The call went out from the homeschool group on Friday morning to meet at the adventure forest. I hesitated for a split second thinking, wait.  Obstacle courses, ziplines… maybe I should call Allen.  Maybe we should go when I have more help.  I don't know how to get there and……

…and then I stopped my maybe-ing and considered the possibility that it might just all work out and the sun was shining and what the heck.  We shelved the books and began packing lunch and finding wellies and water bottles.  Our destination was Thetford forest.  It was great nearly free fun. (As is common in Europe, you are welcome to take yourself on in but the car will cost you to park.)

Tess' favorite part was the musical forest trail.  At each turn of the path there was another interactive instrument: chimes, ropes on pulls, in ground piano keys to jump on.  

Abbie's favorite part?  "The desert," she said.  Meaning? The enormous sand pit with the big diggers which I thought would frustrate them but instead they nearly broke a sweat determined to coordinate the two arms. 

The boys and their friend played ball in the open field then hit some of the bigger kid equipment. There was a little worrisome point for Brendan. It is not a big deal for Kieran to go off a bit ahead with older kids but Brendan is a little too young to be a big boy and a little too big to be ok being designated in the hand holder group.  I could see his brow furrowing some and figured that was the problem.  Luckily Aidan saw this too and had him tag along promising to keep a close eye. Brendan brightened right up and stuck close to his side so as to prove he was up for the honor.  

By the afternoon's end Abbie proudly announced there was sand in her wellies which translates to "all is well with the world."  They were fearless and carefree.  Things I was not at their ages.  But if you make it to the end you'll see that is changing with time. : )

 “A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints.” — Wilfred Peterson

 

 

 

 

 

Here's to adventuring.