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TYING KNOTS, WALKING THE TIGHTROPE & BUILDING MOVING SCULPTURES | Mama Mei

1,018 views · Published 10 August 2018 · 9:01 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: Mrs Yorkshire · 2018 · People & Blogs

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My daughter arrived at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park wearing a little black dress, shiny shoes (a compromise from her beloved gold heels) and with bows in her hair, whilst clutching her fluffy bunny toy.

It’s fair to say she didn’t look dressed for an outdoor challenge. But her shy demeanour and delicate nature, didn’t phase the team at YSP who warmly welcomed us all into the Hidden Forest, next door to the Learning Centre.


We were slightly late after turning up at the main entrance (my fault!) because I am one of those annoying people who don’t read instructions and, I hadn’t realised the workshop was in the Hidden Forest next to the Learning Centre and, there is a separate car park especially for the Learning Centre (which is handy with little ones or it’s a 10 minute walk from the main car park).


We were there for a Forest Friday session, a series of workshops which run throughout summer, this one was called Balance Beam Sculpture.


The session was led by two guys from Cliffe House, an outdoor study and conference centre in Kirklees, who started off by demonstrating knot tying.

It was a nice small group which meant Jasmine got one-on-one attention when she needed it which helped her greatly as she likes to concentrate.


After mastering some knots, the group (all who happened to be girls) set about climbing along a rope they had tied between two trees. Jasmine took a little encouraging to try walk across the rope but once she did, she kept on doing it (and I couldn’t resist having a go either).

Then it was time to move onto the grassy area to play with beams and creating a sculpture “A frame.”

It was great to see the group work as a team with the patient assistance of Cliffe House.

After lots of pulling, twisting, carrying and building, they did it! And not only was the frame sturdy enough to carry the children… it even carried the adults too.

But the next challenge was to create a moving sculpture. The girls decided that they wanted to keep their A-frame and make that move. So the leaders went with it and off they went to add two barrels to the construction.

As parents and carers we just sat back and watched (and filmed) as the children were totally engrossed in the task at hand which was beautiful to see. For me, I know I am a city girl but I do not doubt the importance of outdoor education, so it was great that there were experts to guide the way. I am good at outdoor exercise but when it comes to survival skills, not so much so.

Somehow, they managed to create a steam-roller style sculpture which moved (with some pushing) along the grass.

To finish off, the team were tasked with an independent challenge to get between two trees using the materials they had around them. Again, the children were focused and determined and decided to create another tight rope to climb on, complete with a little swing and some beams to get even further across the field than they had been asked.

At this point Jasmine was so giddy to climb with her new friends, I couldn’t get her off. It was great to see such a change in her from when we first got there. Her confidence had grown and she’d acquired new skills all within a few hours.

She even had a go on the tight rope that Cliffe House had built and she confidently balanced and walked along.

We will definitely be returning to YSP for more family workshops, come rain or shine. It is how learning should be… fun, out in the open air and challenging. The family activities are led brilliantly by Emma who is so passionate about helping all families discover the outdoors and creating a diverse and educating programme with activities for all ages.

Following the session, there was still time to have lunch, if you’re prepared there’s lots of lovely places to have a picnic, or if you’re more forgetful like me, there’s a main restaurant and a cafe as part of the Learning Centre.

I can’t recommend it enough, we had such a brilliant morning and it encapsulated Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s ethos “art without walls.”

Although Jasmine’s poor fluffy bunny toy didn’t enjoy the journey home as he had his ears tied in all sorts of knots.


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Intro music: Vexento - Eyes Closed

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