Weapons Play

There has been a lot of interest in weapons play the past couple weeks, so we wanted to share a post about this type of play, explaining why it's important, and how we try to support it in a safe way.

From Wildlings Forest School:

To support weapons play at Fairywood, we have a dedicated space that we call The Field, an open space at base camp for weapons play, rough and tumble play, and group games that involve lots of running and tagging.

Last week we made these soft swords by attaching pool noodles to bamboo sticks that we cut from the bamboo forest. We've had a lot of fun with them!

We always have an adult present if the kids need help with communicating their boundaries during weapons play.

We also support the crafting element by teaching the kids to safely carve their own spears and swords with a fixed blade knife.