IT'S THE perfect playground for children and there is not a toy or piece of plastic in sight.
Swathes have been cut through the willow crop at Market Place Farm in South Cave to create a natural haven in which to learn, find and explore.
It's a new venture for the Wilson family, who live there but it perfectly combines farmer Henry Wilson's experience of growing the plant as biofuel for Drax power station and wife Heather and daughter Alice's teaching expertise.
"I started growing willow for the power stations in 1999 and I've been growing it ever since," said Henry.
"I've always had this idea that we were missing a trick in that I'd heard about all these corn mazes and the like and actually when you get in amongst this stuff, it's very similar.
"Then when Alice got her degree in early years education and Heather retired, it seemed a good idea to try to use the facilities on the farm to create a new enterprise.
"What we have done isn't actually a maze as such, it is a learning and play area.
"We have cut paths through the willow and we have created different areas in the willow where the kids can do different activities largely based on free play.
"It is all up to them, there is nothing plastic."
Wilson's Willow, as it has been named, was put to the test recently when children from Collingwood Primary School in Hull, where Alice works, became the first visitors.
"We had 32 children from Collingwood School, together with about ten members of staff and parents for our trial run," said Henry.
"Everything went as well, if not better, than we expected and the kids loved it."
At a time when children are exposed to sophisticated technology and cleverly marketed brands, it seems the simple pleasures of using imagination to play in a safe, open space outside still appeals.
Heather said: "They were spotting all the different animals and the snails and everything and, of course, we get loads of birds here such as buzzards and red kites and there are the horses in the fields.
"One parent said that their only outside space at home is a fire escape where they try and grow things but she said it was just lovely to see all this space.
"What we would like to do in the summer is to have groups of children in as a sort of play experience.
"We'd like to try and keep it fairly small so it is safe and it's not a play area in the sense that there is going to be lots of commercial toys or anything like that.
"It is really for younger children aged up to seven or eight as I think older than that, there is probably not enough for them."
Plans are in the early stages but future events are likely to be a combination of planned school and nursery visits as well as public open days.
There are currently 12 small clearings of discovery – in one, there is a secret garden and in another is a Bug Hunt Trail, based on the popular children's book, We're Going On A Bear Hunt.
"We want to leave it as much as possible up to the children, it is not about adults telling them what to do," said Heather.
Children will also be encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and watch out for hazards such as nettles, a few of which have been deliberately left on the paths.
"They have to be aware of nettles and thistles and things like that because you have got to watch what you are doing," said Heather.
"You need to learn to look after yourself. It is like learning to cross the road. If someone is always taking you, you never learn to look out for things.
"They also have to look out for things like the tractor tracks where the machines have been.
"For some of them, just walking about on a place like this that isn't a pavement is something new.
"Some of them were saying 'it's really bumpy'. It was lovely and they were so good."
Heather, a former primary school teacher and lecturer, and Alice, who has recently completed her teaching training, have worked to ensure the activities and aims of Wilson's Willow fit into the curriculum.
"We can work with the schools and nurseries so they can do it as part of their learning," said Heather.
"But you do need a bit of imagination.
"At the art area, I asked the children to find a little tiny flower and keep it safe, then I brought a load of plants and flowers from our garden and we had a great big sheet of wallpaper that we rolled out.
"We sat here and talked about the willow, then I asked them about making pictures and said we were going to make a picture, not with drawing or crayons, but things like stones, horseshoes, pine cones and shells.
"Then they made the first letter of their name with the willow sticks and it was wonderful."
Woods at the edge of the fields will also be used as a "Forest School".
"An ex-colleague of mine is a Forest School trained practitioner so she is going to be doing some Forest School sessions," said Heather.
"It is a Scandanavian approach. A lot of them do Forest School all the time, even in the winter."
Forest School encourages children to enjoy the outdoors and teaches them skills including lighting fires, giving them rules to prevent accidents such as always walking around the circle around the fire, rather than cutting across it.
Henry said: "Unfortunately, we have sanitized our kids to the extent where they are just not allowed to do anything and it wants taking back a bit.
"As far as we know, this is totally unique. I know most of the willow growers in the UK and as far as I am aware, nobody else is doing it.
"We're hoping now to move on and we have got a few things planned for the summer."
An open day is being held at Wilson's Willow in Beverley Road, South Cave, from noon to 3pm today during which visitors will be invited to help build an outdoor classroom from willow.
Anyone interested in attending is advised to contact the farm first to avoid disappoint as places are limited.
"We are inviting people in to have a look at what we do and we will let them have a look at some of the areas," said Heather.
"We're not going to go through the whole thing with them as we want there to be more for people to discover each time.
"Mind you, a lot of the children in their evaluation said they would do the same things again."
For more information, visit www.marketplacefarm. co.uk or to book a place at today's open day, call 07813 183589.
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