Construction has begun

The children spent couple of hours outside working on their 'fort' yesterday. They got very muddy:This is because of the construction method, which seems to involve lying the sticks on top of each other and using a mud and water mix to hold the structure together. I am not convinced of the longevity of this, but they are happy. I watched from the window as mud was dug from a hole, water collected from tap or the birdbath, and the resulting mixture poured all over their sticks. The supply of sticks is nearly exhausted so it has been requested that we return to the woods for more. That will be going into next week's plan.
Co-incidentally I was reading an article on Wednesday evening about the benefits of being outdoors.

The natural environment has a powerful effect on us to become less
stressed....Children become less hyperactive, can concentrate better and play
more independently with greater balance. They develop a lifelong ability to
connect with nature but only if they are allowed to play freely in streams and
woods before the age of 12.

This all sounds good and I have resolved, in a kind of loose New Year's Resolution, to get outdoors with them more, or at least send them out in the garden while I watch, coffee in hand, from the window!