Campfire Program Planning

Yesterday while I was working on a grant for River Wranglers, I started reading through the organization's previously-funded grants for some inspiration. I came across a nature journaling class for at-risk youth and it got me thinking that I should learn more about nature journaling and maybe I could turn it into a program.

That escalated into planning campfire programs for May, June, July, August, and September. My supervisor had said she would like for us to have some more traditional campfire-type programs, so I decided to start with one a month. The last couple years I've tried a couple here and there and they seemed to work pretty well (except for the wind which stopped us from actually having a fire a couple times).

I like using cottonwood rounds for seats...

May's program is going to be about Nature Journaling. I've watched a couple YouTube videos on why and how, and found a simple, easy way to create a folded journal that we could even make during the program. I like the idea that all you really need is to start with a few minutes a day, sketching or recording your observations...date, weather, plants, or animals nearby, what you hear and experience.

One video pointed out that in the United States alone, people are spending less time in contact with nature and more time with electronic and digital devices. "Ecoliteracy is being lost in developed countries at an alarming rate." More time in front of our digital devices is causing higher rates of depression and obesity. Spending time in nature lowers stress and can increase productivity. Even starting with a few minutes a day can make a huge difference. One college student noticed that when finals started, she was feeling stressed and overwhelmed so she went outside for a few minutes a day, focusing on what was around her, and the stress decreased.

Journaling in the field forces us to look, really look at what is around us. Looking at details and recording them is so much different from what I normally do--snap a picture and move on--that I'm interested in giving this a try. Maybe by May I will have a couple different journals filled out to show people what they can do. You don't even need to be an artist--a few small sketches here and there, and eventually you won't think of it, and your artwork will get better on its own.

Other programs I thought of: Rattlesnakes in June, Wiley Coyotes in July (along with a couple scorpion hunts that month), an astronomy-based program in August, and an owl program in September.