Life at Camp Goldenrod

We’re halfway through our first summer at Camp Goldenrod!  This year we’re doing a mythology camp for elementary schoolers, and each week, we’re picking a different theme as a jumping-off point for learning about myths and folklore from all over the world. 

Our first week, we talked about what makes a story a myth. One common characteristic we’ve identified is that myths often explain something about the natural world.  Our first week’s theme was prehistory. 

We read the story of Prometheus and built our own fires.  We tried starting fires with flint and steel and then with magnifying glasses– not very successfully! After seeing how difficult it was to start fires, we had a newfound appreciation for why early humans valued fire so much.

We also learned about cave paintings.  We mixed our own mineral-based paints and made our own cave paintings using paper bags as our caves.

Our second theme was water! We read some stories about water gods like Poseidon and Maui.  We studied boats and had a visit from a marine archaeologist.  We then constructed our own boats.  We went on a field trip to Lake Kegonsa to test out our boats and to swim.  

We also dyed some t-shirts using shibori.  Shibori is a Japanese technique for dyeing with indigo, wherein the fabric is stitched or bound in particular ways to create stunning patterns. It is also where tye-dying comes from!  Our shirts turned out beautifully!

Along the way, the children have decided to start their own village, with their buildings made out of cardboard.  Each day, something new develops in the village.  It started with just a restaurant and has now expanded to include an herbalist's shop, a paint shop, plant shops, a day care, a pottery shop and a zoo.  The villagers have elected a mayor and set up a system of term limits and ensuring fairness of elections.  They have also been exploring rudimentary economics: they’ve created a currency based on rocks and have had several heated debates about distributing the rocks fairly and how to find more rocks.  Throughout it all, they’ve been committed to resolving their conflicts peacefully and fairly.  It is always amazing to see what children come up with on their own!

Here’s looking forward to the final few weeks of camp!