Adventure Dice has been something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and I was pleased to have finished them and intrigued to see what impact they would have on our behaviour. Charlie was excited to roll them and start our first adventure.
He rolled the Location Dice first. The trees side came up. We knew there was a small woodland nearby so decided to go there. Next came the Activity Dice. The play side came up. Charlie wanted to play Hide and Seek first, so that was the plan. If I’d told him we were going to the woods for a walk at 5pm at night he would have argued or complained. You can’t complain with dice, so that saved me some energy.
As soon as we left the house there was a different energy about what we were doing. We had a purpose. Charlie was bouncing. A complete change from sitting in front of the tv ten minutes earlier.
Once we got away from the roads and into the fields his energy soared. He was free to do whatever he wanted.
It was wonderful to see. He is eight now and I’ve got that constant nagging feeling that soon he won’t want to play, to run, to roll in the grass. But as long as we keep making these opportunities we can do it a little while longer.
Once we entered the woods the anticipation was palpable. We’d never done this before. What would we do? How would it go? I was nervous and exhilarated at the same time. Charlie wanted to play hide and seek. In the past he’d been nervous of leaving paths in the dark let alone without me ( he has a wonderful imagination, which sometimes can be a hinderance to night time exploration). So I was a bit reluctant as the light was fading. But this was an opportunity we couldn’t let pass.
We had a fabulous half hour in amongst the ancient oak and hazel. Although Charlie could do with learning from his little brother how to count to twenty, the little cheat. Once we found each other we spoke about how we did it. Listening carefully, looking for tracks, stopping and waiting. We discussed how useful these skills could be when searching for animals (that’s a side of the Dice we are really looking forward to).
Next I wanted to try a different game, find the tree. I put Charlie’s coat hood over his face, turned him around several times then guided him blindfolded through the undergrowth. Normally he’d be reluctant to do this but just let me take him without question. I found an interesting tree and had him feel the bark. I told him to pay attention to the size, shape and texture. Did it have any moss or ivy? After a few moments we returned to the path. I spun him around for good measure then removed the hood.
His smile was wonderful. He stalked through the trees. Thinking, looking and stroking the bark. After a minute or so he hadn’t found it so we spoke about whether we went uphill or down. Does he remember having to step over anything? Where on his legs did the undergrowth brush? This discussion really got him into his senses and slowed down his thinking. I could see him settle and become more aware. He then wandered more thoughtfully and found the tree quickly. But rather than a euphoric ‘winning’ of the game he just seemed more satisfied with his developing awareness.
Next Charlie wanted to explore off the path.
Even though this woodland is only a fifteen minute walk from home we had never been in this part of the wood before. We didn’t know where it led to or how far we would get. Charlie led the way and we walked for over fifteen minutes without seeing any sign of people. We were real explorers.
As we turned to return to the path. There was no obvious route. At one point we weren’t sure which way to go. We stopped and thought about where we’d been and where we needed to go. Charlie realised we’d been at a stream so would need to go uphill and because we left perpendicular to the path, if we continued in a straight line as best we could we would hit it at some point. A good little navigator he’s turning out to be.
There was a sense of relief when we managed to push through the brambles back to the path. We connected so much in that short time. A spring evening that otherwise would have disappeared without thought. We made the most of that wonderful time and I cannot wait for the next roll of the dice.
Barefoot Daddy 