|
By Shari Davis, Camp Wildcraft Co-Founder/Director “Wonder seeds our curiosity. Wonder snaps you to attention and is one of the I recently read the insightful book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, which explores how the arts change our brains in beneficial and lasting ways. Research increasingly backs up what we see and hear at camp. Neuroplasticity--the brain’s ability to expand and rewire throughout life--is especially activated by artmaking. Every time a child (or adult!) paints a new image, or figures out how to weave yarn through a loom, their brain is not just observing—it’s physically changing: neurons are firing! But for neurons to truly wire together--and for real learning, meaning, and growth to happen—the experience must be salient: it grabs your attention, is sensory-rich and engages your emotions. These moments happen daily at Camp Wildcraft.  The sound and shape of focus I hear it in the sound of 40 kids sanding walking sticks to take on their hikes. The ch-ch-ch of sandpaper rubbed along branches collected after the fires– the collective hum a soothing background music. With the roughest grade they sand the black remains of the burn, then run to the Guides, suddenly experts in the vocabulary of sandpaper grades. “Can I have a 120?” It takes four grades of progressively finer sandpaper to achieve the final mirror-smooth layer of wood. “Am I ready for the 400?” they inquire, with a sense of urgency. There is joy in this type of simple, physical work. With sustained effort that kids of all ages can manage, they transform their stick into a helpful tool, a steady companion as they hike the uneven trails.  I see it in a child’s face: looking intently at their canvas after gluing an image of ancient art to its center–some of the oldest art ever made. Our campers choose from dozens of black and white photocopies of art across the world, the creators now unknown. Reaching inside themselves for their own patterns, texture, story, they work to embellish and add to these ancient creations. I watch with fascination as four to fourteen year olds sit knee to knee in front of their canvases, immersed, focused and surprised at what emerges. Mixing colors – vibrant green-blues or orange-reds, holding their paint brush confidentially, their strokes thick and thin, our campers find unexpected joy in glossy paint being transformed into infinite designs, shapes, ideas.  Why are these experiences so satisfying? When we’re immersed and focused—and challenged at just the right pitch—our minds and bodies enter a deeply rewarding state of flow. Research by Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced CHIK-sent-mi-high) confirmed that we feel happier and more focused during flow—the self-critical parts of the brain quiet down, and we stop judging and overthinking. Growth inside and out Camp Wildcraft is filled with these kinds of salient, feel-good, growthful experiences.
 Choice, Autonomy and Confidence Wonder, Dreams, The Spirit in Nature–we channel kids’ imagination, energy, curiosity through weekly themes such as these. Our expansive themes are a catalyst for the big art projects we create each week and the conversations and stories that connect us. Whether creating a papier mache animal mask, wooden wonder box or large painting, campers have a lot of autonomy in their art making. Encountering a pile of wood scraps, or old National Geographic magazines, stacks of animal pictures, or an array of seedpods collected from nature, they quickly realize: the choices are theirs. Being emotionally invested provides a strong sense of ownership over their work—and growing confidence in their unique creative selves as they experiment and explore new ideas, materials, techniques. It’s a confidence carried home from camp, along with their stack of artwork, stories of each day, and hand-sewn pouch filled with their sketchbook and treasures collected along the trail. 
