What a gift nature gave us today—warm sunshine to explore the hidden treasures of Lake Padden! With the sun on their backs, the girls were filled with spring giddiness as we gathered. After spending time exploring these four stations and checking in with the group about our day, we set out with the intention of finding a sunny place to learn the new skill of carving.
Our explorations took us to the sunlit dock of Lake Padden, where we learned about the human history of the lake. With a population of 80,000, we understood why the City of Bellingham switched their human water source from Lake Padden to Lake Whatcom by visualizing all of our city using the water for showers, personal use, drinking etc. happening each day.
We set our intention to find the perfect spot for carving, but this meant keeping a steady walking pace to get to our chosen destination near the cascading waterfall. We were busy noticing nettles, flowering Indian plum, big trees, and plenty of bugs. Arriving at our spot we gathered around beneath a grove of cedar trees for a whittling lesson remembering to put Safety First. The girls listened attentively and it showed as they carved set of chopsticks for a significant amount of time. So much focus for our dedicated Swallowtails. Please see some of the carving curriculum below!
After a meditative carving time, we hightailed it back to the lake, as the Swallowtails were determined to swim. We donned our water wares and splashes in the chilly lake. Many a girl Stretched Her Edge, where as others seemed to be blissfully at peace in the frigid water.
As our time was drawing near, we meandered back down the trail, connecting with each other, laughing and telling stories, reveling in the beautiful spring day. We finished our day with a Peaceful Place in the sun-speckled forest, and shared our Attitude of Gratitude in a round of gratitude for the earth.
As our time was drawing near, we meandered back down the trail, connecting with each other, laughing and telling stories, reveling in the beautiful spring day. We finished our day with a Peaceful Place in the sun-speckled forest, and shared our Attitude of Gratitude in a round of gratitude for the earth.
Today’s words of the day: "Sunny swimmers, carve and play and so much more!"
To see photos from our day, click here! (We only got a few photos from this outing-- many apologies! We'll make up for that next time.)
To see photos from our day, click here! (We only got a few photos from this outing-- many apologies! We'll make up for that next time.)
Some of our CARVING CURRICULUM:
S.T.O.P FOR KNIFE SAFETY
Check to see if everyone watched safety video. Have girls summarize what they learned, or teach if anyone didn’t get to watch it. See if they remember the following:
- How to safely open and close knife
- Blood circle.
- Never leave open or unsheathed
- Difference between a tool and a weapon is YOU.
- Stay present and keep checking in with yourself while carving- know when to put your knife away (if you feel distracted, frustrated, sad, mad, or tired).
* Show some project examples, Drew’s carvings and spoon, wand. Talk about “anatomy of a knife” (blade, handle, cutting edge, sheath) and types of knives (serrated, locking, multitool, etc. Have each girl get to know her knife and have the group identify its parts and type).
SHARE CARVING TECHNIQUE:
- Small strokes, use part of the blade closest to the handle for cutting.
- Grasp: firm, confident, use thumb to “steer” your strokes. I hold my knife almost like it is a living being- small bird or salamander. I want to hold tight enough for it to stay in my hand, but gently enough that it can still breathe.
- It is easiest to control the knife if your hand and your project are as close together as possible (don’t try to use the tip of your knife to carve!)
- Knife angle- shallow angle, almost parallel to your wood. Many small shavings are much easier to pull off than one single deep slice.
* Pay attention to the expression of the wood! Each piece has a song to sing if you can listen. The art of carving is to work WITH the wood, in collaboration.
* Before you carve, get to know your wood. Hold it in your bare hand look at it up close and at a distance, smell it, feel it on your cheek, see if it's shape reminds you of anything... Before your first cut get as much information about the raw wood as you can. What tree did it come from? Are there any nearby? Envision the tree when it was whole. What stories are in this wood?
* Finally, bring a picture of what you plan to carve into your mind’s eye, and hold it there with everything you've learned about this piece of wood. Keep revisiting your project image as you carve to remind yourself where you are going- it's easy to get carried away and whittle away all of your wood or end up with two small weird shaped pieces.
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