Creating "Adventure Theater"

Adventure Theater

“Make a fairy garden,” was a prompt that our group of three interns was given by Jess Hoffmire, a guest facilitator to Nature Play Corps from NC Zoo. On the second day of our internship, Courtney, Terry, and I were assigned to work together and we ventured out in the woods to search for the perfect spot for a fairy garden. We found several trees that formed an archway off of the main trail that we previously created and all agreed that this was a great place to create our garden. 

Some of the children performing in the theater

The three members of our group reminisced about our childhood experiences in nature while sitting in the fairy garden. We felt a connection with the location, which eventually became the site of our play pocket. After exploring the space further we found an area where several trees had fallen that was a wonderful place to sit down and admire the woods. We created a trail that looped through the woods and back to the entrance. During our ideation we discussed that incorporating dramatic play into our play pocket would be an open-ended way to connect children with nature. The theme of our play pocket transformed into “Adventure Theater” so we created a stage at the entrance to our site. We made a curtain by draping a net that we decorated with pine cones, leaves, and pine needles over the archway. We arranged logs to be the seats in the audience. 

 Small groups of children rotated throughout the play pockets that the interns created. We explained to the children that they would be creating a play and encouraged them to find inspiration and props for their play along the trail. 

Connecting with nature ourselves through play helped us to develop a nature play experience for children.

 "Adventure Theater" was a space for children to explore and develop a personal connection with Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The play pocket supported cognitive, social, emotional, and physical domains of development. Through dramatic nature play, children took on multiple perspectives, practiced fine and gross motor skills, language skills, and negotiation.

The Great Fire Escape

The scene was set: The fire at Alligator River has resulted in the mass movement of animals from their homes to a new area of refuge. But how would these animals survive? Sure, there is plenty of food and water available, however, the animals lacked homes in which they could thrive. It was up to our nature helpers to build new homes for the animals that had been displaced or become the animal travelers themselves.

Building new habitats

The initial group of children with whom we nature-played were between the ages of 5 and 8. They quickly took to the idea of the movement of animals and were inspired by the natural elements within the context of the play pocket. The children moved small, fallen branches in order to build forts and swung from tree limbs. They took on the roles of animals that might thrive in the environment and were willing to build new homes for the homeless animals. A few children travelled down a path within the confines of the play pocket and discovered a “pond” in which lily pads floated and “frog” children hopped. Instead of designing a new home for the animals that had been displaced, a number of children saw it fit to dig through a decomposing tree and discovered a world of insects that lived below.

Discovering what lives in the pretend "pond"

The forest was alive and the children were immersed in its beauty.

Will Ericson, Kara Oikarinen, Stephanie Rustem

Creature For A Day

Creating creature masks

Throughout the week, we have been taught and re-taught how to play and use our childlike tendencies while in the woods. Today, we got the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of children and it was inspiring to say the least. The children we engaged with today really enjoyed the opportunity to use their imagination within nature while making their animal masks. One group of children all decided if given the opportunity to be an animal they would all be different species of rabbits; jack rabbit, bunny rabbit, and a cotton tail rabbit. After they finished making their masks, they thought it would be fun to play a game and pretend to be those animals in the woods.

Creatures!

The children later suggested adding another animal to the game, a bear, where it would chase the rabbits around in the woods, much like reality. A different group with more children had a more diverse set of animal masks, ranging from a cat, dog, baboon, and a girl monkey. They let their imagination take over and created their most favorite animal.

Assir Abushouk, Katie Johnson and Britani Lolley

Wild Imagination in Bug City

Today was the first time we actually got to play with children.  We constructed a play pocket themed “Bug City,” surrounded by pre-existing magical vines, a fort made from nearby forest matter, and some structures that looked a little like bug homes.  In the pocket, we had some bug costume objects, magnifying glasses and bug boxes.  Our intention was to be as hands-off as possible, and we didn’t really know what to expect…

The third group of kids to enter was three kids: two boys and one girl, ages 6, 6, and 3.  Before we could do anything, they had started to deconstruct the path to build a life-size teepee!  Quickly, Bug City was under siege, by one of the kids and Sarah (one of our playworkers), attacking another child and Kaitlyn—the good bugs, the playworkers’ roles having been assigned by the kids.

The youngest child chose to dig in the dirt, searching for worms or anything else living under ground.  He was curious about what he might find, and began to discover some potential living space!  As he dug, he asked Molly to help him, and to also look at what he was finding.

Soon, though, the dramatic play surrounding him threw some of the warring bugs into jail (the fort), and he jumped in to free them with his special protective powers. 

However, once safe again, he returned to his digging and investigating.  The ability of this young child to pass between focused investigation and involvement in the dramatic play was incredible.  And the imaginative power of all three children, as well as the clear role they wanted us playworkers to play in their game felt so right.  

Molly, Sarah, Kaitlyn

Adventure Theater - Action!

