Art Camp 2

Twelve kids appeared yesterday for Saturday kids' and parents' art camp. I never know who will be there. This is not a group of 'helicopter' parents who are tethered to their family calendars and plans. There were five parents, all mothers this time. Only two kids were left off without a parent.  My husband and a volunteer from St. Leo College were on hand for the duration.

This art camp is free, nothing required except that you come. (or not!) Lunch and snack provided.

Early, before the kids arrived, we made the lunch of mac and cheese, fruits and vegetables, melon and homemade cookies. I believe that kids (and all people) should eat wholesome, tasty, and organic food, so nothing we serve is not fresh and local.

The first thing I had on hand was a bunch of owl pellets (not for lunch!) donated by our favorite geeky friends who know how much I love such things. The kids got right to work with pin tools to pick apart the pellets and figure out what these owls had eaten. Some of the middle school kids already knew about owl pellets but they had not been able to poke at them in person. " Mom! Owl vomit!" They identified lots of tiny creatures from the bones, and a couple of the kids wanted to reconstruct a fantastical creature. I directed them to the glue gun center.

But what is great about this "art camp" is that there are many centers of activity, some overlapping. The kids now know where everything is. Together we opened the kiln with their fired clay from last week. Everything came out well- no explosions, so we went to work glazing these pieces, but kids were flying around between the barn and the studio, still working on the owl pellets, and beginning to work on glueing shells together for sculptures. Some kids and parents still wanted to work with clay. Several kids wanted to make constructions out of the junk I keep around. I could see that all of them felt comfortable in this space and they seem responsible. I am expansive so I invite them to explore and find what they need.

Suddenly it was a short time before I wanted to take all the kids to the pool, so we decided to put them all in the back of the truck and go out to the far end of our property to "Quincy's Museum", the small cabin where our grandson has collected bones and fossils and such he has found on the property. "Just drop everything you are working on," I said. "We'll be back." The kids wanted to take their fantastical creature hot glued together from the owl pellets to be in the museum, so we packed them into the back of the pick up and drove very slowly the two miles.

This place, a small ranch in the scheme of such things, is absolutely lovely as we drive under the canopy of oaks covered with resurrection fern, cypress heads, pine forests, round pastures and into the far field where we find nestled on the edge of it the cabin, Quincy's Museum. The kids leap out and investigate the things in the museum- the bones and feathers. They all sign in to the guest book. They place their new aquisition in a prominent place.

Then, after a different route back, we are ready for swimming.
The kids are at very different levels of aquatic ability, but with a lot of others, they are fearless in the water.

I notice that many kids who have been here before are many notches better in the water. Berenice, who is eight, and struggled last week to swim across the pool, is confident, and even is diving into the deep end! Hiaritzini does not cling to the shallow end, but I watch her constantly. She's on the upswing of learning to swim. I move around the pool, always watchful. I give kids tips on diving and strokes, offer them paddle boards and diving rings. My husband is watching from the other side. The moms are constantly checking their cell phones but have an eye on their kids.

When everything is done, the projects completed, the wet clothes changed, the lunch eaten, these wonderful parents and kids pitch in and clean everything up! They help load the kiln (before sponging off the bottoms of the glazed pieces), they sweep out the studio, they return everything to where it was.

They are so excited by the wonderful time their kids are having they decide to arrange a fantastic Mexican meal for our last art camp three weeks hence. I see the Hispanic and "other" parents getting together to arrange this menu that will happen on the last day of camp.

Of course, I have gotten a lot out of this project! I am determined to share the bounty of this place and my life with these kids. For so many of them this is the best thing they have going for the summer. I would bet that this is far better than a theme park amongst the millions. This is such a corrective. I find the moments to share with these parents how important I think it is to read with their kids, prepare good food, take care of their teeth, explore nature.

Carlos, getting ready to go home says, " Save this stuff. I am going to work on it when I come back." And he hugs me goodbye.