Preface: Confused on why there's no pictures? We had a night outing, and we just couldn't let the flash ruin our night vision! Hope these words paint a picture instead :)
To go into the dark, to get to know the dark... Quite a feat for any person. Our Silverwing Bats proved yet again that they have a strong connection to the natural world, a deep excitement about Stretching their Edge, and felt at home without light as we played, walked, and and explored through Whatcom Falls Park at night.
Mentors' intention for the day was to help the girls build trust: with their mentors, with a partner, with their group as a whole, and with themselves. Our means for building this trust was the loss of our dominant sense, eyesight. Our bandannas were on and off again and again, as we consistently lost our sight and were forced to trust those around us.
To begin this theme in our day, we played a game of Bat and Moth. The hungry bats used echolocation (clapping) to find the fluttering moths. Let's just say, humans have a hard time being bats, but the moths were munched. We also talked about other creatures that utilize other senses as their dominant sense. See if your daughter can remember any of these crepuscular or nocturnal animals we discussed. After a quick check-in and opening circle where we discussed trust, our senses, and the impending darkness, away we went!
Grabbing a rope for assistance, Jess and I walked the blindfolded Bats through the parking lot and down to the bridge overlooking the large, rushing falls. The girls leaned against the railings, feeling Whatcom Creek's mist on their faces, and the overwhelming noise of the falls. Removing their blindfolds, the girls were astonished. We took some time to enjoy the peaceful nature of the "noisy waters" aka Whatcoom (a native term for the creek), and met again for our next challenge.
From there, we became a chain of blindfolded creatures, having to communicate verbally to keep our whole team safe. We wound around, ducked, crawled, and stepped over large obstacles as a sightless team, and found ourselves sitting in a circle. From there, Jess passed around a variety of materials, some yummy, some super smelly, some soft, smooth, rough, or bumpy. One by one, the girls passed the objects around, using all senses but their sight to determine what they were holding. Many girls dipped fingers into sticky honey and tasted happily :)
In all this talk and practice in trust, we refreshed ourselves on what our "safety net" is. Check in with your Bat to see if she can explain to you what a safety net is, and who/what helps make up hers. We acknowledged our gratitude for having a safety net present in our lives, joining together to watch the setting sun turn the sky a fiery pink. "We are so lucky", we exhaled together.
Our final exercise in the trust sequence was to walk on the rope line, but alone this time. We strung the rope between trees, and asked the girls to safely follow the rope from one end to the other, working around trees, taking bends around corners, and trekking down little hills (although, with a blindfold, even a small slope seems huge!). The girls removed their blindfolds at the end to realize that darkness had really begun to set in.
We embraced the dark, with no headlamps. Allowing our eyes to adjust to the darkness, we walked freely through the forest, and found a perfect snacking spot. In small groups, the girls ventured down with Jess to a lovely sit spot overlooking a bend in the wild creek. Each girl came back feeling simultaneously excited and refreshed. We ate dinner, chatted, and had connection time-- something the Bats seemed to be needing.
As it became truly dark, we decided to play a game. None of us had ever played this game before, and we spent an hour working out the kinks, while collaborating and compromising. The gist: A seeker stands in the middle of a circle, with a "fire" (headlamps in our case) illuminating their circle. Their job is to find the creatures hidden in the forest, who are attempting to sneak into the circle and win the game. If the seeker saw or heard a sneaking creature, she yelled "Stop the game" and her Fire Keeper would walk, with her direction, to the spot she thought the hiding girl was, and directed the Fire Keeper to shine their light. If girls were caught, they came to the circle and waited for the flash of a "firefly" (a headlamp") to allow them to go hide and try again. The girls (and mentors) loved this game! It was so great to get the Bats deeply excited in the art of play, which as I'm sure you all know, can seem to get lost in both adults and children. What a joyful time.
