Red Foxes Fire Building & Backcountry Cooking 5-13-17

This past Saturday brought a mix of weather and some challenging fire building conditions as we headed out through clouds, then sun, then sun showers, then rain on our way to Silver Lake. It turned out to be an amazing day of skills building, group bonding, and some yummy cooking as the Red Foxes practiced the skill of fire building and backcountry cooking. Some highlights from our day included:

- Singing disney songs on the way to Silver Lake

- Exploring the lake and forest when we arrived at our destination. 

- Setting up a quick tarp shelter at the campground to keep us dry. The girls snapped right into action!

- Discussing the steps to proper fire building as a group and brainstorming best practices/resource use at various outing locations. (ask your daughter what 3 things you need to make fire and which materials work best)

- Breaking into small groups at our chosen fire building location to practice making our own mini fire structures.

- Problem solving when we found mostly wet wood. (ask your daughter what tricks we learned for fire building in the rain).

- Collaborating as a large group to make a fire over which to cook. We learned that role designation and organization is an important skill to practice when building a fire in a group! (Ask your daughter what role she played in the group fire building process)

- Cooking stuffed apples, popcorn, and marshmallows over our warm fire. YUM!

- Learning how to use a camping stove and making warm tea and cocoa to keep spirits high!

- Learning proper LNT techniques for putting out our fire and distributing the "evidence".

- Playing a quick round of Spiders Web before hopping back on the bus to head home. Turns out time flies when you're backcountry cooking! 

-Ending our day with a heartfelt closing circle with a sharing of gratitude and one skill each of us learned over the course of the day. 

-Arriving back in town to sunny skies and waving our goodbyes until our final outing in June! 

Enjoy the full album of the day here. 

Red Foxes Service at Woodstock Farm 3-10-17

The Red Foxes joined with the Pikas this past Friday for a day of service at our adopted site, Woodstock Farm! The group gathered in the muddy parking lot of North Chuckanut Trailhead before loading onto the bus for a short ride to the service site.

At our Opening Circle, we checked our preparedness, as the weather called for a day of low temperatures and potential rain. We also talked about why we are serving today, and reviewed another motto, Our Cups Overflow. The Red Foxes agreed that people are not the only ones whose cups can be empty, and that today we would be filling the cups of the the plants and animals who visit and inhabit Woodstock Farm, as well as the beautiful bay beyond.

After a rose-bud-thorn check-in, we joined the Pikas and got to work! The Red Foxes dropped packs, had a quick snack, and then spread out to do trail clean-up, dig out invasive blackberry and holly, and pull grass away from native plants.

With a good chunk of service done and many native plants left free to breathe and grow, it was time for lunch! The two groups rejoined on the bluff where we ate, chatted, and had a "vegetable off" competition. We played a giant game of Spider's Web all together and then it was time to get back to work! The girls pulled plants and cleaned up the site for a while longer until the sun began to set and the evening light beckoned us to the views. 

With full cups from an afternoon of service, the Red Foxes enjoyed some solid group bonding time as the girls lounged around in the grass. We ended our day with a few hilarious rounds of psychiatrist and then hopped back on the bus for our closing circle, an attitude of gratitude, and a loud shout-out of our words of the day before meeting parents for pick-up.

Our words of the day? Muddy Service and New Friends!

Enjoy the shared slideshow from the day here!

Mottos especially alive today:
Be Prepared
Our Cups Overflow
Safety First
Widen Your Circle
Walk Your Talk
You See It You Own It
Attitude of Gratitude

Service at Woodstock Farm: 12-11-16

Three GEC groups contributed joyful purpose to our shared service day, taking pride in our new GEC role as caretakers of Woodstock Farm.

At our gathering meeting, we reviewed the importance of preparedness on this wintry day. We agreed that our primary shelter is clothing, and that when we layer well we can come out of our boxes (homes, schools, store, car) and truly enjoy connecting with the earth. Without this thoughtful preparedness, we can become uncomfortable, leaving us unhappy with out-of-the-box experiences and thus minimizing our opportunities to connect and protect. 

After a very short trip by bus to our destination just up the road, we reviewed our GEC mottos related to service, including You See It, You Own It, Walk Your Talk, Leave No Trace, Our Cup Overflows, We, Not Just Me, Connect and Protect, Many Hands Make Light Work.  Mentors shared the history of this place, beginning with the Mamosee people, and the role of generosity and conservationist ethic that led to its preservation. We considered the seventh generation principle, wherein one contemplates the effects of one's actions seven generations forward. Thanks to the Mamosee's stewardship and Cyrus Gates' forward thinking, his family home and land has been gifted to Whatcom County for all to enjoy. Mr. Gates also had a strong hand in protecting Larrabee State Park, Arroyo and Fairhaven Parks, Sehome Arboretum, and the Mt. Baker Bulb Farm (since turned into Bellis Faire Mall due to a legal loophole).

We talked about why a park needs caretakers, and what occurs without people lending a hand to manage trails and terrain. Since our gathering area was adjacent to a stand of alders, thimbleberry and snowberry, overrun by invasive blackberry and English ivy, the girls understood how invasive species take over native ones rather quickly.

