{"id":58062,"title":"The Woodland Base Camp","description":"\ud83e\udeb6 A Little Explorers Journal entry with Bran the Robin Hello, explorer! I\u2019m Bran the Robin, and I\u2019ve found just the place to begin.  We\u2019re in Royden Park, where the paths twist between tall trees and autumn leaves crunch beneath your feet.  But we\u2019re not following the path just yet","content":"

\ud83e\udeb6<\/span> A Little Explorers Journal entry with Bran the Robin<\/strong><\/p>

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Hello, explorer!<\/p>

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I\u2019m Bran the Robin, and I\u2019ve found just the place to begin.<\/p>

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\"w9kbj6fegp3fkcx2pw46h41rpe2t7cfvi3dyoabxp2il4dfn.jpg.jpg?w=1140&project=beastly-boroughs-416041&v=2\"<\/p>

We\u2019re in Royden Park, where the paths twist between tall trees and autumn leaves crunch beneath your feet.<\/p>

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But we\u2019re not following the path just yet.<\/p>

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First, every explorer needs a base camp.<\/p>

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And I think we should build one.<\/p>

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A Den Among the Trees<\/strong><\/p>

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Come and have a look over here.<\/p>

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The woodland floor is scattered with fallen branches. Some are long and straight, some bend in the middle, and some are far too heavy for even the strongest explorer to carry.<\/p>

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I tried lifting one myself.<\/p>

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It didn't go well.<\/p>

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So we'll need to choose carefully.<\/p>

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Look for fallen branches that can lean together without snapping. Add smaller twigs around the sides, and perhaps some fallen leaves to make your den feel properly hidden among the trees.<\/p>

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No picking branches from living trees, though. There's plenty down here for us.<\/p>

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I'll supervise from this stump.<\/p>

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Or possibly from that branch.<\/p>

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Robins are excellent supervisors.<\/p>

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Soon, something that looked like an untidy pile of sticks begins to look like a shelter.<\/p>

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Our base camp!<\/p>

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Crawl inside if there's room. What can you see through the gaps?<\/p>

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Can you smell the damp leaves and earth?<\/p>

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And what was that rustle behind us?<\/p>

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Tracks Around Base Camp<\/strong><\/p>

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Come on. Let's investigate.<\/p>

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There are marks in the soft ground near the trees.<\/p>

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Some are probably footprints from people walking through the woods. But smaller tracks can be harder to explain.<\/p>

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A squirrel might have scampered past.<\/p>

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A bird might have hopped through the mud.<\/p>

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And if you find a cracked acorn or an empty conker shell nearby, something else may have reached it before we did.<\/p>

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Autumn leaves can hide all sorts of clues.<\/p>

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See if you can find one that really stands out: the brightest, the biggest, the strangest shape\u2014or simply the one you like best.<\/p>

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Mine is red.<\/p>

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Obviously.<\/p>

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What Shall We Call It?<\/strong><\/p>

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There's one important job left.<\/p>

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Our base camp needs a name.<\/p>

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It could be something brave.<\/p>

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Something funny.<\/p>

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Something nobody else would ever think of.<\/p>

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I'm considering Bran's Magnificent Woodland Headquarters.<\/p>

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Although apparently we're supposed to choose together.<\/p>

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Once you've decided, take one last look around. The den can stay here among the trees while we continue exploring.<\/p>

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Because I've noticed something.<\/p>

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Through the branches, the land begins to rise.<\/p>

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That's the way towards Thurstaston.<\/p>

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And somewhere beyond the hill is the sea.<\/p>

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I can almost taste the salt in the wind from here.<\/p>

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I wonder what we'll find if we follow it?<\/p>

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\ud83e\udeb6<\/span> Explorer Field Notes<\/strong><\/p>

\u00a0\ud83c\udf42<\/span> Find:<\/strong> Can you discover an autumn leaf with a colour or shape you really like?<\/p>

\u00a0\ud83d\udc3e<\/span> Investigate: <\/strong>Look for a track, mark, cracked shell or other clue that something has passed through the woodland.<\/p>

\u00a0\ud83e\udeb5<\/span> Create:<\/strong> If you build a den, what will you call your woodland base camp?<\/p>

\u00a0\ud83d\udc42<\/span> Listen:<\/strong> Stop for a moment. What's the smallest sound you can hear among the trees?<\/p>

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Our base camp is ready.<\/p>

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Thurstaston is ahead.<\/p>

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Come on, explorer. We've got somewhere to go.<\/p>

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\ud83e\udeb6<\/span> \u2014 From Bran's Little Explorer Journal<\/strong><\/p>","urlTitle":"the-woodland-base-camp","url":"\/blog\/the-woodland-base-camp\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/the-woodland-base-camp\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/beastlyboroughs.com\/blog\/the-woodland-base-camp\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1788191717,"updatedAt":1788193496,"publishedAt":1788193495,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":405864,"name":"Beastly Boroughs"},"tags":[{"id":4549,"code":"little-explorers-journal","name":"LittleExplorersJournal","url":"\/blog\/tagged\/little-explorers-journal\/"}],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zjd2b523qb9mkrrleqlujgz6ylvknscoy6a0df1gnbbxclah.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zjd2b523qb9mkrrleqlujgz6ylvknscoy6a0df1gnbbxclah.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/zjd2b523qb9mkrrleqlujgz6ylvknscoy6a0df1gnbbxclah.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"","metaDescription":"","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":55967,"title":"Meet Bran \u2014 Your Little Explorer Guide","url":"\/blog\/meet-bran-your-little-explorer-guide\/","urlTitle":"meet-bran-your-little-explorer-guide","division":405864,"description":"Hello there, little explorer! I\u2019m Bran the Robin \u2014 and I\u2019m very glad you\u2019re here.  I flutter along woodland paths, skim over sandy shores and hop between tree roots, looking for things that are easy to pass by.  That\u2019s one of the best things about being a robin","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/r5kitoo9topg4nlzdhekn2evafm6ftituowtzaiudqzfposh.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/r5kitoo9topg4nlzdhekn2evafm6ftituowtzaiudqzfposh.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":55968,"title":"Thurstaston Hill \u2014 Open Light","url":"\/blog\/thurstaston-hill-open-light\/","urlTitle":"thurstaston-hill-open-light","division":405864,"description":"A Little Explorers Journal entry with Bran the Robin Hello, explorer. Bran again.  Today we have climbed somewhere a little different","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7evqgtimghwbgcjwskkeucirtb3uwxgltyktkp9pcvtnh169.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7evqgtimghwbgcjwskkeucirtb3uwxgltyktkp9pcvtnh169.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":55970,"title":"Eastham Woods \u2014 Bluebell Quiet","url":"\/blog\/eastham-woods-bluebell-quiet\/","urlTitle":"eastham-woods-bluebell-quiet","division":405864,"description":"A Little Explorers Journal entry with Bran the Robin Hello again, explorer. Bran here.  Something wonderful is happening in the woods","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/losjnxebvfyvl19ngcexgmhjuhrmt6euk5m6xkzzjehtvxek.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/losjnxebvfyvl19ngcexgmhjuhrmt6euk5m6xkzzjehtvxek.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}