The Gray Wolf Pups spent a few hours playing in Whatcom Creek at
Whatcom Falls Park on Sunday, much of that time at the spot a fey of the Gray
Wolf Pups had discovered during a previous summer outing. There was a sustained
playful skirmish between a few of the boys at the water hole where they would
fill up an old water bottle and toss it towards the other team to try and make
as big of a splash as possible. The mentors marveled at the boys ability to
naturally make up rules and play fairly without ever openly discussing them.
Both sides made it clear the intent was not to hit the other with the water
bottle, but splash the other team. They even had an invisible line agreed to by
both where you couldn’t pass to ensure no one from one team got to close to the
other. With a little more than a little creek-side sunbathing and quiet
contemplation on a sit spot and a large helping of the familiar exploration,
this was shaping up to be an epic outing. A casual observer could be forgiven
for smiling and silently noting the harmless innocence of boys playing in a
creek. And they’d be right; there was a certain Huck Finn nature to the day.
Scratch the surface, however, and there is much to be examined in
addition to the highly valued free play that is immediately apparent.
The Gray Wolf Pups skill for this season is Navigation. Mentor
Tim craftily used the boys’ affiliation for the swimming-hole location to
challenge them to navigate their way from our meeting point back to that spot.
He prompted the explorers to “read the land” as they worked to recall where
along the creek their favored spot could be found. Animals, native peoples and
explorers all use drainages as navigation aids; on Sunday, the Gray Wolf Pups
oriented to the creek’s source (Lake Whatcom) and reviewed notable landmarks
such as Whatcom Lagoon and Derby Pond to determine their route. After a short,
seemingly aimless wander, we were there! More than meets the eye.
Once there, the aforementioned water bottle skirmish ensued and
continued for an hour or more. During that time, there arose a subtle structure
to the play. Unspoken rules were referenced to prevent rogue maneuvers and to
keep the action fair. Combatants acknowledged unintentional infractions with a
quick apology and check on the well-being of the victim of a splash to the face
or bonk with a water bottle. Before there were playground rules enforced by
adults there was an innate and self-enforced sense of the value of fair play.
On Sunday, we saw this ethic in action.
Most important, there is the concern for the boy’s physical and
emotional safety. As mentors, we often balance perceived
and actual risk. We encourage the boys to stretch their edge, moving out of
their comfort zone into a situation that allows them to grow and expand their
world. Our preferred situations are ones in which their perceived risk is
greater Again, more than meets the eye.
than the actual risk. On Sunday, as they jumped from rock to rock and
tried sliding down the creek rapids, they weren’t thinking about the hazards as
much as the mentors were. Their engagement with their environment obscured the
risks posed by the creek and rocks. However, having the safety net of the
mentors there to watch over them and carefully guide their exploration without
diminishing their immersion in play and the natural world enabled them to get
lost in the moment while remaining safe.
A silent sit spot provided some needed balance to the sometimes
raucous play and our traditional circle of thanks put a bow on the spring
season.
Make sure to check out the rest of the awesome photos from our outing here!
