Vision

My name is Liz and as well as being a home educating mum, I am also a Theatre Director, Dramatherapist and outdoors learning practitioner.  I have rolled all of these specialisms into one and run a company called A Thoughtful Place To Be. For the last 18 years I have designed, managed and facilitated a wide variety of projects, from education and therapy to theatre production and training. 

My three children, Miles & Aston who are 12, and Millie who is 7, have always been home educated.  I set up ‘Quest’ back in 2014, with the intention of creating a space to support their learning that is unique and creative, offering experiences that are inspirational, extraordinary and ever evolving.

It was my hope that they would meet lots of dynamic and thought provoking people along their journey, people who will inspire them to try new things, people who will share stories of their lives and introduce them to different perspectives, and people who will listen to and be inspired by their ideas.

I hope their childhood lasts long into their later years, and that they always remember how to play. These are the basic principles upon which ‘a thoughtful place to be’ and ‘let the quest begin’ were created.

My experiences, both professionally and personally, have led me to develop an ideology for natural and creative learning; with an emphasis on beautiful surroundings, observing and working with the seasons, and developing group dynamics through nurturing play and exploration.

My facilitation Style…

Positive facilitation is something that is very important to me, and I have spent many years researching and developing my own ideology based around the nurturing and developing of group dynamics.  Here is a little insight into my facilitation style:

• Communication: having transparent communication means that everyone knows what is going on and is invited to take part in the decision making.  At each session we will go over our group agreement, remind ourselves about where the toilets are etc., and ensure that everyone is aware of the structure of the day.  I find that when we have this kind of clarity that everyone feels a lot more comfortable and relaxed.
• Building relationships: there will be plenty of time and emphasis given to connecting as a group, from the simple act of learning each other’s names to the development of rapport that comes from making like-minded connections and finding things that we have in common.  I also see it as my responsibility, as the group facilitator, to build relationships with each individual child so that the group can develop according to the personalities of all of its members. 
• Taking responsibility: in my role as facilitator I will take responsibility for providing a safe, beautiful, creative and thoughtful space for us to meet in, and I encourage everyone to take ownership of this group and take responsibility for its energy.   I will invite everyone to be reflective and to think about themselves and their actions, and I trust that people will have respect for self, for others, for our environment and for our materials.
• Using positive language: I will always strive to choose and use language that is positive and appropriate, and to model this practice.  I will encourage the group to develop their own positive language which shows respect, thought and care for others.
• Being brave: this project is about being on the farm and exploring the natural world around us, but for me, it is also about being brave, being adventurous, and daring to do something new and exciting.  This will be a place where we will treat each person as an individual, and encourage everyone to have pride in their uniqueness, whilst challenging ourselves to do something new, and see where this takes us. 
• Nurturing our playfulness: I believe that being playful keeps the bubble of imagination, creativity and vibrancy alive in all of us, and as such play will be a big factor in our project.  Play will help us explore new things, share and experiment with our ideas and travel to the far flung worlds in our imaginations.

More about my background: 

In my professional life, since 2001, I have worked as a Theatre Director and Dramatherapist, an outdoors learning facilitator, an alternative education practitioner, and more recently as a consultant of creativity for learning and wellbeing.

It is my belief that as adults we need to take a great responsibility in the way we educate, inspire and nuture our children. From the words we choose to speak, to the possibilities that we offer, and the way that we help our children to navigate their way through their lives and to make sense of the world around them.

My experiences over the last 18 years have shown me that creativity, playfulness and storytelling are key tools in the emotional and psychological wellbeing of our children, building confidence, self-awareness, empathy, problem solving, communication skills and collaboration; all skills that are vital to the development of a happy, healthy, motivated and creative being.

Through my projects and the creation of ‘The Patch’ I would like to share some more of my experiences and ideas, offering tools for adults and children to reflect on their own skills set and the small changes you can make to bring more creativity and playfulness to your lives. I will also be running events and activities for children and young people, families, educators and other professionals – focusing on creating spaces, making connections and reconnecting with our playful, creative, imaginative selves.