We are very grateful to The Pixel Fund for its grant towards the costs of our Open Sessions project. During open sessions special schools and day centres that educate and care for children with special needs bring groups of up to 16 for play and learning – supported by both their own staff and Camp Mohawk’s own support staff. There are currently 42 schools and centres from a wide geographical area registered to visit - with many more requesting places.
The needs of the children that visit are varied; for some simply spending time outdoors is a sensory or physical challenge and half an hour spent walking through the trees is a big achievement. Others might enjoy our sensory gardens and woodland playgrounds or take part in pond dipping, sports, music or camp building activities.
Spending time outdoors is particularly beneficial for children with special needs. Andrew Colley, lecturer in special education at the Cass School of Education and Communities, University of East London, explains: “SEN students have often learned helplessness and passivity because, consciously or not, we as practitioners exert a huge amount of control and [going outdoors] forces us to relinquish that. Giving SEN students that feeling of space, and the sensory stimulation that comes with being outdoors, is absolutely vital.” (The Guardian, 2016). The grant from the Pixel Fund will help us to complete the Open Sessions project in 2021/22.