The next few hours were spend collaborating in purposeful work alongside the Spotted Owl and Fiddlehead groups, removing invasives with motivated care and determination, singing and talking while we worked. 

During a break we shared some time on the bluff overlooking the sea, marveling at this extraordinary view that is normal for us here in Whatcom County, and feeling thankful that Cyrus Gates had the foresight to set this area aside for all to enjoy. We also gave thanks for the Clark family for it's donation of Clark's Point to the Whatcom Land Trust, and the preservation of Chuckanut Island, now owned by the Nature Conservancy (but which was, long ago, a 13th birthday present for Cyrus Gate's son!).

Reflecting on the season past, we ended our final shared day of fall by creating the Web of Life from things we'd all connected to this season: sandstone, Salish Sea, rain, medicine club, birds, mud, leaves, cedar, bees, wind, one another. 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. 

Enjoy the slideshow from our day here! 

EC MOTTOS that came into play today: Many Hands Make Light Work, All Things Are Connected, LIBK, Be Prepared, Leave No Trace, Connect and Protect, You See It You Own It, Our Cups Overflow, Attitude of Gratitude, We Not Just Me, Walk Your Talk

Shelter Building in 100 Acre Woods 11-11-16

Welcome to "The Forest Hotel"! Around the corner, you'll find playground and soon after, "Slug Mania!", also known as the "Hidden Hospital" (greenroof and all!) and way over yonder lies an unnamed but well-constructed one-bedroom dwelling. Further south is the "Zen Den", a roomy debris hut and meditation space with great views of the forest. A new subdivision has been developed in Fairhaven, using sustainable "green" construction methods and materials. No, these state of the art residences are not for sale, BUT! they are open for viewing in the Hundred Acre Woods. The talented architects and construction crew? The Red Foxes!

We began our day in opening circle debriefing the many nuances of our last adventure to Cherry Point. We then wandered into the forest and the girls led us to their desired shelter-building destination. We discussed the realities of wilderness survival after reading a short story in Tom Brown's Field Guide called "Ask The Squirrels", which had many wise teachings from Grandfather (and the squirrels) about how to construct a functional debris shelter. It was time to get to work!

Our first focus was to put on shelter eyes, dispersing throughout the forest in search of nooks and crannies that could be or become a shelter for different sizes and types of animals. After some great collaboration and problem-solving about effective group sizes, techniques, locations, job allocation, etc., our community dwellings sprung up from the forest floor. Within a few hours we had four deluxe shelters! On this chilly day, building shelters kept us warm and busy, just like the squirrels! After lunch (complete with hot tea!), the girls put final touches on their shelters and 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.

With the bit of time remaining, we played a group game of Spiders Web and then closed our day with an Attitude of Gratitude before blowing our thanks to the forest and saying goodbye to out debris shelters. For now, the shelters stay standing in the 100 Acre Woods, but this will be a site and a topic we revisit with this group, discussing the value of Leave No Trace and what this means for things like shelter construction and other skills' days.

Our words of the day? shelters, spiders web, slug mania!

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...


EC MOTTOS that came into play today: Many Hands Make Light Work, All Things Are Connected, LIBK, Be Prepared, Get Dirty! Leave No Trace

Red Foxes Service with NSEA: 10-29-16

The Red Foxes walked their talk in a big way on our Service outing with NSEA, planting hundreds of trees alongside other volunteers. Despite the cold, rainy weather we had for the duration of our outing, spirits remained high and smiles remained on faces as the girls dug holes to plant trees, schlepped mulch, and wrapped saplings in protective plastic. Read on for some highlights of our day...

• Gathering on our trusty bus for check-ins and updates during our Opening Circle before heading North to begin service along Terrell Creek!
  

• Planting trees and naming each one:) We had Steve, Bruce the Spruce, Bob, and many more!

• Filling buckets--and filling the cups of salmon, trees, and Terrell Creek--and hauling mulch from the "mulch volcano!"

• Getting Dirty!...really, really dirty...in an effort to win the "muddy buddy contest"

• Keeping spirits high by snacking at the complimentary snacks and beverages tent. Thanks NSEA, you know how to keep the Red Foxes going!

Mottos especially alive today: 

Get Dirty!

Safety First

Walk Your Talk

Our Cups Overflow

Collaborate and Compromise

Our words of the day? Volcano, mulch, dirt, trees!

You can view the full album of the day here. 

Cherry Point Exploration - 9/10/16

Holy Cow - the Red Foxes are in middle school! Seemingly overnight the Red Foxes went from slug-obsessed, fort-building, young explorers to slug-obsessed, fort-building MIDDLE SCHOOL explorers. My co-mentor, Margot, asked at one point during the day, "Do the girls usually just want to chat like this and not follow our plan?" I replied with a sigh and head shake, "Yes."  Often when groups hit middle school, they quickly transition towards more time spent exploring the social aspects of Explorers Club than the environmental and naturalist themes we try to present. At EC, we embrace this transition. It is amazing to see groups develop into cohesively bonded cohorts brought together by a unifying love of the outdoors and shared goofy, soggy, and game-filled experiences. This transition may mean a little less time is spent on the history of a place, the medicinal uses of a specific plant or the environmental impacts of certain actions and more time spent on conflict resolution, how to act with integrity when surrounded by peers, and how to manage changing bodies, relationships, and emotions.

