Woodland Wellbeing Sensory Sessions

These events are only open to Salford adults due to our funding and are free to attend for those living in Salford.

All events start from Garden Needs - 1 Radford Street Salford M7 4NT

Wednesday 15th May at 11am: EYES – Exploring colours of flowers of the woodland

We search for yellow, white, pink and blue, learning identification and about what flowers in May, making connections to what we find in our garden – borage, buttercup and dandelions. We sit down in the meadow to make Hapazome prints from the flowers we picked, talking about a sustainable approach to foraging.

Wednesday 5th June at 11am: HANDS – Weeding in the woodland

Invasive species of Himalayan balsam are not supporting the diversity of our natural woodland. June is the best time to pull the invasive Himalayan balsam, before the seed pods ripen. We get busy with pulling these plants while discussing other invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and rhododendron, which can also be found in our gardens.

Wednesday 26th June at 11am: MOUTH – learning what’s toxic and poisonous in the woodland

We identify giant hogweed which begins to flower in June – we can look out for umbrella like

clusters in which both giant hogweed and poison hemlock flower. We talk about foxglove, ivy and buttercup – all of which have poisonous qualities and can be found both in woodland and in our garden. We read on mythology and folklore of a yew tree and its berries. We forage for pineapple W**d and drink solar infused elderflower drink when we come back to the garden.

Wednesday 17 July at 11am: HANDS – exploring trees and wood in the woodland

This session we attempt to identify some trees – perhaps we already know our silver birch, holly and hazel, but what about a good climbing tree like sycamore, oak or maple? We find a tree and assess the risk of climbing it, scanning for dead branches, missing bark, deep cracks, fungi. We craft necklaces – with junior hacksaw we cut a branch of elder into beads, and we use tent pegs to help us push the spongy pith through, threading a string in its place.

Wednesday 31 July at 11am: NOSE – guided by smells as we reach the wetlands

This session we engage with water - guided by our nose we look for mugwort and water mint,

searching for sage-like and minty scents respectively. We think about the perennial herbs in our

garden, about the smell of rain, and explore the scent and texture of air-drying clay.

Wednesday 14 August: EARS – exploring sounds of the birds in the woodland

We walk and stop to listen to the sounds of the birds. In Kersal Dale we can hear songs of robins, wrens, blackbirds, crows and chiffchaffs and more. We try to repeat what we hear, noticing rhythms which helps us learn to identify different bird songs. August is a good time to look for feathers as the adult birds are moulting, and it also a season of blackberries. We collect these natural resources and sit down to make blackberry ink and a quill from a feather, scribbling while we listen to the birds.

Host or Publisher Kate Simpson