We took a quick solo hike back to the bridge where we began, where we held a Closing Circle. Reflecting on the season past, we created the Web of Life from things in nature we'd connected to this season. We agreed that humans are connected to every aspect of this web, and have tremendous power to impact it in both positive and negative ways. This underlines our GEC motto All Things Are Connected, and helps us understand that whenever one thing in the web is altered, it affects all the other aspects. We reiterated that GEC is all about strengthening the web of life, as well as the bonds between each other, and invited all Bats who wish to continue to be part of that to return in the spring.
Another great season with the Silverwing Bats! Excited for another great one come Spring!
-Hannah
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Service for Project Warm Up: 10-24-15
We started our day with a conversation about who we were serving and why, and throughout the day we discussed the needs of the people who receive these hats and scarves. We talked about homelessness in our community and how something like a hand-knit item could make a huge difference in someone's life, warming their body but also their hearts. We had some powerful conversation about why and how people might find themselves in challenging circumstances and how the community (including us) can help; about preconceptions, assumptions and stereotypes; and had a rich conversation about what a safety net is. It was eye-opening for all of us to understand our community's needs, and underlined how full our "cups" are (we all agreed we have substantial safety nets!). The girls also agreed by day's end that in adding some of the surplus from their full cups to others' half-empty cups, their cups actually get more full. It defies physics, but this is the way of service: in giving we receive.
GEC spends a lot of service time supporting community safety nets, and Project Warm Up is the first in our service cycle that deals with homelessness in our community. We build on that in coming years with several other powerful projects.
Here are some of the organizations who will distribute the knitted items to their clients: Brigid Collins, CAST (serving a meal to those on the streets once/week), GRADS Teen Parent Program, Amy's Place (serving homeless teens), Bellingham Coat Drive, YWCA.
Our Words of the Day? Sorting, Sliding, Warming our World!
Our Words of the Day? Sorting, Sliding, Warming our World!
You may view the slideshow from our shared day here.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Shelter Skills Day: 10-3-15
If you take a stroll through the 100 Acre Wood, you'll find that a new subdivision has been developed, using sustainable "green" construction methods and materials. These state-of-the-art residences are not for sale, but they are open for viewing (and snuggling into). The talented architects and construction crew? The Silverwing Bats!
EC MOTTOS that came into play today: Many Hands Make Light Work, All Things Are Connected, LIBK, Be Prepared, Leave No Trace, Safety First
After a check in, we discussed the realities of wilderness survival, reviewing the Survival Rule of Fours (ask your daughter what the four survival priorities are and in what order... and ask her why deep breathing is so important in a survival situation). On this day we focused on the survival priority of shelter, learning how imperative a properly insulating shelter is for surviving even a single night in the woods. We discussed the many ways and reasons one can become cold: conduction, evaporation, convection, and radiation (see if your gal remembers and can explain these).
Our first focus was to put on shelter eyes, traveling up the trail and seeking nooks and crannies that could be or become a shelter for different sizes and types of animals. After a snack and shelter story from survivalist Tom Brown, we took a cue from the squirrels, who build nests with sticks and insulate them with leaves, and let their designs inspire our own natural shelters, which were built in the classic "debris hut" style. Our community dwellings sprung up from the forest floor, and within a few hours we had three deluxe shelters! With the bit of time remaining, we took a home tour of each shelter, assessing each on their ability to withstand wind and rain, retain body heat, and remain safe from any nearby blowdowns (and a few brave girls even tested their rain resistant capacity by getting inside and receiving a water bottle dunking!).
Finally, we engaged in a group challenge activity that utilized teamwork and a We, Not Just Me attitude. It was great to see the Bats begin to really work together, letting all voices be heard.
Next time you take a walk through the Hundred Acre Woods, see if your own "shelter-seeking eyes" can detect these artfully constructed debris huts- they are truly impressive, and almost invite one in to spend the night...
Our words of the day? Go Ask The Squirrels!
You can check out the slideshow from our day here.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Service for the Birds @ Agate Bay Preserve: 9-19-15
Though we love leading all types service, these more in-depth projects for older girls are particularly rewarding. On Saturday, many of us were giddy at the opportunity to do real, hands-on science fieldwork. The day truly encompassed EC goals to connect kids to themselves, to one another, to the community, and to nature.