0 Comments
Animating & Deepening our Experience in the Wild By Shari Davis, Co-Founder/Director Camp Wildcraft  Wood Turtle we met in Kingston, NY Her wide black eyes watched us, without a blink. Four scaly orange and gray legs held up an oval shell, stamped with patterns of seashells, fossils, tree rings, stone. On a forested trail in upstate New York, after camp this summer, we met a turtle who at a distance looked like a rock in the road. We sat beside her (or him), its gray shiny face encircled in an orange folded hood. This turtle was in no rush so we spent some time observing each other before moving him to a safer place away from wheels, dogs and feet. What stories did this solitary turtle hold? How far did she travel to this spot in the road and where was she going? When did our new friend last have a meal and what was on the menu? Was there a mate or turtle children in the nearby woods? How old was she? Why was the shell imprinted with those ancient, circular, symmetrical designs? Sitting with this patient turtle and asking these questions we didn’t (yet) have the answers for, expanded the narrative of our linear walk with images of this turtle’s imagined life. We came home eager to learn more about this beautiful creature. We discovered she was a rare Wood Turtle who lives near streams and hibernates in winter and that each turtle shell pattern is a unique identifying “fingerprint”.  Benny continuing his turtle drawing (from memory) that he started on the trail. Every hike is a story. You don’t always meet a roaming Wood Turtle, but wherever you walk, whether around the block or on the trail, when you activate your eyes, ears and curiosity, there are small wonders everywhere: the industry of insects, the flight coordination of crows, the tenacity of trees as they rebound from drought and fire—the giant possibility of every acorn. The hike begins and along the way there are a series of encounters and discoveries and small dramas to be shared, “look at this!”—“did you notice how that ….,” “what do you think the (fill in the species) was thinking, feeling, doing?” As we observe and ask questions, we invite curiosity to roam the landscape of our imagination. When we shape and tell stories or draw what we see, write a poem or make a mandala of collected seedpods, stones and twigs, we allow ourselves to ponder, feel and make meaning of these small wonders. We animate and deepen the experience for our kids and ourselves and as the joy, connection and sense of belonging take root, we feel an expanded sense of home in the wild.  Drawing by Benny Ferdman Every Hike is a Story: Questions to Ask Along the Way At the beginning of the hike
 We later came across the fossilized remans of this 2 million year old Land Turtle at the Natural History Museum in NYC! A giant, prehistoric ancestor of our little Wood Turtle! 🐢 We'd love to hear how you and your family find stories in nature. Please share your thoughts, ideas & comments below!
 "Nature is not a place to visit, it is home." Gary Snyder How do our experiences in nature restore our sense of wellbeing? Are there ways we can explore the natural world to increase our creativity? How can we feel more at home in nature? These (and more!) are some of the big questions that inspire our encounters with nature at Camp Wildcraft. In this blog, we’ll share some of our experiences at camp, a little bit of the research that motivates us, and some ways you can create more awareness and connection while exploring nature with your kids.  At Camp Wildcraft we see how our campers are happier and their best selves after wading the creek, searching for crystals, pushing themselves up a hill with 25 other kids, or pondering a giant oak while drawing in their sketchbooks. By pointing out surprises on the trail we invite kids to see the functional design of seedpods or hear the patterns of bird song. We share nature’s intelligence and gifts: such as the recent discovery that yellow and purple wildflowers grow near each other as their complementary colors draw pollinators. Or that the round oak galls that fall from certain oak trees, can be used to make the blackest ink– and have been used for this since ancient times. (We make and use this ink at camp :)  Research shows that exploring and observing nature alleviates negative thoughts, lifts our mood and improves our focus. Being in nature fosters a process of restoration and what psychologists call “soft fascination", a kind of “passive attention" which is effortless and diffuse. This primes our brain to have unexpected connections and insights. Observing patterns, forms and colors in nature have a soothing effect on the human nervous system. It frees us from rumination and worry, allowing us much needed time to find calm and renewal.  At Camp Wildcraft we draw kids attention to the small wonders and interconnections they may not have noticed. Storytelling, scavenger hunts, drawing in our sketchbooks creatively activate kids on the trail and invite them to notice plants and animals within the landscape. Working collaboratively to build big forts from branches or creating small worlds under the trees with sticks, rocks and leaves allow kids to engage with all our senses and feel, through our body, heart and mind, the interconnectedness of all living things.  So how can families recharge together by finding wonder and wellbeing in nature ? Here are some ideas from our Camp Wildcraft experience:
 Additional resources to enliven your family nature encounters.
Some of the research mentioned here is from Thinking with Natural Space, The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Hall  Welcome to the second edition of our Camp Wildcraft blog, "The Wildcraft Wonder Cabinet." Periodically, we'll be sharing what we're learning about art and creativity, how nature helps us thrive, and growing compassionate and resilient kids. Our second edition explores RESILIENCE-- a quality we actively nurture as part of the Wildcraft experience.  GROWING RESILIENT KIDS |
AuthorsShari Davis and Benny Ferdman are artists, educators, co-founders of Camp Wildcraft--and passionate collectors of wondrous and surprising objects and stories found along the trail. They are also the co-founders of Creativeways.org which houses the archive of thirty years of ongoing arts, education, exhibit and curriculum projects. 
Archives
May 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed