As we arrive on the land each morning, it feels as if one tree dropping its leaves gives rise to another exploding into color. While we have loved these sweet sunny days, we welcomed the arrival of rain this week. We sipped rain drops, made mud pies, and watched the showers replenish the creek after a long drought. There is no better antidote to rainy day blues than a child’s wonder, which reminds you of the types of play only rain can invite.
Colors were also at the heart of our week. We brewed dyes from two plants gathered from the land: a rich brown dye from black walnut and a bright yellow dye from goldenrod. We also learned we weren’t the only ones collecting black walnuts—the squirrels made a valiant effort to get into our collection by gnawing through the plastic lid of our bucket! Julie then led us in a silly squirrel movement exercise that helped us wake up our bodies in the morning with a little bit of that mischievous squirrel spirit.
At camp, we leaned about the ancient Japanese dye technique called shibori and used it to transform fabric. This is the first step in making our tinder pouch this semester for these budding fire tenders. It was quite magical unwrapping the fabric to reveal the dazzling patterns made by each child’s choice of fabric preparation.
This week we also started a long-form portrait project. Children learned about Frida Kahlo and her unique portrait style, which was in part sparked by an accident that left her bedridden for months. During that time she used a mirror attached to the ceiling of her bed to begin making her now famous self-portraits. I shared a story about beauty, difference and the courage Frida gave me and others to embrace the different, complex parts of oneself. Children used mirrors to draw their own self-portraits and we gathered natural materials to fill them out next week. Along the way we will talk about differences and similarities in our hair, eyes, skin, and why that is. Can’t wait to see the finished masterpieces!
The week was full of more things than an email can fit! Construction of a new play area, sit spots, journaling, measuring, forest wanders, creek time, and so much more.
—JJ, Julie, and the Forest K counselors
October 2, 2020