Fans of the popular children’s character Stick Man can enjoy their own Stick Man adventures by following a new activity trail at Moors Valley Country Park and Forest from October half-term until January next year.
Created by Julia Donaldson, who also wrote ‘The Gruffalo’, Stick Man lives, perhaps not surprisingly, in a tree with his wife and three children. Forestry Commission England has teamed up with the popular children’s character to create a special adventure trail to encourage children and families to get out into the forest.
The Moors Valley trail is one of thirteen that Forestry Commission England has created around the country where children can engage in imaginative play and find out more about forests and the importance of wood and trees to their daily lives.
Families can have fun and learn about Stick Man’s forest home by following the special Stick Man trail, complete with activities for all ages. The trail winds through the Park and into the Forest with 10 activity boards to help children and adults make their own Stick Man to take home, identify tree patterns and shapes, build a twig tower and explore the sights and sounds around them.
Emma Reeks, Education Ranger at Moors Valley, said, “Stick Man is a delightful character and has a huge national following built around Julia Donaldson’s engaging story and the charming illustrations of Axel Scheffler.
“In the story, Stick Man goes for a jog only to find that the world is an eventful place for a stick. Along the way he encounters a dog that wants to play with him, a swan that makes him part of her nest and a boy that uses him as a snowman’s arm. Of course, like all the best stories, this one has a happy ending when Stick Man eventually returns home, with a little help from Santa Claus!
“We estimate that around 5000 children followed Moors Valley’s Gruffalo Trail during the year it was open. I’m sure that Stick Man will be just as popular and will inspire children to use the forest as their playground and create their own stories, while learning vital skills to help in their development.”
The Stick Man trail is open from Saturday 26 October to Friday 31 January 2014 and trail cards cost £2 each.
Free Stick Man activity sheets can be downloaded from the Forestry Commission website at www.forestry.gov.uk/stickman.
