campers tried their hands at everything from felting wool to making wooden spoons. 

Week eight was about crafting and Growing Wild started the week by painting faces and playing on the climbing hill. The Mallards used berries, leaves, seeds and flowers to dye fabric. Various pieces of plant materials were gathered and placed on a folded cloth on a rock and another rock was used to process the dye onto the fabric. They made some creative and beautiful patterns 

Meanwhile, Forest Village played forest fire in the field. Archers Apprentice selected the branches which would become their bows. Buckthorn, an invasive species, was a popular selection and can be harvested at will. It also has a beautiful orange inner layer once carved. The Wood Ducks were harvesting reeds. They used them to weave matts and crowns. The camp also set up an intricate stick throwing field with many creative targets hanging in trees and on the ground. 

Luna’s Fire began the week by combing out wool for felting and crafting. They also selected some plant material for dying the wool. Rose of Sharon petals and leaves were used to dye some of the wool. The Purple Finches were making cordage for jewelry and hanging around camp playing. 

A camper puts the finishing touches on her clay frog. Photo: Ben Bookout

On Tuesday Luna’s fire finished dying the wool by submerging it into the boiled plant material solution. They were also sifting through clay and removing larger rocks getting ready to do some pottery. The Purple Finches were playing Fox and Weasel where the weasels had to be on magic trees and continuously trade places while the fox waits to pounce on a weasel who is stuck off a tree. The Yellow Warblers were enjoying a fire and roasting various parts of their lunch. Rylie told the story of sky women discovering earth and bringing solid ground to the ocean with the help of various water dwelling creatures. The muskrat was the only one that dove deep enough to get some mud which would become our solid ground. The muskrat gave her life doing so. After that the thunder hit and camp finished under the pole barn

Continuing the week, Luna’s Fire continued to dye wool and make small objects out of clay. I saw toads, frogs, dogs and little bowls being made out of the clay they harvested. Luna’s Fire also played a sense game by being led through the woods blindfolded. Archer’s Apprentice played an interesting game invented by Ian called Russian Chicken Ball. The game involves two teams alternating between passing the chicken in a line over the head and under the legs. While the other group stands together while one of them runs around the rest. Ian later shared that the game really has no point and works to get the campers’ energy out. They followed this up with archery practice. Forest Village was building fairy houses and playing in the woods. The Mallards were playing capture the wispies, a variation of capture the flag which encourages the camp to harvest wispies for fire making. Purple Finches were making arrows from goldenrod and the Yellow Warblers were making spoons.

Friday is always a special day at camp as each camp gets its own special treat. Growing Wild decided to make popcorn and roast apples with cinnamon. While they ate they listened to a story about the invention of shoes. The Purple Finches went on an adventure in search of the water muskrat. They picked up the trail and followed it to a few dead ends until finally the water muskrat was spotted and the group managed to bring down the small morsel. They hauled it back to camp and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. The Mallards showed off to each other in a special talent show with popcorn and lemonade. Finally, Luna’s Fire had their closing circle and enjoyed peach cobbler.  

Campers use berries, flowers, seeds and leaves to make creative patterns on fabric. Photo: Ben Bookout

Photo Gallery 8/15 - 8/19