Townsend's Chipmunks Learn to Sharpen Knives at Lake Padden

The Townsend’s Chipmunks arrived at Lake Padden to a chill in the air and frost on the field. Finding a sunny spot the group circled up for an opening meeting. Making a plan for the day the boys decided they would like to explore the off-leash dog trails, play a round of Spider’s Web, and spend some time carving and learning to sharpen knives.

After sitting for ten minutes the group started to get cold so we headed down to the field to play and generate some heat with few rounds of Tail Tag. The Explorers dodged and weaved as they tried to pull each other’s bandanas off. The whole group engaged in this activity and played with honor in the spirit of healthy competition. The boys used the frozen ground to slide towards one another and make dynamic evasive maneuvers, what fun!

Feeling a little warmer and in high spirits we headed out in search of a spot off-trail to engage in some skills. Crossing over Padden Creek the Explorers noticed lots of dead trout floating in the water. The Mentors explained that there was a recent toxic blue and green algae bloom on the North side of Lake Padden that made it unsafe for humans and pets to swim in the lake. From the looks of it the algae had either come from the creek or traveled up it, killing the fish that lived there.

This was a great time to discuss the importance of protecting our freshwater systems and the impact humans can have on lakes and streams by polluting them with common household products that we might not be aware of until we experience first hand.

Finding a sunny and quiet spot off-trail the boys ate their lunch while the mentors demonstrated how to sharpen a carving knife using sharpening blocks. A few of the Explorers really took to sharpening their knives. Running the knife blade at an angle along the blocks, the boys went through successional sanding grits starting at 320 and ending at 2,500. The whole process took 300 hundred focused and controlled passes along the sharpening blocks and the mentors were impressed with the boys attention to detail and commitment to the process.

The Townsend’s Chipmunks group dynamic and energy is unlike many other BEC groups. These boys have a heightened sense of awareness and care for one another and their role within the group all while holding a strong ability to focus and be present on outings. These traits benefit the group because it allows mentors to pass along skills that require a high degree of patience and concentration, as well as making group decision-making processes smoother.

After a solid hour and a half of working on knife skills the boys reached their saturation level and called for a game of Spider’s Web. Circling up the group set a time limit for the game, laid out a plan for the rest of their day after the game, and then got to setting up the course. The boys ended up making the game course quite challenging for themselves and the spider took full advantage of this, further increasing the level of difficulty.

Throughout the game the boys began to get frustrated with the Spider and by the end of the allotted time for the game group members were beginning to blame one another which signaled to the mentors that we were in need of some interpersonal work. The mentors reminded the boys that the point of Spider’s Web was to have a good time and that it was important to play with honor, which meant accepting whatever challenges the game brought and keeping a positive attitude while doing it. Our aim as mentors is for these lessons and experiences on outings to transfer into tools and values that the Townsend’s Chipmunks can use to approach issues that arise in their own lives moving forward.

I don’t know if it was the chill in the air or energy level of the group, but the boys were slow to pack up and had trouble sharing the trail with the myriad of mountain bikers, runners, and dog walkers that passed by. Stopping the boys on the way back to the parking lot Tim reminded them of why it was important to share the trail and be respectful of other parks users, and that we represented our organization while on outings. In Explorers Club we are slowly building the foundations of community awareness and participation in our Explorers and moments like these help our participants understand how they are connected to others and that their actions matter.

Circling back up on the frozen field we shared apples and our thanks for the day. As mentors we are grateful to work with these maturing Townsend’s Chipmunks and for the unique energy and opportunity their group brings. We are also thankful for the trust and support we receive from our wonderful families, which allows us to engage in this transformative work. We wish all our families a wonderful holiday season filled with laughter, joy, connection, and restfulness.

For more photos from the outing please visit the Townsend’s Chipmunks' photo album from the day.

Playing Through the Cold at Lake Padden

Carrying momentum from a highly productive outing of shelter building the weekend prior, the Townsend’s Chipmunks met up at Lake Padden for a well-deserved games day. Despite chilly temperatures and a dampening drizzle, the Explorers brought just as much enthusiasm and energy as ever. Chatting about our day the mentors made sure everyone knew this day would not only focus on playing games, but more importantly providing the Townsend’s Chipmunks with the opportunity to prove their growth in group decision making. Coming to a consensus as a group of unique individuals is a difficult proposition on a sunny summer day, let alone a hand-numbing, nose-dripping, Pacific Northwest day of cold and wet.

Planning where to go for our outing

Our first task of the day was to figure out where to go, but before we did that the mentors had the group make an agreement that would help them work together in circle. The Explorers came up with three ways they agreed to help; listen closely to the Tribal Elder, be cooperative and not counter-productive, and focus on one variable at a time. With that taken care of we picked to hike to the Big Fallen Tree on the dog off leash trail. Not only is this a fun hike, but everyone had a great time meeting a number of playful pups that couldn’t pass up a posy of Explorers eager to pet them. Along the way we stopped to explore a pond of standing water that upon further investigation was frozen just below the water’s surface! Next we ate some food, drank our hot beverages, and headed off to find a place to play games.

