Wow, what an amazing first day of camp with an incredibly curious, adventurous, and passionate group of girls! The nervous, yet excited energy on the first morning of camp always creates a feeling of contagious anticipation to start off the day. As girls gathered at the trailhead of Hoag's Pond, we handed out nature name-tags and circled up for a game of Sprucy the Spruce Cone (revisited later as Furry the Fir Cone).Once the whole group was present, we made our way down the trail to a fort-like area under the shade of a giant horse chestnut tree. Here we did our first Opening Circle, getting to know each other by name and sharing a body action for how we were feeling that morning. We then discussed our most important motto, Safety First, with a fun skit by Hilary of the S.T.O.P (Stop Think Observe Plan) principles to assess potentially unsafe situations. We also talked about the importance of Letting It Be Known with hunger, thirst, low energy, or bathroom needs throughout the day. Any nervous energy that was present during our meet and greet quickly escalated into giggles as we discussed what would become one our most practiced skills...peeing and pooping in the woods!
We wrapped up our circle with the practice of widening our own circles and chose someone we didn't know well in the group to be our buddy for the day. Our day unfolded with plenty of trail games, exploration, snack breaks, and storytelling as we made pour way down the trail to Hoag's Pond. We learned how to play Survival, practicing our camouflage skills among sword ferns and behind giant fir and cedar trees. We stopped to meet an edible plant, Salmonberry, and learned how to identify it by it's butterfly leaves. This was a great opportunity to discuss another very important camp motto, Meet Before You Eat! Ask your daughter if she can name a few of the edible plants we met!
We agreed that we would use our Owl Eyes, Deer Ears, and other senses to notice and connect to this beautiful place as we circumnavigated the pond. And alas! These girls proved to be natural trackers as we soon discovered a sign of wildlife...scat! We observed the berry and seeds in the scat and guessed that this may be a sign of raccoon or bear.We didn't get far until curiosity called again and someone pointed out nettle growing along the side of the path. We met and identified this plant and then learned how to safely harvest a leaf touching only the top. We then learned how to fold it carefully and rub it between our fingers before eating this tasty and iron-rich bundle!
After an impromptu game of Survival and another discovery of scat, we found ourselves back at our starting point. We circled up to share things we observed along the trail- the beautiful forest, scat on the trail, ducks in the pond, the sound of birds overhead, and plants like nettle and salmonberry. We then talked about the next part of our day, which would be an important part of each day of camp; Peaceful Place. We learned that Peaceful Place is a time to slow down and still the mind, sitting or standing in just one place for 15 minutes to an hour and simply observing, resting, journaling, drawing, etc. We talked about the five S's of Peaceful Place; Safe, Silent, Solo, Still and using our Senses and then spread ourselves out beside the pond to rest, relax, and reflect. Ask your child to share what she did in one of her three Peaceful Places throughout camp.
After sharing our observations or creations from Peaceful Place, it was time to hit the trail once again and head back to our meet and greet spot. We played a new game, Cougar Stalks Deer, attempting to tag our deer, Brooke, without being caught in action.
We gathered for Closing Circle under the giant horse chestnut tree and shared an Attitude of Gratitude, giving thanks for something we connected to over the course of the day.
Our Words of The Day: Having Fun, Peeing and Pooping in Nature!
Mottos Especially Alive Today:
Safety First!
Let It Be Known
Meet Before You Eat
Widen Your Circle
Be Prepared
Leave No Trace
Day 2: Bakerview Beach
We were blessed with another beautiful, yet slightly chilly morning on our second day of camp. We gathered on the lawn at the Campbell's property, looking out at bay as tide retreated. We did a quick round of names again, introducing ourselves, along with the sea creature we most felt like that morning. Many said seal since they felt slightly sluggish and were looking forward to basking in the sun:) We Widened Our Circle, choosing a buddy for the day and then packed up to head towards the bay.
The sea breeze continued but the skies cleared and the sun shone down on us as we set up base camp at a drift-wood shelter. The morning flew by as the girls scattered to explore the shore, splash through tidal pools, slap on mud leggings, and begin the creation of a sand palace.Highlights of the day included:
- A log-walk challenge down to the estuary where a cold stream met the ocean. The girls worked as a team to get everyone from point A to point B without touching the sand!
- Becoming MUD MONSTERS at the estuary where the mud was rich, dark, and deep!
- Creating a giant sand palace complete with a castle and mote, a fire station/pond, a thriving farm, moss-covered bridges, a waiving flag, and miniature houses, among other things.
- Swimming and splashing in the warm tidal pools.
- A half hour long Peaceful Place with journaling, sand creation, and more. The girls said it felt like 10 minutes! Needless to say, this is a group of naturals at this life-long skill of stilling the body, calming the mind, and absorbing in detail the surrounding sounds, sights, smells, and feelings.
- Playing a round of Where's My Nest- an activity to practice skills/mottos such as Widen Your Circle, Build Bridges, Not Walls, collaboration, and inclusion. Ask your daughter what she learned from or liked about this activity.
- Sharing a very heartfelt Attitude of Gratitude, giving thanks for water, mud, new friends, connection, sun, and many other things!
Mottos Especially Alive Today:
Be Prepared
Build Bridges Not Walls
Safety First
We Are All Connected
Widen Your Circle
Challenge By Choice
Our Words of The Day: Mud, Fun, Sun, Building, and Connecting!
Our last day of camp came too soon, but we shared another incredible six hours of connection, exploration, giggles, games, and team-building. We started our day with a rousing rendition of Screaming Toes, followed by a fun name-game involving hand-shake introductions in Duck, duck goose format. This was a lively game and a great name review for our final day together!
We chose buddies once again, packed up our stuff, and started making our way towards Lake Padden, meeting and eating more nettle and salmonberry along the way. We suited up, set up camp by the lake, and in no time at all the girls were in the water, splish-splashing, shell collecting, and pushing through bullrushes in what became the mermaid maze.
After some quality lake exploration, we changed out of wet suits and packed up to begin our trek down the Padden Gorge Trail.
Some highlights of our trek included:
- Playing Cougar Stalk Deer as we made our way down the trail
- Having lunch on the rocks and in the grass beside the lake, sharing stories, making pig piles, and goofing around.
- Stopping in the forest to play Meet A Tree, a trust game where the girls lead a blindfolded partner to a tree, which she must then try to find with blindfold off. This was a great way to practice other senses such as smell and touch that we rely less on.
- Playing and catching bugs and crawfish in the creek.
- Spending half an hour in the forest above the gorge for Peaceful Place
- Reflecting together about the week and sharing a final Attitude of Gratitude for new connections, edible plants, water, and eachother during our Closing Circle.
Mottos Especially Alive Today:
Collaborate and Compromise
Safety First
Widen Your Circle
Challenge By Choice
Meet Before You Eat
Meet Before You Eat
Our Words of The Day: Fun, Explore, Water, Wildlife!
For the full album of the week click here
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