Who are the VYFWBP?

We are a friendly community group, run by parents, who meet every Thursday morning in West Bank Park, York. Whatever the weather, school hols included, we spend a couple of hours in the woods and meadows of the Park, doing nature games and crafts, building or making things with materials we find, telling stories and singing songs.

We are open to all - with a contribution of £1 a family (to cover basic equipment) - so if you want to join us, see you on Thursday at 10am at the statue of Queen Victoria, at the top of the Rose Walk. (Bring something simple to share at snack time.)

For more information contact Elly at: westbankparkkids@gmail.com

Monday 25 May 2009

May events

We have had a sometimes wet but fun month of Thursday mornings in the Park.

7th May: MAYDAY! We decked out a small tree with colourful ribbons as a Maypole, gathered armfuls of willow twigs to make crowns, and decorated them with all kinds of beautiful spring flowers. The children looked - as ever - very fetching in their crowns, and I got out my rusty tin whistle to play some jigs for them to dance round the Maypole to. It felt like we had really seen the summer in.

14th May: ARTIST DAY! Mary Passeri and Colin Widdup came to our group, as part of the ideas-gathering stage of the community mapping project. Mary had an ingenious idea,which is a bit hard to describe: first she strung a little net between two bamboo canes stuck in the ground, a bit like a mini tennis net. We gathered 'the biggest leaves in the wood' and lots of small ones and flowers too. Then, using clothes pegs, pipe cleaners, wire and leaves, we made all sorts of little creatures - butterflies, action heroes, princesses. We entangled these in the netting until it was completely covered, a bit like a mosaic really. Extra leaves in the top for battlements and feathers here and there for featheriness. It was a gorgeous thing and I hope someone has a picture of it. Mary rounded the event off with the wonderful story of 'Snotty Lottie' which I am still getting told by my kids.

21st May: WORM COMPOST DAY! Bryony and I were quite taken with the idea of having our very own Very Young Friends wormery. So she bought a clear plastic jug with a lid at St Leonard's Hospice, and made holes in the bottom. We filled it alternately with wet newspaper, sand, leaf mould and - the magic ingredient - we needed worms. Well if there is one thing we know how to do well....the kids found 30, no 40, no 50 worms with their little trowels and threw 'em in. To give them something tasty to eat we ate apples and gave them the cores. Bryony took it home for its first week, and we will all get our turns to look after the wormery. As the jug is clear, we should be able to see the worms mixing the layers and turning them into compost.

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Our beloved Queen Victoria

Our beloved Queen Victoria
We sometimes bow to her before we set off into the woods!