The Spotted Owls gathered in the upper Lake Padden parking with welcomed signs of spring all around- birds chirped in the surrounding forest and rays of sun shone through the newly budding trees as we grouped up for Opening Circle. Our day began with a check-in and then a brief history lesson as we learned about the native people who first used this bountiful place for berry harvesting, fishing, bathing, and harvesting cedar, also known as the "Tree of Life". We learned about how this lake got its name, when "discovered" by white settlers. We then moved on to the theme of our day- Cedar and carving.
Our first task was to find a perfect spot for carving. Along the trail, we became distracted by Douglas Fir and Cedar ID, Indian Plum, Nettle, and then the greatest gift of all- A cedar tree that had been cut into a snag and therefore offered us an opportunity to harvest its bark. Aimee demonstrated the stripping of the bark and pointed out the inner layer- the cambium, which native people eat.
After a thorough harvest of cedar bark, we made our way down to the dock where we stopped for snack and brainstormed new names for this lake. "Mirror Lake" and "Deception Lake" were two names that stuck for the day.
We wandered on until we found the perfect spot to carve. 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. Please see some of the carving curriculum below!
We also created tinder bundles with the cedar bark we had harvested and had a ceremonial burning of the delicious smelling wood as we listened to a story about the "tree of life" and all it's amazing uses.
After a meditative carving time, we meandered down the trail, connected with each other, laughing and telling stories, reveling in the spring day. We finished our day with Peaceful Place, and shared our Attitude of Gratitude in a round of acknowledgements for each other. It's always awesome to watch girls compliment and share the positivity they've noticed amongst each other over a 5 hour day.
After a thorough harvest of cedar bark, we made our way down to the dock where we stopped for snack and brainstormed new names for this lake. "Mirror Lake" and "Deception Lake" were two names that stuck for the day.
We wandered on until we found the perfect spot to carve. 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. Please see some of the carving curriculum below!We also created tinder bundles with the cedar bark we had harvested and had a ceremonial burning of the delicious smelling wood as we listened to a story about the "tree of life" and all it's amazing uses.
After a meditative carving time, we meandered down the trail, connected with each other, laughing and telling stories, reveling in the spring day. We finished our day with Peaceful Place, and shared our Attitude of Gratitude in a round of acknowledgements for each other. It's always awesome to watch girls compliment and share the positivity they've noticed amongst each other over a 5 hour day.
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:
- 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.
- Knife angle- shallow angle, almost parallel to your wood. Many small shavings are much easier to pull off than one single deep slice.
- 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.
- Knife angle- shallow angle, almost parallel to your wood. Many small shavings are much easier to pull off than one single deep slice.
- Small strokes, use part of the blade closest to the handle for cutting.
- 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!)
* 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.
Click here for the full album of the day.