Exploring the pond

Collecting sheets of ice

We even made an ice ornament with the help of  a cedar root

Arriving at the Big Fallen Tree, we circled up again to decide where to play our games. Sticking to our agreement we made sure to pick on variable, make a decision, then move on to the next variable. Additionally, despite a few reminders from mentors, everyone did a great job being extra cooperative and listening keenly to the Tribal Elder. Finally we came to a consensus on where to play our game, and that our game would be Spiders Web! This is a classic Explorers Club game and we even had the joy of introducing this game to two of our groupmates. Navigating off trail we set up the playing field, tuning into the terrain and hazards amongst the landscape. Hazards were a big theme of our day; from the cold and wet, to widow makers, to what to do when you get lost. We sometimes say that the natural world is the best teacher, and today the subject matter was quite pertinent. 

Holding focus in circle to come to a group consensus

Peaking around a tree in the midst of a game of Spider's Web

After a lengthy game of Spider’s Web, sneaking through sword ferns, traversing the terrain, but ultimately arriving at a stalemate, we all had a blast and took a moment to reflect on our game through a debrief of what went well and what we would have done differently if we were to play again. With just enough time for a quick hike out and closing circle, we set off to be reunited with parents. In our closing circle everyone shared something they were thankful for, a highlight of the season, and something they are looking forward to next season. Everyone had a great time thinking back to our shelter building outings at North Galbraith and Lookout Mountain and our service outing helping put of fencing and plant trees at Connelly Creek. A games day at Lake Padden was the perfect finish to our fall season. Looking ahead to the winter and spring, almost every Townsend’s Chipmunk said they wanted to learn how to carve. This was not the original plan for the spring, as the mentors wanted to really solidify our shelter building skills, but it is tough to fight a groups inspirations and we may just have to reconsider whether or not this group is ready to carve. The mentors told the Explorers that if they brought their A-Game to their winter outing; demonstrating safe tool use, strong focus, and treating one another with the utmost respect, then perhaps the skill focus for spring time could be shifted to The Art of Carving. The Townsend’s Chipmunks made a big step as a group this season demonstrating their shelter building abilities and developing group comradery. They answered the call this time, but will they prove ready to kick it up a notch and begin carving? I guess we will just have to wait and find out.

Check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!

Townsend's Chipmunks build shelters

The day greeted the Townsend’s Chipmunks with sunny warm weather for their second outing of the season. The day felt like summer as we gathered next to the glassy surface of lake padden and lush green foliage of the mountains above the lake. The recent warm weather had brought out new foliage from the cottonwoods and big leaf maples making a tapestry of different greens. As we gathered in the grassy field adjacent to the dog park the boys ran and clammered around by the baseball diamond, rejoicing in the warm sunshine.

In the forest we started the day as we always do with an opening circle to set our intention for the day and catch up since our last outing. The earth skills focus for the Townsend Chipmunks this Spring is building earth shelters. We talked about what makes for a good shelter spot and what hazards you might want to watch out for when choosing a location. The discussion soon turned toward what resources we would need to gather to build an effective debris hut. All the boys held the circle really well throughout this discussion and had really insightful observations on what made for a good shelter.

 The circle soon broke apart and it was clear the time had come to move our bodies and explore the land. We moved upward across the steep sandstone folds of Lake Padden legs moving us up the hill toward the further reaches of the park. While hiking we played a few rounds of Hide! to engage with the land and kindle our spirit for play. A beautiful patch of Trillium flowers caught out attention to the side of the trail where we all got down on our hands and knees to investigate the beautiful clusters of flowers and leaves.

At the top of the steep hill we rested for a moment before grouping up to decide which direction we wanted to explore. The consensus was to head off the main trail onto a small deer trail that led down into a valley via a steep hillside. As we walked down the steep hillside the excitement for shelter building grew until the boys were continually talking about wanting to have a shelter building competition. We reached the floor of the valley and hashed out the details of our shelter building competition. The Townsend's Chipmunks decided that it would be all the explorers racing the mentors in a shelter building competition. The boys decided the judging parameters would be; comfort, strength, and weather resistance.  

The timer started counting down for 30 minutes of shelter building work. The mentors got to work throwing debris and laying ridge poles and supporting beams. After 30 minutes we had built a fairly good shelter. We called everyone in to group up for a walking tour of the shelters. We walked over to the Explorers’ shelter to take a look. Their shelter was really impressive especially for such a short time to work on it. After the explorers had toured our shelter and talked about their shelter they were excited to continue working on shelters. We decided to dedicate another 30 minutes to shelter building before ending the day.

The day ended with a great closing circle in the sun and reflections on all the hard work we had done. I was really impressed by the skill and hardwork the Townsend’s Chipmunks displayed while working on their shelters as well as their ability to work as a group. Thanks you Explorers for a great outing and parents for your continual support! check out our photo gallery for more photos from our outing.