I believe that many kids today are lacking opportunity to be kids. As this article points out kids have lost their freedom. Unstructured play is considered by many to be crucial to the development of creativity and yet many kids are scheduled and structured until they can’t take it anymore.
It was with that in mind that we designed the Walkabout Adventure camp. Right here in our suburban backyard we have a veritable gem of nature exploration. Wild Iris Ridge park is one our newest parks and the City of Eugene is graciously allowing us to host several camps there, including this one. Accessing the park you cross a powerline cut which is like a symbolic gateway between the developed area behind you and the wild nature that lies ahead.
During the Walkabout Adventure we will be transported into a world where everything has an identity and a story to tell. Kid-led adventure means that depending on the day we might be building forts, looking for treasure with our GPS, searching for animal dens, or just relaxing and listening to the birds. This camp is an opportunity for kids to really explore what they are capable of. Our instructors are there to help kids set safe boundaries.
Aboriginal Creation myths tell of the legendary totemic beings who had wandered over the continent in the Dreamtime, singing out the name of everything that crossed their path – birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes – and so singing the world into existence … A song…was both a map and a direction-finder. Provided you knew the song, you could always find your way across country.
Bruce Chatwin – The Songlines
The world that Chatwin explores in his book is the world that is out there right now waiting to be explored. Walkabout Adventure is one opportunity for kids to do just that.
Further Reading:
Free Range Kids: How to raise self-reliant children (without going nuts with worry)
“Let them Climb Trees”
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