Camp Covid

Guest post by Julie Hoel, KVR Instructor and Grandparent Extraordinaire

No one whined more about the cancelling of KVR Summer Camps than I did. Just ask our camp director! I was the lone voice crying FOR the wilderness. It’s an OUTSIDE activity! Outside can be safe! Pleeease! My four-year-old grandkids were signed up for their first KinderCamp. We had all been looking forward to their time at KVR and Nana and Poppa time at our house. Their working-from-home parents had been looking forward to a break. We couldn’t let them down, so the cousins came anyway and Camp Covid was born.

There is plenty for them to do here…pond to swim in, trampoline, tree swing in a huge oak, a play set fort and my toy room. (Other retirees use their spare bedroom for a sewing room, an art studio or an office. Mine is a toy room filled with three generations of vintage family playthings and classroom toys from my mom’s first grade room and my kindergarten.) Our tendency would have been to hang out here, but I took my own advice to my Forest Friends session parents, and we headed to the woods anyway! Each morning we packed up for a new adventure. I ignored certain four year-old behaviors just to get them in the car and on our way. Don’t want to wear your long socks? No problem, I’ll just put them in my backpack. Still hungry? I have a car snack ready. Can’t find your water bottle? I’ll share mine.

Our first adventure was to the Ice Cave Trail at Wildcat State Park. In a moment of unplanned genius, I bought them each a pair of rubbery garden gloves for climbing and other muddy encounters. These came in handy right away as they scampered up the rocks by the waterfall. Letting them lead the way was also important. You really can’t get lost, and it put them in charge. They stopped and threw sticks when they felt like it. They followed the “beautiful butterflies” that caught their eyes. We splashed in the little creek. I pulled some plastic food containers out of my backpack and turned them into boats. I took a little video of this exploration. My grandson says, “Nana, do you have any other toys?” I don’t remember saying this, but I hear my response, “I thought this would be enough.” Turns out, it was more than enough.

Day Two destination was KVR. I was hoping to play at the stepping-stones on the Visitor Center Trail, but they were underwater. We headed to the climbing trees in the flood plain, but they were overgrown without the usual trampling by school groups. The cave by the river didn’t excite them. But finally the magic of the pine plantation caught their fancy. They explored all the shelters that kids have made there. I was shocked to hear that they did NOT know the story of the Three Little Pigs. Explaining the tale led to a spirited game with Poppa huffing and puffing and the little piggies dashing from one shelter to another oinking all the way. They could have played this for hours.

Day Three was at the Valley of the Elves. Something about that little stream inspires nakedness. Every time I take a group of Forest Friends there, someone ends up removing their clothes one soggy piece at a time. The embarrassed parent asks the group if everyone is okay with it and the fun continues. This day it was my grandson ripping off his shirt in the summer sun. They went upstream and discovered a small sandy bank. They proceeded to climb up and jump into the water making up songs as they went again and again. The trip back up to the rock shelter required cooperation and determination, but it was all worth it.

I could continue explaining each adventure, but I think you see the pattern. Ignore any resistance and get to the car. Get to some place wild. Follow their lead. Nature did the rest of the unfolding.The boy who is go-go-go and sports-sports-more sports settled down a little in the woods. On one hike he was just sitting in the brush up on a little hill. I asked him what he was doing. “I’m a deer.” The girl that loves beautiful sparkly dresses and won’t touch a cobweb ended the week proclaiming, “Dragon flies are my friends!” Most of all, it was magical for us watching them.

In the end, it felt like it might have been even better than KVR camp because they had our undivided attention in a class of just two. So, thanks, Covid, for that.

Forest Friends and Kindercamp

This week children (and parents) would have joined us at KVR for Forest Friends and Kindercamp. Since we can't gather together we decided to gather some resources, words of encouragement, and ideas for activities from our beloved camp instructors. Here's hoping you get to play outside!

Forest Friends

An Interview with Ximena Puig, Susana Ruder and Julie Hoel

Tell us about yourself. Is there anything special you want campers and families to know about you and your life?

Ximena:  I have two little boys, with whom I spend a lot of time outside. The older I grow the more I learn that there is wisdom, perfection and beauty in every living thing, and even in things we see as inanimate, like rocks and clouds. I am amazed to see how intuitive this feeling is to small children, and how their respect and love for all living things is innate and strong, especially when we don't dismiss their perspective.

Susana:  I love water so much. From tiny drops of rain collected in leaves, to rivers and lakes. Water brings me so much peace and a sense of freshness. I spent my early years swimming in a very cold spring fed pool almost every weekend or going to the mountains nearby and swimming in very warm volcanic hot springs. I think that keeps me going back to the water daily. You can find me sitting by the small and quiet spring that emerges from deep in the woods, or by the rushing river full of trout, or canoeing the Kickapoo if I get very lucky.

