Teaching Drum's first children's program
Marcus Gardner
Hey everyone, I posted a while back on here about the flowering of a
Children's culture at the Teaching Drum Outdoor School (before you say
"School!?" you may want to reconsider why we call ourselves a school,
we're about as unschooling as it gets! i.e. major "coyote teachers").
I'm back - no longer the school nanny - but with major enthusiasm for
a children's culture. My role at the school has changed - our
yearlong program has a few dozen graduates now (some of the most
highly aware and self-knowing people I've ever met), and part of our
vision for growing into ourselves and for feeding the native lifeway
is to have a place where these graduates can return to and carry on
their learning. That place is called Mashkodens - little prairie camp
- a 10 minute walk through the woods behind the school center. I have
lived there since last green season where myself and others have built
the foundations of a live, full-time native camp. While Mashkodens'
door is always open to yearlong graduates, we also offer one-moon
immersions to people interested in learning by example and experience
what it is to live natively (to have one's means and ends intimately
connected, to live in the moment without distraction, to be as a
circle, to gather, to cook primitively, to travel with the turn in the
seasons and embrace the gifts of the Mother whether they be snowshoe
hare, suckerfish or blueberries).
For the first time we are going to have a child participate in a Wild
Moon: 4 year old Luuk with his mother and her partner (who is a
yearlong graduate). Energy is shifting all over the school to
capitalize on this major opportunity; the parents living at the school
are facing fears of their own and re-arranging plans and possible
living arrangements to be more present at Mashkodens, offering their
own children a chance to build community with Luuk at the camp. I'm
advertising the time in which they come (Raspberry Moon: August 1-29)
as a "Children's Moon," and inviting any parents interested in
participating to join us for a Wild Moon!
for more details, pictures and application see our webpage @
www.teachingdrum.org/livinglearning.html
Let this be an unfolding of learning in relationship with children
that I can see we all hunger for!
-marcus
Children's culture at the Teaching Drum Outdoor School (before you say
"School!?" you may want to reconsider why we call ourselves a school,
we're about as unschooling as it gets! i.e. major "coyote teachers").
I'm back - no longer the school nanny - but with major enthusiasm for
a children's culture. My role at the school has changed - our
yearlong program has a few dozen graduates now (some of the most
highly aware and self-knowing people I've ever met), and part of our
vision for growing into ourselves and for feeding the native lifeway
is to have a place where these graduates can return to and carry on
their learning. That place is called Mashkodens - little prairie camp
- a 10 minute walk through the woods behind the school center. I have
lived there since last green season where myself and others have built
the foundations of a live, full-time native camp. While Mashkodens'
door is always open to yearlong graduates, we also offer one-moon
immersions to people interested in learning by example and experience
what it is to live natively (to have one's means and ends intimately
connected, to live in the moment without distraction, to be as a
circle, to gather, to cook primitively, to travel with the turn in the
seasons and embrace the gifts of the Mother whether they be snowshoe
hare, suckerfish or blueberries).
For the first time we are going to have a child participate in a Wild
Moon: 4 year old Luuk with his mother and her partner (who is a
yearlong graduate). Energy is shifting all over the school to
capitalize on this major opportunity; the parents living at the school
are facing fears of their own and re-arranging plans and possible
living arrangements to be more present at Mashkodens, offering their
own children a chance to build community with Luuk at the camp. I'm
advertising the time in which they come (Raspberry Moon: August 1-29)
as a "Children's Moon," and inviting any parents interested in
participating to join us for a Wild Moon!
for more details, pictures and application see our webpage @
www.teachingdrum.org/livinglearning.html
Let this be an unfolding of learning in relationship with children
that I can see we all hunger for!
-marcus