Peace Village 2010 was a huge affair. There was TONS going on, and villagers got to participate in many different activities, some new and some back again for another year. There were many wonderful, wonderful people who helped put Peace Village together, and make it the success it was. A huge thank-you goes out to everyone who donated their time, money, and effort. We appreciate you!
A not-so-short rundown of most of the larger activities is as follows:
This year the kids had yoga every morning with yoga teacher Laurie VanCott. In addition to doing traditional yoga poses, the campers learned multiple concepts related (and somewhat unrelated) to yoga, but all pertaining to living peacefully. They learned about
Ahimsa, which is non-violence and kindness;
Santosha, which is contentment and being happy with what you have and don’t have;
Satya, or truthfulness and speaking the truth; Karma, which has to do with cause and effect. In the latter they learned that one action can effect others, and that you should take care of each other and the planet. Laurie also discussed peace with the kids.
The campers also were able to practice short periods of meditation, though kids under 12 often have trouble with that concept. =P Laurie explained that “meditation can be a way to find inner silence and promote clarity of mind.”
They also learned some useful skills to deal with conflict:
- Take a deep breath.
- Act from a place of kindness with non-hurtful words.
- When you are upset with someone, try to treat them like you would your best friend.
- Step back from the situation—give yourself some space.
- Find someone to help you solve the problem; a grownup or neutral party.
- Use “I” statements, not “you.”
The campers were able to copy down quotes that were meaningful to them into the recycled journals they made. One such quote from Chief Seattle reads:
This we know.
The earth does not belong to us,
we belong to the earth.
This we know.
All things are connected
like the blood which unites one family.
All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the earth
befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.
We did not weave the web of life,
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web,
we do to ourselves…
Also, Laurie read a Native American quote from Camp Director Bill Weiler’s book: “The frog does not drink up / the pond in which he lives.” The younger children in particular appreciated this quote.
Throughout the week the campers built a picnic table and two large benches with Jody Seaborn. Their creations will stay at Mosier School. The benches will go to the community garden on the campus, so that gardeners can sit while they enjoy the positive atmosphere of the growing plants. The wood (cedar) was from Jody’s stash, and Tum-a-lum, who provided the wood at discounted prices. Thank you Tum-a-lum!
Ceramics artist Pam Springer brought her popular clay back to Peace Village again this year. The kids absolutely loved being able to work with the mud, and built many creative constructions, including “treasure boxes,” that had the imprints of natural products on their walls (leaves, pine needles and cones, grass). Most of the kids also got a chance to throw pots on Pam’s wheel. Unfortunately, there were simply too many campers and not enough time, so not everyone was able to do this. Pam will fire the kids’ artwork and get it to them at some point in the next three weeks; she’ll e-mail parents then and campers can pick up their things at the Bethel Congregational Church in White Salmon.
The campers went on hikes on Monday (and other days) down into the woods by the water to gather supplies for their natural dyes. Art teacher Amirra Malak then instructed them on how to use the materials to create their very own tie-dyed silk handkerchiefs. The first batch, done on Wednesday, looks fabulous! The second batch was done on Friday. Amirra also dyed the kids’ wool samples, and now they resemble small pieces of the Golden Fleece.
On Tuesday the kids got a chance to use their creativity for Village Fair, a new program centered around food and practical crafts. The campers used aged vegetables and fruit donated to Peace Village to make sculptures of anything and everything that came to mind, including dogs, boats, bicycles and flying saucers. The creations were scheduled to be ceremonially composted on Friday. While they were being creative with carrots, the villagers also got to watch and participate in the making of yogurt. They learned about goat milk and the many uses it can be put to, and they watched as the milk was heated, and the culture added. On Friday they were able to enjoy this yogurt as part of the daily snack, in a peach parfait. It was delicious! The yogurt was also included in the taste testing (see below).
On Wednesday, the kids trooped upstairs to experience the second phase of the Village Fair (after the Veggie Scuptures); the beginning of wool crafts with Jane McLean and Jori Osborne. The campers used fleece that Peace Village worker Molly Kisinger obtained from a 4-H group (fleece that would otherwise have been thrown away). First they learned how to “card” it. Carding is the process by which wool is cleaned of detritus and made soft and fluffy, perfect for spinning. The children took turns cranking the carding machine with Jori. It was a box of wood with two interlocking wheels, covered in sharp spikes that picked apart the fibers, flattening and smoothing them. Once they finished with that, the campers moved over to the spinning station, where Jane helped them turn their carded wool into yarn. They used home-made “drop spindles,” which consist of a short dowel, a CD, and a hook on the end through which the yarn slides. “Pinch, pull, and slide,” Jane instructed, as the kids squeezed the wool between their fingers, stretched it out, and slid their fingers up to the end, allowing more yarn to be spun. The end result was thin and smooth (for the most part). Each camper got to take a cotton ball-sized amount of wool to dye with Amirra, the art teacher, later on.
The next day, Thursday, those campers who wanted to learned how to make something of their yarn in the kitchen with volunteer knitting teacher Jen. They learned how to cast on, and the basic knit stitch. The yarn and needles were donated to the cause, so a big “Thank-you!” to the Hood River Middle School Knitting Club and the yarn shop Knot Another Hat.
On Thursday afternoon, the 8- to 13-year-olds went on a field trip to the Hood River Middle School to learn about the Farm-to-Table for Kids program there. Michael Becker, the home economics teacher at the middle school is in charge of this program, which benefits the students at the school. There is an on-campus garden for the kids, the results of which will be sold at the Farmer’s Markets held at the middle school on Thursdays. The money raised from these sales go to the kids who work hard in the gardens and sell the produce. The Peace Villagers were able to cut lettuce, and got some zucchini bread.
Camp cook Molly Kisinger orchestrated a taste test for the kids, that was conducted on Thursday and Friday. Molly arrayed two forms of several kinds of food (including cucumbers, scrambled eggs, and yogurt): store-bought and locally and/or organically grown. The campers sampled each form, and recorded which they preferred. Then they discussed why each tasted the way it does.
Peace Village is over for another year, but we're all very excited about making next year even better. See you then!
Isabel Martin
Junior Counselor
