The first season of The Curious Club: What I learned...

A little round-up of our first season of mindful family walks; what worked, what I learned and what I might do next.

This summer, I launched something new... The Curious Club was created as a gentle invitation for families to get outside, slow down and explore together. A little walking, a little yoga, some making, plenty of noticing and hopefully a chance to spend a morning being curious about the world around us.

And while our first season was small, I was genuinely delighted by the families who booked, turned up and chose to spend their mornings with us. There’s something quite special about starting something from scratch and seeing it become real. Even with a small group, there were moments that felt exactly like the Curious Club I had imagined.

There were also a few things that didn't quite work! And that's OK. In fact, I think that's one of the best things about trying something new. So, here's what I learned from our first season.

The crafts worked best when the walk had a purpose

One of the biggest things I noticed was how much more naturally the walks and crafts worked when they were connected. Our cardboard flower vases were a lovely example. Rather than walking simply for the sake of walking, we had something to look for along the way. We collected leaves, flowers and other little treasures and then used them to make our vases. Suddenly, the walk had a mission that the kids could take charge of.

Giving a walk or journey a mission gave the children a task to focus on and helped them get involved

The same thing happened with our nature loom boards and journey sticks. Children were noticing things along the way because they had somewhere to put them, something to do with them or a reason to stop and investigate.

It made the whole experience feel more like an adventure than a walk with a craft attached to the end.

The best walks were the ones where the craft happened alongside the walk

Our rock painting session taught me the opposite. The painting itself was lovely, but because it wasn't really connected to the walk, we needed to walk first and then stop somewhere to set up the craft. It created a definite break in the session and, with little ones, that transition can be a tricky one.

So that's something I'll be thinking about for future Curious Club walks: how can the making happen along the way?

More collecting, making and noticing

There are so many possibilities here, particularly with toddlers and younger children. Rather than asking them to walk a certain distance, we can give them something to discover or a mission to work towards, some ideas of things we could collect:

• interesting leaves to make a seasonal collage

• sticks to create tiny nature sculptures

• fallen petals to make colour palettes

• pinecones to turn into little creatures

• feathers and grasses for nature crowns

• different textures to make a rubbing or sensory board

• small natural treasures for a nature mandala

• sticks to make simple journey sticks

• things of different colours to create a rainbow hunt

We could also make things as we walk which could be fun, like building little stick trails, creating tiny fairy or woodland homes, making temporary patterns with fallen leaves or stopping to add something to a shared nature artwork.

I love the idea that there doesn't necessarily have to be a destination.

The adventure can be the making.

Starting with yoga worked surprisingly well

I wasn't sure how much yoga would work at the beginning of a walking club.

Would everyone want to get straight off and explore? As it turns out, around 10–15 minutes felt just about right.

Starting with a little yoga gave everyone a chance to arrive, settle in and connect before heading off. It was playful rather than a full yoga class, and it seemed to create a lovely opening to the morning. I think part of the reason it worked is that families came expecting the walking to be the main event. The yoga became a gentle way of starting the session rather than something they had specifically come along to do. So I'm definitely keeping that. A little movement. A little breathing. Then off we go.

The snack situation… Fail!

Ah, snacks.

I tried. I really did.

But feeding a group of small children turned out to be a whole adventure of its own. There were different dietary requirements to think about, children who wanted more than I could physically carry, and the eternal mystery of why the snack you have brought is never quite the snack that somebody wants.

I think I've finally worked out a simpler solution. For future sessions, I'm thinking of keeping the snack really consistent: a small selection of fruit, vegetables and rice cakes, with the same options offered each week. That way, families know what will be available and can let me know in advance if their child needs an alternative.

I also experimented with a little homemade trail mix, and this actually worked really well once I had worked out a combination that covered the dietary requirements I needed to consider. The mix included raisins, dark chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chopped apricots. The only dietary consideration I haven't found a simple solution for with that particular mix is fructose intolerance, so that's something I'll continue to think about.

Spolier alert...! The children didn't always want to follow the plan

Obviously! And this might be my favourite lesson of all. Some of the best moments weren't planned. There was impromptu tree climbing.

Lots of tree climbing. There was a brilliant pinecone squirrel game that appeared completely spontaneously.

There were stops to investigate things, children taking the lead, and moments where the original plan simply wasn't as interesting as whatever was happening right in front of us. And that's exactly what I want the The Curious Club to be.

There needs to be enough structure to give a session a beginning, middle and end, but enough freedom for children to follow their curiosity. Because, unsurprisingly, children are very good at being curious. Sometimes we just need to give them the time and space to do it.

Learning when to finish

One thing I definitely need to get better at is ending the session. When everyone is having fun, it is very tempting to keep going. But I've learned that a clear ending is important too, especially for little ones.

For future sessions, I'll be closing the The Curious Club in the same way and at the same time each session, so children know that the session is coming to an end. Just as a journey needs a beginning and a middle, it needs an ending too.

And having that predictable rhythm should make the transition back to parents, bags and home a little easier.

And then there was the walking…

This is probably the biggest thing I'm still thinking about. Sometimes a child simply didn't want to walk.

And that's completely understandable. Toddlers are toddlers. Sometimes their legs are tired, sometimes there's something much more interesting happening somewhere else and sometimes they simply don't fancy walking any further.

Parents were often happy to carry their children, but I’m conscious that this isn't always comfortable or possible. So perhaps the answer isn't to make walking the mission. Instead, the mission could be the activity and walking simply becomes how we get there...

• Find five different leaves.

• Collect something soft/hard/rough/orange etc.

• Look for signs of squirrels.

• Build a tiny woodland home.

• Find something that smells interesting ( too risky!? ;) ).

• Follow a trail.

• Make a nature rainbow.

• Stop and climb a tree.

The distance doesn't matter so much.

The curiosity does.

So, what's next for The Curious Club?

Our first season was small, but it was full of lovely moments and plenty of things for me to take away.

Most importantly, I loved seeing families connect with the activities and with each other, and watching children become completely absorbed in something as simple as a stick, a pinecone, a tree or a handful of leaves. That's what I hoped The Curious Club might become, a little space away from the rush of everyday life where children can explore, make, move and notice things, and where grown-ups can join them.

I'm now thinking about what an autumn and winter Curious Club could look like. More seasonal crafts? More exploring? More nature hunts? More yoga?Different locations? Shorter walks? More opportunities for children to lead the way?

I'd love to hear from you.

If you came along to The Curious Club this summer, what did you enjoy? What would you like to see more of? And would you be interested in joining us for an autumn/winter season of The Curious Club?

Drop me a message or leave a comment, I'd genuinely love to hear your ideas.

The Curious Club is still very much a work in progress, and that's part of the fun.

Here's to the next adventure.

With love

Sara x