Infants from two village schools spent time at the end of term learning how to survive in the wild.

For two days, the children, some as young as four, were encouraged to discover more about life in the outside world and something about themselves as they built dens and learned how to light a fire.

“I think getting children outside and active is probably more important than the actual skill itself,” said Stella Spratley, who works for Edsential and has been teaching bushcraft skills to children throughout the North West for the past 14 years.

“Even though Cheshire is a largely rural county, I have met some children who have scarily little experience of being outside in the countryside.”

She said a child once asked: ‘Is this a forest? I’ve seen one of these in a film.’

In all, 37 children from Huxley CE Primary School and its partner school Utkinton St Paul’s Primary attended the two-day residential course at the Tattenhall centre.

The highlight for many of the children was learning how to light a fire using flints, steel and a ball of cotton wool before toasting marshmallows on an open fire with their friends.

“Using a flint and steel is a personal challenge, and for many young children it is really hard so they actually do experience having to be very determined to achieve success,” said Stella.

Very few primary schools in Cheshire run residential courses for Reception and Year 1 pupils. But Huxley and Utkinton are different.

“Parents sometimes worry what will happen if their child cannot sleep at night,” said Vickie Barnard, who teaches the infants at Huxley Primary School.

“But we have always seen it as an important way to encourage them to become more confident and independent.”

On their first night at the centre, many of the 37 children spent the night without their parents for the very first time.

On past residentials, the infants have also been pond dipping, but this time they learned some African drumming and how to paint with hot wax and drawing inks.

“It’s lovely to see them getting stuck into something different,” said Vickie.

“And sometimes the children who can be quite shy in school turn into chatterboxes when you are sitting with them drinking hot chocolate.”

For Stella, it is – and always will be – a labour of love.

“I always hope children go home with an enthusiasm for being outdoors, and a sense of achievement and pride in what they have achieved,” she said.

Huxley CE Primary School is holding its annual open days on Friday, September 21 from 9.30–11am, and Saturday, September 22 from 10am-noon, while Utkinton St Paul’s Primary School is holding its annual open days on Friday, October 5 from 9.30–11am and Saturday, October 6 from 10am-noon.