Outdoor education: legends

The legend of the Phoenix helps children to understand there’s hope in dark times, say Susan Humphries and Susan Rowe...

Across the world there are legends of a long-lived bird associated with the sun, rebirth and renewal.

In Ancient Egypt this was the Benu, in China the Fenghuang, in Persia the Anka, and in Ancient Greece, the Phoenix. The legends are similar: they tell how a new bird is born from the ashes of its predecessor and, in all the stories, the bird is an emblem of resurrection.

The Greek Herodotus described the Phoenix as similar in size and shape to an eagle, living for more than 900 years before being
consumed by fire, from which it would emerge renewed. For us it’s a metaphor – no pain, no gain.

We use the story to start a discussion with the children about being able to grow stronger by facing painful moments and the value of quiet resolution, bravery and hope while living through difficult times. We tell parallel stories: Daniel in the lions’ den; Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s imprisonment by the Nazis (during which he continued to help others); and Nelson Mendala’s incarceration on Robben island. The stories remind us all that we can overcome loneliness, enforced solitude and develop a sense of accomplishment by working through the problems that beset us.

As winter sets in, our thoughts to turn to the coming of spring and to the renewal of life in the natural world. We act out the story of the Phoenix in our school grounds, as well as the hall and the classrooms. Our starting point is the story itself and the connections we can make to the science curriculum; it’s a project that evokes the power, beauty and danger of fire.

The children find out about flammability. They will be helping to construct a model of the Phoenix that will emerge from a fire and need to decide on suitable materials. Children predict which materials will burn easily and which will be more resistant to heat. Pieces of the materials they select are tested out on a small fire – a larger fire is later built on the same spot when we dramatise the story of the Phoenix.

Following the experiments, pupils choose metal in preference to wood, wire over string and aluminium foil over less flame resistant fabrics.

The children help to build a framework for the bird using fine wire stuffed with aluminium foil. Strong metal rods need to be inserted through the body of the bird so that it can be carried across the fire and remain relatively stable. The rods need rings at the end so that heavy cord can be attached to help the bird’s suspension as it lands on the nest of fire and flies through it. The bird’s body, head wings and talons are made from fine wire and its legs are two metal coat hangers. The children then thread brightly coloured, flame-resistant fabrics through the body, head and wings.

Two or four adults hold the lengths of cord that have been fastened to the supporting rods and they lift the finished bird over the heads of the children sitting in the school hall. In this way they simulate the flight of the bird. There is naturally a lot of excitement and we explain to the children that they must not reach up to try and touch the bird as it flies over in case it gets damaged.

The children help us to build a fire outside in the centre of a large rectangle of hard core and shingle (it is one of our car parks). We wait until there is a day with little or no wind before lighting the fire; we check wind direction and get the children to stand on a marked pathway around the rectangular site at a safe distance. In this way, children and adults can move slowly and safely on the pathway around the action and get different views of the Phoenix as it is set ablaze.

As the fire burns, the adults holding the Phoenix by the lengths of cord cause the bird to fly through the air and to land briefly in the nest of flames, before flying off again. They repeat the flight, landing and ‘rebirth’ of the Phoenix three or four times.

There is tremendous power in retelling old stories in this dramatic fashion and in setting the action out of doors, as well as inside the school building. The project covers many areas of the curriculum (language, science, art and craft, religious education) and is memorable for us all.

About the authors

Susan Humphries and Susan Rowe are both former heads at The Coombes School, renown for its vibrant outdoor classrooms and seasonal curriculum.