WHAT WE LEARNED FROM OUR CHILDREN!

Finally, I've managed to write a little recap again.

There is a magic all of its own to conversations around the evening campfire. On Friday, June 7, 2024, I hosted a shared evening with an overnight stay by the campfire at the Children-Parent Center-Inselparadies Petzow, on our green hill. The goal of the event was to use the time together to relax by the fire and create shared experiences.

My role was essentially to avoid making decisions for the participants or setting things up for them, in order to promote independence and encourage them to make their own choices. It was experiential learning in its purest form. After all, what would be the point of learning and taking pride in your own achievements if the path to get there was handed to you?

The participants were mothers and fathers with children who didn't know each other beforehand. Topics like setting up the camp, making a fire, and preparing the evening meal - a Hungarian goulash with baked bread - were to be discussed and handled by the group themselves. Sounds simple enough, but it still required conversation. Additionally, that evening, you could carve a wooden spoon or make your own dreamcatcher. Quite a lot of activities for such a short evening, as I realized afterward.

The first mother and child arrived at 4:00 PM and decided not to do anything until others showed up. That was also an option, and it made the initial conversations easier. Once more participants arrived - we ended up with sixteen people in total - the tarp for the night was set up, and firewood was collected using a wagon. One father asked me why we had to gather wood and why it wasn't already prepared. Smiling, I felt prompted to respond with a counter-question: How big do you think the fire would be now if all the wood for the evening had been lying here ready? His returning smile showed me that he understood me and the theme of the evening.

What costs me my own effort can earn high appreciation from me!

The kids found it easier to dive into their activities, like running around, climbing, gathering wood, and playing. When the saw and axe were handed over with a request for parental supervision, making firewood became the number one task. The wide eyes of some parents, watching their children swinging axes with both hands over their heads to chop wood, made for quite a sight. It wasn't easy to watch, but instead of forbidding it, the parents only offered tips on how to chop wood in a way that's easier on the body. You'll laugh, but after six kids spent the whole evening chopping and sawing wood, the only band-aid used was for a blister on a child's foot caused by their shoes earlier in the day. A satisfying result.

Without the forest actively doing anything, it still has a clearly recognizable effect on us.

After we stuffed ourselves with ten kilograms of goulash and two pans of baked bread, the evening campfire lethargy slowly set in. So, I initiated an evening reflection circle with burning white sage, which was passed around in a seashell for cleansing, following Native American tradition. With the smoldering shell, I posed the question: What was your favorite moment of the evening? Both parents and children were in an honest and relaxed state, and the shared impressions of the participants gave me a warm, joyful feeling that sent shivers down my spine. Experiencing people forming such close and personal connections in such a short time always gives me a hopeful outlook on humanity and my work. The children, in particular, were so honest and direct with their feedback that I'd like to share a few of their comments.

Phrases like: "Thank you for letting us just do our thing," "It's nice that I found new good friends so quickly," and "I had fun getting wood with you, Dad," were simply beautiful and made me grin from ear to ear, both inside and out.

The best part came at the end, at least as far as the evening was concerned. When all the kids were lying under the tarp in their sleeping bags, one child suddenly sat up and called out to their new friends, "Hey, guys!" As the other kids also sat up in their sleeping bags, the crucial question came, leaving me and some of the parents utterly stunned. The child asked, "Hey guys, what are all your names, actually?" The adults sitting around the fire looked at each other and burst into laughter. The kids didn't care about each other's names because playing together was much more important. How beautiful it was to see this situation hold a mirror up to us adults and our problems. It was heartwarming to realize that it was the children who taught us the most important lesson that evening. We ended up sitting by the fire until 3:00 AM, chatting. It was wonderful to feel how reliably a good campfire works its magic.

The next morning, we had a delicious breakfast with porridge (if I had written "oat slime," how would you have reacted?), scrambled eggs, and warmed-up rolls with Nuremberg sausages. Afterward, we sat together for a while and gradually packed up. One couple stayed for the entire event. I have to mention this because Ramona, the good soul of our camp, was eager to help with anything and everything, and I had to rein her in occasionally. Adorable. Anyway, Ramona was also the last one during cleanup, and I'd like to thank her again for that. Overall, it was a fantastic event that I'd love to repeat. Time-wise, I think a whole weekend would be more suitable, as it would allow us to spread things out instead of cramming so much into such a short time. Combining it with a canoe trip and an overnight stay at a new location could be a great idea. Thanks for reading. I just can't manage to summarize these topics briefly and ask for your understanding.
If you find any mistakes, you can keep them or recycle them as usual. Warm regards, your Gregor.