We started our day by loading onto the bus, and heading north to Cherry Point. Upon our arrival, we spent some time discussing the history of Cherry Point. We talked about the complexities of human development, the environment, sacred lands, and the creatures that live in this part of the Salish sea. We also spent a little time talking about the connections between Cherry Point and the Standing Rock protests in North Dakota.

After our discussion, the girls quickly branched off to beach comb, bury themselves in pebbles, swap 6th grade stories, swim, jump rope with a bull kelp, and build forts. We spent the majority of our day playing and giggling together in this spectacular place.

Later in the day, we all came back together to perform a stakeholders skit where the girls each took on a role in the ongoing Cherry Point debate. We had a heron, a BP executive, a Bellingham local, a member of the Lummi tribe, a cedar tree, herring, an eagle, and a coho. Each girl represented a different voice, and through this exercise, we were able to discuss and uncover some of the complexities of the development and halting of development at Cherry Point.

After more connecting, swimming, and laughing, we loaded back onto the bus and headed back to town. We ended our day with an attitude of gratitude. Girls were thankful for one another, a trusting group, protesters, and Cherry Point!

Larrabee Coast Traverse 6-10-16

The Larrabee Coast Traverse is a rite of passage for all girls in the Explorer's Club program.  The Red Foxes gathered on a slightly misty day in the Lost Lake parking lot to check in; discussing their readiness for such a task.  Our many mottos would help inform us throughout the day, and we began by discussing Safety First.  There would be many considerations around safety, and our collective practice of stopping and assessing situations before we plunge in.

We spent a few minutes talking about the art and science of navigation;  simple facts like cardinal directions and the use of landmarks, and also more metaphorical musings like "what we do when we lose our way".

We headed down towards the water and excitement soon built around a favorite site; the waterfall area.  Here a big open space in the trees and a rope hanging from a high branch captured the Red Foxes attention and so we stayed to explore and play.  The rope swing was assessed and deemed secure enough to play on, resulting in laughter and silliness and some edge stretching as well.

After much play, we gathered to talk about multiple intelligences.  These young ladies are quite familiar with this paradigm, and our collective group had a nice representation of most of the eight areas of intelligence.  The invitation was extended to pay attention to these areas of intelligence as we moved through our day.

As we packed up to leave this area for the beach, an immediate situation arose where the girls were able to collectively put into practice their safety assessing skills.  A large culvert runs under the tracks here and it looked inviting to a couple of girls to crawl through.  A few others decided it would be wise to look at the other side first!  There was some exclamation about the large drop off on the other side, the amount of water passing through, and a confession by a couple of the girls that they had, in fact,  confused this culvert with another one.  It is rewarding to witness their group process and the arrival at a safe decision!

We made our way a short distance to a small cliff, with access to a great hangout spot for lunch. By this time, the clouds had broken and the sun warmed our faces as we settled in for a midday snack.  We spent the next 20 minutes exploring sea life, eating, and telling stories here before continuing on.

Moving further North posed a stretch-your-edge opportunity, as the tide was too high to scramble down to the shore. Using our resources, (rope and encouragement!), we set up a handrail and, one at a time, climbed down through a slot beside a large boulder.  This was a healthy stretch for many of the girls.  Some fun was added to the process as we removed backpacks and slid them down the slabby rock to the girls waiting at the bottom. With all bodies and backpacks safely on solid ground, we thought back to our discussion about multiple intelligences.  Which ones would we need to navigate our way?  What strengths would be necessary in this particular situation?

Excitement arose as the sun shone higher and warmer and we assessed the traverse ahead and the promise of a dip in the water! After a brief but very pertinent discussion about injuries occurring at transition points (such as this), we began hiking and scrambling our way towards Larrabee State Park.

The beach here is full of various sized sandstone boulders, and large Douglas Firs extend their branches over the beach.  We saw crabs and sea anemones, sea stars and sea cucumbers.  The boulders tell their stories of years of exposure to wind and water, providing fun scrambling with great handholds.

We settled on a spot about halfway along our journey for a dip in the water.  Always a joy to witness the squealing and excitement of a cold water dip.

Then we set off once again to find a good spot for our Peaceful Place.  Once we settled on an area, the invitation was to pay attention to what areas of intelligence each of us might use during this time.

We finished our time on the beach with sharing, and a quick hike up to Larrabee.  Our final gathering would be another tradition; the web of life activity.  We use this to mark the ending of a season together, drawing on our many ways of connecting to the natural world we have had the opportunity to explore, as well as the ways we have connected to one another.  Spend a few minutes with your daughter asking about this activity: what she feels connected to, how all things connect and what that means to her as she navigates friendship and caring for both the planet and others.  Their wisdom is an inspiration.

Words Of The Day:
Crabs, swimming, sun, fun!

Mottos especially alive today:
Safety First!
Stretch Your Edge
Collaborate and Compromise
Get Dirty!
It's About The Journey, Not The Destination

For the full album of the day, click here.