We met and talked with naturalist and birder Patricia Otto and her collaborator Veronica about the important restoration she's done at Agate Bay Preserve (all volunteer, for 20+ years. Restoring an ecosystem, habitat niches. What an inspiration!). We then talked specifically about wood duck habitat needs and why Tricia and Veronica have done what they've done all these years, and the specific ways we'd be helping this day. We highlighted for the girls that we were going to do field science - real, hands-on research and data collection - then we got to work! Three teams of 4 went out paired with adult(s) and checked nest boxes for sign of wood duck nesting the previous spring. Jobs included: ladder carrier/stabilizer, box checker, box analyzers (feathers? Droppings? Eggs or egg membranes? Who was the occupant? Mouse? Bird? Chipmunk?), data recorder, box cleaner and re-stocker (with wood chips). This was the real work of field scientists, done with joy and lots of motivation by the Bats.
We went from box to box collecting data (which included a some un-hatched wood duck eggs, the skeleton of a two baby ducks who never made it out of the nest, lots of downy feathers, egg shells and membranes, some wasp nests, and even a mouse family in a cozy home!), and along the way we laughed, talked and explored some of Patricia's 100 acres of forest, meadows and wetlands. We got to see the results of Patricia’s incredible re-wilding of her land, including her beaver-made wetland, old trees harboring shelf fungus, and even a really old Pontiac car from 1948! As we ate lunch, the groups re-gathered and excitedly compared data collection notes, clearly engaged by the process. After lunch, we headed out for a couple more box checks, and then wrapped up our productive day with a circle of thanks. We shared our gratitude that Patricia has chosen to walk her talk by dedicating time out of her busy life (she's a doctor too!) to the well-being of so many creatures, and also gave thanks for rain, Explorers Club, trees, the water cycle, habitat, and this opportunity.
You may check out the slideshow from our day here (note that these are photos from another group, since the camera was damaged post-outing, but really do reflect our day).
Mottos especially alive today:
We met and talked with naturalist and birder Patricia Otto and her collaborator Veronica about the important restoration she's done at Agate Bay Preserve (all volunteer, for 20+ years. Restoring an ecosystem, habitat niches. What an inspiration!). We then talked specifically about wood duck habitat needs and why Tricia and Veronica have done what they've done all these years, and the specific ways we'd be helping this day. We highlighted for the girls that we were going to do field science - real, hands-on research and data collection - then we got to work! Three teams of 4 went out paired with adult(s) and checked nest boxes for sign of wood duck nesting the previous spring. Jobs included: ladder carrier/stabilizer, box checker, box analyzers (feathers? Droppings? Eggs or egg membranes? Who was the occupant? Mouse? Bird? Chipmunk?), data recorder, box cleaner and re-stocker (with wood chips). This was the real work of field scientists, done with joy and lots of motivation by the Bats.
We went from box to box collecting data (which included a some un-hatched wood duck eggs, the skeleton of a two baby ducks who never made it out of the nest, lots of downy feathers, egg shells and membranes, some wasp nests, and even a mouse family in a cozy home!), and along the way we laughed, talked and explored some of Patricia's 100 acres of forest, meadows and wetlands. We got to see the results of Patricia’s incredible re-wilding of her land, including her beaver-made wetland, old trees harboring shelf fungus, and even a really old Pontiac car from 1948! As we ate lunch, the groups re-gathered and excitedly compared data collection notes, clearly engaged by the process. After lunch, we headed out for a couple more box checks, and then wrapped up our productive day with a circle of thanks. We shared our gratitude that Patricia has chosen to walk her talk by dedicating time out of her busy life (she's a doctor too!) to the well-being of so many creatures, and also gave thanks for rain, Explorers Club, trees, the water cycle, habitat, and this opportunity.
You may check out the slideshow from our day here (note that these are photos from another group, since the camera was damaged post-outing, but really do reflect our day).
Mottos especially alive today:
Safety First
We're All Teachers
LIBK
Our Cups Overflow
Walk Your Talk
Attitude of Gratitude
Collaborate and Compromise
Everyone Helps
Expect the Unexpected
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