Review of William's Den

Not my usually blog post, but I just loved this outing. I had at least as much fun
as the person I took with me! https://www.williamsden.co.uk/

What an absolutely fantastic place! Having heard about William’s Den from colleagues in a special school, several of whose classes had visited for their summer trip, I decided to give it a try with one of the young people I work with. We were not disappointed! The site is great in that it provides and endless range of opportunities through carefully thought out resources.

There are many different types of resources, from traditional children’s climbing frame equipment with slides, ladders, monkey bars and more, to water play and sand play (with tethered accessories including funnels, pulleys, and all different methods of processing and exploring sand and water!), zip wires, sticks and planks for den building, balancing and whatever else comes to mind, tunnels and hills, wide open spaces (yet all safely contained), a wild grass meadow, mud kitchen, tyre swings of different shapes, a grass theatre and more.

It is a place where the imaginations of children of all ages can run wild. It is designed to encourage interaction (circles of swings instead of lines, and countless opportunities to collaborate on projects of all descriptions). It invites playful, exuberant whole body movement and children and adults of all ages can be seen running, climbing, balancing, tipping, hanging, stretching, falling, swinging, crawling and sliding as they play. If you want to know why I’m raving about that, visit www.jabadao.org. More and more research is highlighting the terrifying effects that our society’s lack of value in movement is creating. One study showed nearly 90% of children beginning school with physical development below expected levels, which impacts on learning in all areas. (And I’m so annoyed that I can’t remember where I learnt that! Here is an article that could have used the same source as whatever I watched or read.)

And if you’ve ever wanted to see an example of somewhere that facilitates learning through play, I couldn’t point you to a better site! Not only is it a natural environment for physical play and  collaboration and communication encouraging language and social development; the possibilities for exploring every area of the curriculum are tremendous. Real-life maths and science come into their own as children of every stage of development explore sand and water at their own level, filling, pouring, using pulleys, building simple or elaborate structures. Problem-solving skills are put to the test, and experimentation is invited as the resources are versatile enough that they do not just suggest one use, but can be employed however the imagination leads. Resilience, risk assessment and many other vital areas of psychological development are also promoted and supported through the environment. For sensory learners there are not just a lovely range of natural textures to touch with different parts of the body, but opportunities to create sound and experience vestibular and proprioceptive movement. As the young person I visited with is very mobile, I’m not the best to comment on the facilities in a physical accessibility context. Hopefully somebody else can! I would say most of the site is wheelchair accessible. There is a "disabled toilet" but I wasn't able to inspect and it is not advertised as a Changing Place. A person requiring a hoist would be unable to access the upper levels (and much of the equipment) as far as I know, but if a one or two person lift is safe this would enable use of many of the ground level areas.

The whole site is built responsibly with sustainability in mind. The play equipment is made from natural materials which are “pre loved” wherever possible (which also makes it aesthetically pleasing and a calm environment! On which note, I noticed as the day quietened down towards evening that there was relaxed but pleasant music playing: a welcome change from the tinny, jingly or slightly manic music often to be heard at play venues!), rainwater is harnessed to power the toilets, and even the floors and ceilings are made with waste and recycled materials. This is just a taste - for more see https://www.williamsden.co.uk/sustainability/. I can’t comment on most of the food, but if the ice cream is anything to go by, the cafe dishes out first rate grub (but there are also covered and open air picnic spaces), and as well as the usual knick knacks in the shop are some lovely toys which reflect the ethos of William’s Den (accordingly priced!).

And when you get tired there’s even a room upstairs accessed from the climbing frame with a beautiful view out over the surrounding landscape, with great big bean bags and some soft bricks for building if you or your child is in need of a more relaxed spell.

Staff are attentive, all areas maintained constantly to a good standard, there is a space to put your mobile number on your child's wristband if desired, there are food places with visibility to the play areas, and from outside one set of toilets you can also see through a large window to keep an eye on any remaining children or so your children can find you easily.

In a time when so much time is spent indoors looking at screens, interacting through technology rather than face to face, here is a place where the whole family can spend quality time interacting, exploring and developing. I can’t recommend it enough!