Today was the day we had all been waiting for! We were finally able to explore and enjoy our play pocket (The Adventure Theatre) with the children from all over the Outer Banks community. We had planned the various ways in which the children would explore our pocket, but there was really no way we could have predicted their actual behavior...

 Intro to the Adventure Theatre!

Our first group of the day was clearly interested in the theatrical performance we suggested they produce, which gave extra meaning to the observational nature walk. During the walk, the children were extra observant, knowing that the skit would be a direct reflection of the things they saw and noticed during their time away from the stage. They saw all kinds of critters: daddy long-legs, sneaky lizards, flocking birds, and big black ants. They also imagined that monkeys, bears, raccoons, snakes, and bobcats were hidden in the brush along the trail, which really got their imaginations going. We also learned about the many ways plants protect themselves, such as the Devil's Walking Stick. Unfortunately, we spent so much time thinking and talking about the various critters that could be in the area, we didn't get to perform a play; I'm sure, though, that had we been able to, it would have been superb!

 Learning about the dangers of the Devil's Walking Stick!

The second group of the day featured kids that were a little bit older, and absolutely excited for heading into the woods on the trail (and into the lands of the trolls!). They were not initially sold on the idea of performing a play, but seeing the environment, and experiencing the sounds and adventuresome nature of the trail got them totally jazzed about using their imagination to become something they could freely express through action. On the trail, they were particularly concerned about trolls that may have been lurking in the thicker vegetation, and out of this concern came the idea of becoming hunters, which use bow-and-arrows to defeat their enemies. One of the group members played the part of an ant, who was laying golden eggs (pine cones), which the hunters were trying to gather, so they could become rich and wealthy! The skit was amazing, and should in fact be nominated for an Oscar or two this coming year.

The guys with their bows and arrows

Our final group of the day was composed of many younger girls, who had minimal interaction with the deep woods environment, but were particularly excited about the prospect of performing on a stage for their chaperones. Understanding their timid approach to the natural environment, we eased them into the trail environment, and let them direct their own pace and interactions. They were quite observant, and actually opened up quite a bit to the prospect of getting out of their comfort zone and exploring the natural elements of the trail experience. They decided that their skit would revolve around a queen and princess theme, and picked up things along the trail that they could then use to fashion headgear, necklaces, and staffs representative of the royal experience. The children had a lot of fun performing several different skits for their chaperones, and left our Adventure Theater with large grins and mementos for remembering the experience.

 A Princess takes the stage!

Overall, the day was one that none of the three of us will ever forget; the interactions with the children, introducing several of them to experiences that they had not had before, as well as the authentic fun of the theater and skits performed all had incredible effects on our perceptions of children and how they can interact with the natural environment. We will use this incredible experience as a base for further positive interaction with children, and hope that the children will use the experience as a springboard for further positive interaction with the natural environment.
  
Life's a Stage. Play: We prepared and we played, so where are we now and where do we take what we have learned? That is a question we may have resonating throughout our minds during the hours and days ahead. Children develop their own wild worlds that are unpredictable, and sometimes as adults it is hard for us to keep up physically and mentally with the incessant jumping from plot to plot. One moment we are deer hunters, within the same scene we evolve into pirates, and in the end we are back to hunters in the woods. It is important to jump in and play along, but we don't always have to be actively involved with our kids. We should step back and allow their imaginations to take them wherever, without fretting over keeping up. Children don't require our involvement and we should respect the room for them to grow as individuals. But if an invitation is handed out to play along, strap up your boots and go! Just let your childlike imagination take over.

Debi, Courtney, and Terry let their imaginations take over!

Thanks! Debi, Courtney, and Terry 

Day Four: June 9

Capturing a shot of beauty on the site through framing

Today we got an early start out at the Gateway site, we explored the area more extensively than before in small groups in order to gain a better appreciation of the affordances that the site has to offer. My group found many natural "forts" and convenient nooks found in trees around the area, we documented each find with a framed photo. After the exploration exercise, we came together as a group to discuss our ideas for our "pods" for this week.

Reviewing the plan for the "Creature for a Day" Pod

Through our discussion, new ideas were thrown out and critiques were given to improve and build on each others ideas. Following the discussion, we broke up into our groups to begin creating our "pods." My group's idea for our first "pod" was to have the children create masks out of paper plates and found materials, and then use the masks to act as their chosen animal. We are hoping to incorporate an aspect involving the construction trucks driving by, asking the children to react as their animals would. So we spent the day creating our workspace and making model masks for the children to draw inspiration from.

We wound down our day with a group tour through each groups "pod." The groups had built on their various ideas and had created; systems of nature trails leading up to a mud mansion, a "bug city," a theatrical area surrounded by trails, as well as a relocation community for animals that had been affected by the wildfires in the area. It was amazing to see all of our ideas come into form, and to see all of the different ways in which we interpreted the various information we have been presented with this week.

Testing out the "Adventure Theater"

With only an hour of extra preparation time left in the morning before children begin arriving, we're all excited to see how our visitors respond to our creations!

