It’s hard to believe that summer is over! 9 whole weeks of adventure and friendship. Our last week of summer was the perfect ending to two and a half months of camp. Campers this week brought all of their energy and creativity.
Forest Bards started off the week with a lively drum circle. The bards spent their time this week transforming the gifts of the forest into instruments that played beautiful notes. The homemade wooden whistles and flutes could be heard all over camp as the campers honed their musical skills.
Raven’s camp put on a very popular open mic this week in the shade on the side of the archery field! At the open mic, campers tried out comedy sets, original plays, telling stories, and singing. Campers created, with the help of counselors Dave Lani and Pax, an elaborate nature stage complete with a tarp curtain and wooden mic. Some campers spent the week supporting the nature stage as theater techs, guiding audience members, working on the curtain, and keeping things quiet backstage.
In the morning on Friday, Growing Wild played dress up in scarves and butterfly wings. The children were taking turns being “feel better butterfly,” a character they created to help their friends when they felt down. It was beautiful to see the ways in which the children shared their favorite costumes. Taking turns and practicing kindness, I was very impressed with how well Growing Wild embodied our Three Respects!
Forest explorers honed in on their carving and wooden spoon making all week. I caught up with them as they hiked through our lesser used trails at camp, stopping to point out dragonflies and beetles along the way. They also spent some time Tuesday walking down to the stunning creek across the road from 4-H acres. Skipping stones, making paint, and exploring abound! Campers loved taking turns traversing the shallow parts of the creek to the high grassy bank on the other side. The sun was a perfect golden yellow, and the breeze in the air made the temperature just right.
Forest village practiced tending to the willow plants in the front yard. With instructor Fiona, the children learned the importance of shepherding the plants at our camp. With a keen eye, campers removed the weeds cramping our beautiful willow plants on the front lawn. Then they all helped gather some wood chips to insulate the plants for winter.
Chillz and Skillz spend the week at the cliffs relaxing in hammocks and playing games. As the older campers, they did a fantastic job of helping plan a big event to end the week. Everyone came together for a huge Primitive Pursuits first, a Renaissance Fair!
Children spent the week collecting trash throughout the forest. Once they gathered the litter, they exchanged it for walnuts which were then used as currency at the festival. Walking up the hill Friday, all I had to do was follow the sound of flutes, and singing.The fair was a showcase of everything our campers had worked on this week. Small shops popped up along the edges of the archery field selling everything from origami, pine cones, drawings, and carved sticks, to delicious fire cooked snacks. Around the fire, campers listened to the singing of Forest Bards while they snacked on popcorn and waited their turn to swing in a hammock. Before the fair kicked off, the whole camp participated in one epic game of 5 elements. Ending in a successful waterproof structure… campers won! The environment of our last day was one of collaboration. Seeing older and younger campers alike playing together and laughing made me happy.
This has been my first summer working at Primitive pursuits. Spending every day with our fantastic campers has made this summer unforgettable. From me and all the summer counselors, we will miss the joy that our wonderful campers brought to 4-H acres. The woods feel empty without their creativity and laughter. The countdown has begun now for our fun packed school break days, after school programs, home-school, and coyote mentorship programs. It is always bittersweet to see the summer end. But come fall, we will all remember the fantastic times we had together at Primitive Pursuits!
with love,
Photographer/Marketing Director Isa