tivoli Park
Take a camp tour
25 families from the Natural Childhood Community Group, Fern Lodge Estate and Nature Vibezzz's Fathers & Nature Dads group participated in a sleepover at Tvioli Park, West Norwood.
Families met their neighbours, looked after the environment and appreciated the night wild life of the park and Streatham Common Woods.
Pictures and testimonials here
Forest School Families:
This project, funded by the Mayor of London's Family Fund, run from November 2018 to November 2019 with numerous sessions, workshops in many partner sites that supported the program.
Families with children all ages participated weekly, learned, shared, improved the sites and practiced a wide range of skills, inlcuding, just to name a few, positive parenting, nature awareness and conservation, practical skills such as bushcraft and survival, social skills and much more.
Watch a presentation of the participating sites here
Watch a presentation of the activities and skills practiced during the sessions, here:
After School Club at Fern Lodge Estate
This Award for All funded Project is a continuation from previous sessions and summer camps facilitated at the Estate, where children and their families have been building healthier habits and getting closer to nature and passed it on to younger siblings now being introduced to this Club.
Nature Vibezzz facilitated this weekly club where all ages of children took part in numerous games, participated in Forest School, learned healthy cooking and took outings as a group.
Outdoor activities at Lairdale Estate
Summer 2020
Local young people from 8-16 years old and their families participated in a variety of outdoor activities during the summer 2020, during the periods when restrictions on social distance were lessen.
Activities were fundamental for the wellbeing and safe socialinsing of the young people and complemented their education during, at the time, mandatory home education.
Activities included: bushcraft skills such as setting tents, using tools, health and safety lighting fire and outdoor cooking, night nature walks in nearby park, wildlife identification, looking after the environment and organic gardening.
Parents volunteered providing resources, helping with setting up, assisting with the activities and creating the video. Thank you for helping to keep the community safe and healthy!
video by @trainedbycf.1st
Maintenance of features in Knight's Hill Woods and Tivoli Park
In July 2020 Nature Vibezzz team revisited some of the features created during the project "Memories, Community and Natural Heritage of Knight's Hill & Tivoli Park" and, although they are designed with low maintenence in mind, in this opportunity we were able to restore the rustic signs to these creations: the Deadwood Hedge in Knight's Hill Woods and the Wildflower Heart and Native Hedgerow in Tivoli Park.
These signs, designed and handmade by a local artist (Rastawoman Creations©) are made with only natural materials to integrate with and enhance the surrounding wildlife.
Other work done on the date and in further visits included: removal of plastic guards to hedgerow, seed collection of wildflowers and litter picking.
Design and installation process
Reconditioning process of natural signs after a year:
Forest School After School sessions at Rosendale Gardens Housing Estate
As part of the City Bridge Trust funding Nature Vibezzz also run 6 After School sessions for the first time in this Lambeth Estate were most children were experiencing this approach to education for the first time. Families viewed their common green spaces in a new light and enjoyed it along their children.
Activities at Lairdale Estate
EPPING FOREST TRIP:
After last years' successful overnight camping, and other activities through the year at local reserve Peabody Rail Sidings, Nature Vibezzz took young people 8-25 years old to the bigger woods at the other end of town, to have more challenging activities in a more complex natural environment.
OVERNIGHT CAMPING AT ESTATE:
On August 26th and 27th, 2021 young people8-15 years old from the Estate participated in an overnight camping with bushcarft activities, outdoor cooking and a ffeatured Night Walk in local park. Participants were supported by older young family members and friends from the community. The Night Walk provided partcipants to have a different view of their locality and also their local nocturnal natural environment.
Both activities were wellcomed in the community in times that pandemic retrictions and quarentines limited their partcipation in other holiday schemes, family gatherings and other social, recreational and educational activities. Thank you to our funder The UK Youth Fund to make these expereinces possible.
Grow Back Greener with Nature Vibezzz Project at Tivoli Park
From beginnings of May until September 2021 our Forest School Leaders run 27 sessions twice a week at Tivoli Park and Knight's Hill Woods for local families, improving and maintaining the sites, learning about nature and enjoying the outdoors in a time that was most needed, when families were coming out of lockdown and / or isolation.
Sessions were held on Saturday afternoons opened to everyone and Monday mornings aimed to families with home educated children and those with under 5 years old.
After Project activities 2021/2
- Footbridge installation
Charity TCV staff and volunteers installed a fully accesible footbridge across the pond in the cerntre of the Park, much used by all.