Katie Johnson

Day 3 - Finding Your Inner Child

Bundling up to show off the "Winter Wonderland"

After beginning my work as a nature play-worker I have found that my idea of both nature and play have changed drastically. Even though I grew up playing in the outdoors as a child, I still found myself viewing the world in a different light than I have ever done before. Over the course of the day I had a variety of new experiences including looking at pieces of nature as imaginative objects.

"Snow" falling on the "snow man"

I was able to look at a small nook in the woods and transform the area into a “Winter Wonderland” in the blistering North Carolina heat. I found my mind wander back to my childhood. A fallen branch was no longer a piece of wood, but the side of my “snow” fort. Pinecones became snowballs, a stack of logs a snowman, and a handful of sand and silt became snow.

My high for the day was wandering through the woods to discover how other people had reflected on their own childhoods through the use of various objects in nature. It was interesting to see how each individual could interpret a single stick, for example, as a variety of objects. My low for the day was recognizing how exhausted I was and feeling as if I could not fully contribute to my group members’ ideas. Overall, the day was filled with imagination, creativity, and a lot of fun. It’s amazing how a group of seemingly different strangers can come together to become a functioning family with a common goal.

- Stephanie

Day 2 - Tuesday June 7th

When was the last time you got down and dirty and down right played? Not go out and do yard work or go play with the kids, go outside and play again like when you were seven years old building forts out in the back yard and having a "parent-free" zone. At this internship I got the amazing opportunity to reconnect with my inner child Tuesday and play games and build a fort out in the woods, things I haven't done in years and it was great! It really opened us up with each other and it made it seem like these people we've know for two days now have been our lifelong friends. Looking back on the day we did so much more than just playing games, we learned about the USFWS NC Coastal Refuges, and how to select our sites for our play pockets, as well as learn about some key design principles. But in all of this, I was having so much fun! Learning all of this and finding out what this whole three weeks internship was going to be about was just so amazing! The whole time I kept thinking to myself how crazy this all was. I am being paid to be here to have all of this fun and prototype children's programs! How can this be work? Work is notorious for be just that, work. Not tons of fun like all of this is. But maybe this is what work is really suppose to be like, having fun because you are doing what you love. Maybe everyone else has it wrong...

Monday, June 6 (DAY 1!)

Getting to know each other - day 1

We're here! In Manteo, an island in the outer banks. It's hot, but honestly not that much more than home, which is tucked in the mountains of WNC. The Alligator River NWR has been fighting a wildfire for the last several weeks that has swept through around 45,000 acres of refuge-owned land. On my way in I noted all of the smoke miles before I even approached the bridge leading to the refuge. The sun setting behind me, due to the aerosols in the air from the fire, was a blazing and hazy red that hovered over marshy vegetation. It was such a great welcome to the coast!

Everyone here is willing to reach out, play in the woods, bring ideas to the table, and willing to get to know each other. We spent Sunday evening with the sun depleting while walking on the beach and chasing crabs. For the first day of all us meeting each other we were able to connect instantly.

Prepping the site and clearing the trail

On Monday we visited and prepped the site for the days ahead. We began by knocking out a bomber trail leading to a 30x30 ft area that was cleared our prior to our arrival. A tent protects us from the hot, crazy sun. So we parted into teams and spread along our future trail and began clearing. Just this hands on trail blazing allowed us to see future sites where we could create our "play pockets." This trail leading into the woods that were once new territory already harbors fond memories and a sense of belonging to this place in just the few days we have been here. Everyone worked together and plugged in where needed, which now as I look back has been a key to the positive personality types the interns and team leaders have shown.

Our reflection prompt for the day: "What do I bring? What do I want to take away?"

Already, from day one, I have learned so much from everybody else. I have been able to see faults in my past "play" with kids and other pieces to build upon. This program is revealing a much greater opportunity to be a part of than I (any maybe the others as well) could not have anticipated!

It's a fort!

It's a fort!, a photo by Nature Play Corps on Flickr.

Diving in!

Welcome to our blog recording our whole group's experiences during three crazy weeks of the Nature Play Corps, a program partnership between the Natural Learning Initiative at NC State University, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Wildlife Federation.

This blog is a place for our 15 interns and staff to share our thoughts, memories, experiences, lessons learned, moments shared, and anything else we can think of relating to these three weeks together.

It'll be a little bit messy - but as every good nature play corps team member knows, it's definitely more fun that way!

Introduction to the Nature Play Corps

Secretary of the Interior Salazar has launched a bold initiative, the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps, to provide youth with direct experience of nature and introduce them to careers in conservation.

The purpose of this pilot project is to advance the initiative's aim by training and empowering youth to engage children and youth visitors in National Wildlife Refuges and other public lands through play in nature. By training and supporting youth to develop programming to engage visitors in nature through play we can build the next generation of natural resource stewards.

Activities will be conducted at the future site of the National Wildlife Refuge's Coastal NC Gateway Visitor's Center, Manteo, North Carolina, June 6th - 24th, 2011.