An ARK for Mr Noah’s

From time to time, we are asked what philosophy of education we follow. Here is a fabulous statement of the answer. It is the symbol associated with the great German pioneer Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852).

The wooden monument stands 5 ft high and can be seen from all over the plat.

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Froebel designed a range of ‘gifts’ – manipulatives – for use with children in his kindergartens. He regarded the second gift as the most important of them and as encapsulating his whole approach to education. It became the identifying emblem of Froebel and his work. His gravestone took the shape of the three solids arranged in the familiar configuration.

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We display this symbol as a school in that great pedagogical tradition.

Throughout the year, almost every week has seen improvements and developments to the site and facilities. It has been exciting and demanding. For the children, it has been marvellous to witness the construction of an outdoor kindergarten; for those of us who have been involved in the progress, there has been the satisfaction of knowing that we have done it ourselves.

One week it was the simple location of a timepiece on a section of boarding that had not been there before. The panel shelters livestock from the glare of the sunshine. The clock has not only helped the staff to know the hour but the children have been given the opportunity to learn reading the time.

A sail hung from a specially constructed frame has given much-needed shade to children reading books or building Duplo at the table.

Children were thrilled to find a climbing frame with swings one Monday morning. They could hardly be persuaded to leave it for other activities. We are immensely grateful for the kindness of the family donating (and erecting) the equipment.

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Although there was much rain during the last weeks of term, when the sun shone into the kitchen, it was insufferably warm. A canopy over the window was installed to bring some relief. Decking has been used and an extension to the short flight of steps effected. The planter acts as a barrier to prevent children from falling down the side of the well.

The school year 2020-21 has been extraordinary for us. But there is more to come. Keep checking the blog for the next post. There is something beautiful to show you next time.

Almost every time you approach the plat, there will be something new. It may only be small or subtle, but if you are careful to observe, you will see that work on the site continues and improvements are constant.

For example, a little at a time, pebbled paths have been constructed.

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Had you noticed the new planting of the rockery? (Unfortunately, wild rabbits see anything juicy.) Or what about the tidying up of the area around the water butt that children access?

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Right under your nose, as you approach the gate to the plat, there is beautiful new furniture. Notice that the fairies found it very quickly.

The farmyard has had a major makeover. Actually, sometimes parents have looked uncertain as to where the farmyard is, and so we have labelled it to leave no doubt.

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Did you notice the dome appear to the right of the yurt? Did you wonder for what purpose there was deposited a small number of sleepers near the entrance to the plat, or how they were being moved?

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In the absence of lifting gear, we adopted the methods of the builders of Stonehenge. On rollers, the great weights of timber moved too readily with the slightest slope. The problem was not so much moving them as stopping them from speeding or going in the wrong direction. Then they had to be rolled and propped until a small but solid tower was constructed.

The aim was to locate a water tank high enough to supply taps by gravity. It remains to do the plumbing and obtain the supply of clean water.

This beautiful wooden greenhouse has been under construction for a few days and has just reached completion.

It began with the foundation made of slabs which we had waiting for the structure to be delivered.

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Then assembly began.

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The end result is so pleasing. Now it remains to set things up inside, and begin the serious business of raising plants from seed.

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Astonishingly, the humble kitchen facilities have withstood torrential rain, gale-force winds and even the weight of snow in February. The green gazebo is weather-beaten but standing. It was time to replace it with something more sturdy.

First there came some decking for what would be an outside dining area.

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We built a pergola to provide cover because rain sometimes interrupted eating.

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And then came a scullery first, followed by the kitchen. An initial frustration was that the kitchen could not be completed because two panels were missing from the shed, which had been delivered. We had to wait for a couple of weeks before the finished structure was ready to transfer equipment from the tent.

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At last the job is done and we are ready for a new term.

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The structures are complete with a final touch …

At the end of December, Storm Bella wrecked the marquee. It also seriously compromised the gazebo, housing toilets, a changing unit and washbasins. Note the condition of the tent and its contents behind the marquee remains.

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While the yurt and its base were under construction, it was possible to resurrect the toilet gazebo and establish a temporary refuge for the children in a large tent on our field.

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Then four weeks after Storm Bella, we were severely affected by the tail end of Storm Christoph. This time, the revived but weakened gazebo was destroyed, and the temporary tent was mangled as well.

We were not entirely unprepared. Already one 6×6 shed had been delivered, and it was soon followed by a second.

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So, now we have a changing room and a toilet in the smart pair of new, little structures located behind the yurt.

On Friday 15th January two charming Mongolians came to Tarly from Nottingham with a yurt.

Storm Bella had left the marquee in pieces. It had to be dismantled. The urgent search was on for a yurt. New ones were made to order with a three-month wait involved. Used yurts were mostly summer reception venues and not lined for winter temperatures. Out of the blue, attention was drawn to a Nottingham-based Mongolian business with a passion for sharing the yurt with the world. It seemed to be ‘meant’, and we made the order.

First, we had to construct a platform on which to sit the structure.

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The children were fascinated by the circular base and helped to clean it.

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Within two weeks, this extraordinary ‘tent’ was delivered. We were employed as labourers.

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It took the day to erect the substantial structure, with its multiple layers of canvasses and woollen insulation blankets. At last, we have a blizzard-proof extreme weather shelter.

Following the assault on and demise of the marquee, work has been done day and night literally to ensure the best possible provision for children in this new year. (Daylight at Christmas is too short.)

Given only one week after Storm Bella, a great deal has been achieved.

The wooden path across the field has been borrowed. (Apologies to those who prefer it to the squelching of mud underfoot.). The pallets have been used in temporary accommodation to have a surface above the bog and mire.

Then the location of the marquee has been turned into a building site. It will be wonderful to share with the children the process of constructing a replacement extreme weather refuge on the plat.

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And just wait till you see what we erect here! No doubt, that will be the next post in this series.