- Hydro-Hedge planting:
30 willow trees were planted as part of the efforts to mitibate the recurrent flooding in the mid area of the Park.
On December 2021 children from After School Forest School Club from the neighbouring Fern Lodge Estate and volunteers participated in the planting. These trees will be weaved into living tunnels and arches, taking the soil's excess of water, preventing erosion, benefiting biodiversity transforming this area in a living playground for children and wildlife.
- Wildlife Hedge native trees maintenance
5 sessions are running in April/May 2022. Families that participated in previous activities and new ones are gathering every Satureday 2-4pm to water, maintain and plant new saplings for the wildlife hedge along the boundary of the park. See pictures and more info here.
Streatham Common Woods families Forest School sessions
These secluded woods in the heart of Streatham Common have been one of our main sites since our Charity beginnings. They offer us the opportunity to help families immerse themselves in the magical world of a forest to do endless activities in its vast grounds and to look after the woods.
Between September 2021 and March 2022 The Ironmongers Company genrously funded the project which ran for 7 months . It consisted of weekly Forest School sessions for families with children all ages. More information here.
This project was followed up by another 6 weeks, from September 2022, giving participants the opportunity to build upon skills from previous programs. In this occasion sessions were funded by City Bridge Trust.
City Bridge Trust funded Forest School sessions across London, 2021-2023
In the two first years of this Project Nature Vibezzz outreached and ventured further and reached many different communities and boroughs:
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BRIXTON: Dexter Adventure Playground (families with young children) & Loughbourough Park (all ages)
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SOUTHWARK: Glengall Wharf Gardens in Burgess Park (all ages, especially families with U5's)
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DULWICH: Forest School After School sessions for Rosendale Gardens Estate (for children 6-14 years old)
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GREENWICH : Plumstead Common Nature Reserve & Workhouse Wood, Winn's Common. (families with children all ages)
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BERMONDSEY: Galleywall Nature Reserve (all ages)
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WEST NORWOOD: Streatham Common Wood (families with children all ages, home educating and U5's)
Paddington Farm Residential Trips 2021 - 2025
From a succesfull new partnership with Paddington Farm Trust surged a series of trips to this site located in the Southwest of England.
These trips are aimed to urban families that have been participating in Nature Vibezzz's sesssions and are ready for a deeper and longer immersion in nature.
Here all ages have the opportunity to experience the way of life of the countryside, being in direct contact with the reared animals, the vast organic gardens and wildlife. Activities vary according to the seasons: from harvesting and processing apples to feeding newborn lambs along with practicing the Forest School and bushcraft skills learned in London.
Families have also the opportunity to visit local cultural heritage sites, town nearby, relaxing and enjoying fresh food, pure air and spring water.
But the heart of these residential trips are the community building, even in the cases where they come from different ones. Cooking and having healthy meals together, sharing life stories around the fire, challenging themselves in new skills in a cooperative environment create community resilience and bonding, new healthy intergenerational relationships and ultimately personal self-confidence and empowerment.
Trips were initially fully sponsored by Nature Vibezzz, through donations, contributions from families and now are funded by the Lottery Community Fund.
4 trips are scheduled for 2023.
Families Gardening and Harvest
These sessions were opened to the public as a continuation of work done in this community garden early in the season with the local families (12 sessions between Apr-July 2022) and in previous years during a Healthy Lifeskills Summer Camp for local children.
Neighbours enjoyed harvesting, learning, sharing and working together maintaining and improving this beatiful organic community garden.
Between Sep-Oct 2022, the garden was mature and there was lots to do, including taking home fresh fruits and vegetables straigh to their kitchens!
Sessions were kindly funded by the Norwood Forun's Gypsy Hill Health and Wellbeing grant.
FULL MOON FAMILIES NATURE WALKS
Since the beginning of 2023 Nature Vibezzz facilitates these night-time Nature Walks for participants of all ages.
These events give families this unique opportunity to explore, enjoy and learn about the nocturnal wildlife in our local green spaces, immersing themselves in nature in such a different way.
Participants are guided through the sites through conventional or non-conventional paths, with different activities according to the characteristics of the site, for example, hikes, storytelling, wildlife observation, exercises using all our senses, etc.
Sessions are funded by a modest donation from participants and are delivered in partnership with Sankofa to Nature Forest School.