Julie:  I grew up playing outside, swimming and going to YMCA camp. Summers as a camp counselor shaped my character. As an adult, I worked for the YMCA, stayed home with my young children, and then was a Wisconsin teacher for 20 years. Since I retired to the Driftless, I have become more in tune with the cycles of nature. KVR has been a big part of this new learning.

What ideas or tips do you have for campers who may be missing camp this summer?

Ximena: Get outside every day! Go to wild places without an agenda. Leave your phones behind. Parents, bring something quiet to do, sit and practice being present to the beauty around you, or jump right into the play, but let your children poke around and even tell you they are bored, and then watch as they find something fantastic to do.

Susana:  Try and think of special things you can do to make your day fun. A sense of adventure can fill us with new energy and moves us to discover new things. Simple things like cooking a meal over a fire, creating a spot to observe wild life, learning basic carving techniques (try carving a stick, it can be quite a project!), learning basic fishing techniques or learning a few new wild edibles to make a yummy salad, can brighten your day. Making a simple weekly calendar were you can mark some special days for adventures is so much fun. Then the kids and adults can work together to decide where to go and what is needed for the day. This area has so much to offer: canoeing, fishing, hiking, swimming, this is a great time of the year to explore and visit new places.

Julie:  Head to the woods with your child anyway! Remember to leave your phone in the car and focus on following your child’s lead.

Do you have a favorite spot or activity on the KVR that you'd love to remind campers and their families to visit when they can? 

The rock outcroppings on Old Harris Trail are a wonderful, magical place for small children and we certainly would have visited them in camp. 

Some of my favorite spots are the deep tight valleys where we find water and coolness. I went to one today with my kids and we saw a small pond full of hundreds of tadpoles. We played by the small creek, floated boats, and then hiked up the rocks filled with tiny waterfalls. There my kids built a super cool ramp out of sand and some clay and tested how rocks could move in it. When you get home be sure to check for ticks!

Here are some favorite books for gathering inspiration to head outside with your children: 

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (for adults)

Can you Hear the Trees Talking? by Peter Wohlleben (children)

Earthways by Carol Petrash (for adults- full of fun nature activities to do with kids)

Keepers of the Earth by Joseph Bruchac 
Keepers of the Animals by Joseph Bruchac

Sing a Song of Seasons (song book with CD of seasonal children's songs)

The Complete Book of Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker (children and adults!)

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy (for gardening ideas) 

Playing the Forest School Way by Jane Worroll and Peter Houghton (for ideas on what to do in the woods)

The Organic Artist by Nick Neddo (for ideas on using nature to make art) 

KinderCamp

The Power of Just Being in Nature

By Julia Buckingham

We know that nature is a powerful teacher: a teacher for all of the good, beautiful, bad and hard to swallow lessons. Even as adults, we continue to learn these lessons. The act of just being in nature, for the young child, can be a very powerful experience.  It is our responsibility, as adults, to nurture and create opportunities for young children to just be in nature. 

Taking the time to be in nature means exactly that. Experience nature without a specific goal in mind; such as to collect mushrooms or go on a particular hike. If you make it to the top of the lookout or find a few mushrooms along the way, great, but it should not be your goal. The adult does not even have to take the time to identify the plants, rocks, animals and things encountered along the way. We want to offer the opportunity to spend time observing and just being in nature. 

We want these experiences to ignite the senses in a multi-sensory explosion. Take a moment to think of the possibilities for all of the smells, sights, sounds, and textures to be taken in all at the same time, every minute while in nature. 

Follow the child’s lead.  If they want to hike fast on the muddy trail, stop to watch a caterpillar or splash in a small creek, let them, and for as long as they want. There is a lot to take in, and concentrating on something, or focusing their attention, is important for young children to practice.  Take time to walk at a leisurely pace and stop to investigate curiosities along the way. The adult can even instigate some of these investigations. Maybe, with the use of a stick, dig below the surface to look for invertebrates; or take the time to look under a log (making sure to gently put it back when you are done observing). 

Ask questions instead of directly naming or identifying an object or living thing. Notice all of the small details, use statements like, “I notice”, “Why do you think”, “How do they...”, “Where are they...” The object of this way of observation is to spark inquiry and intrigue. 

There are numerous reasons why we offer children time in nature. One of these reasons is to help foster a love for the natural world. This love nurtures the child’s respect and awe for nature. Children who form this relationship with nature will grow up wanting to learn more about the natural world and better yet, want to help protect it. 

For now, the young child does not need to be bothered by the ills of destruction of natural resources. For now, the young child needs to be given the opportunity to just be in nature.

Through observation children can make their own connections. Asking inquiry based questions can help the child engage in a higher level of thinking. 

Next time you are planning to just be in nature try a favorite activity of mine: find a comfy spot to sit quietly. Close your eyes and count on your fingers how many different sounds you hear.

Check out Julia's Nature Report channel for a fabulous example of inquiry based questions you could ask a young child while observing nature: https://youtu.be/0ldA0PmGohI