Theater Team details

The first must-have Firefly Creative Team is Theater!  One of our inspirations for the team concept was hearing that 70 middle school girls auditioned for much fewer parts in the school musical last year. Boys, too, of course, but I keep thinking of the lines of children who want to be part of something, want to express themselves creatively, and we organized this team JUST FOR YOU.

Dr. Tom Crochunis, and English professor with a background and research interests in theater is helping to develop the curriculum along with our lead teacher (whom he recommended for the job): Tyler Wonders.  I loved Tyler before I even met him because:  Wonders!  Perfect fit for the wonder collective, eh?   When we met in person, I was struck with his warm and sincere self.  A Newville native son, he's been in loads of local productions since catching the theater bug, and has also developed a passion for teaching.  We'll fill in good adult:child ratios with more university students with theater love.

Here's his official blurb:

TYLER WONDERS  is super excited to join forces with The Wonder Collective in its inaugural season leading the Theater Team.  Tyler is a senior English Education Major at Shippensburg University.  Along with his major in English Education, he also has a minor in Theater.  Tyler has been in the theater for almost 10 years.  Through his theater career up to this point, Tyler has been in around twenty shows (including one on Broadway), produced ten shows at Big Spring High School, and has just recently started to teach theater workshops around the area.  Tyler is super excited to bring his theater experience to The Wonder Collective and hopes that you will join him for a fun and exciting journey at The Thought Lot!

And on the course design:

In this theater workshop, students will get an extensive look into theater and what goes into acting. Even though the class is only two hours long, students will be participating in many activities and will learn a lot about themselves as actors.  Since this workshop is about acting, the students will be able to apply the knowledge from the workshop to everyday and classroom situations.  Public speaking, working with others, and thinking on your feet are just a few ideas we will be working with during the duration of the workshop.  Most of all, the students are going to be able to have fun throughout the entire course.  Many activities are being planned including an optional field trip to see a play with a cast talk back (ticket to play, Big Spring HS's You Can't Take it With You, included in workshop registration).

I don't know much about theater (my personal dramatic career peaked in 4th grade with my role as Alice Wendelken in our school's production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever), but I love hearing them plot and plan with you in mind.  We decided we wanted an experiential theater workshop, focusing on what Dr. Crochunis calls "the grammar of theater" rather than a production-focused sessions, to give each participant equal attention and instruction.  "Real" theater is, of course, a great experience, but gives a disproportionate amount of attention to the few with lead roles.  This will truly be a team experience, starting relationships and mentorships that will last past the initial 8 weeks.

I love The Thought Lot for this team.  There is plenty of room to move and break out into groups, a stage with full AV support, and an inspirational art backdrop of rotating exhibits.

Meeting Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 pm, for 8 consecutive weeks--skipping Thanksgiving--starting October 18th. $120 includes the play ticket and 16 hours of instruction.  Course is designed for middle school and high school students (though we have been known to make a slightly-younger exception if you think your child's attention span is good...).

Join us?  Questions to thewondercollective@gmail.com & registration details on the sidebar, with both right-now electronic buttons or a mail-in option:

c/o Shannon Heckman

600 Big Spring Road

Newville, PA 17241

October creative workshop: needle-felted pumpkins

 The photo above is of a few tiny pumpkins I have stored in my seasonal table box.  Forms and detail variations are endless, as is the variation in size.  For more possibilities, I'd suggest a search on etsy.com:  needle felted pumpkin.  Let it spark your imagination (or are you already sold?)...and then register to join us.  Registration details on the side bar.  Questions? thewondercollective@gmail.com

We try to introduce a new skill or medium at our creative workshops, something you can return to again and use to enhance your own future creative endeavors, rather than having an assembly-line experience.  The biggest game changer in my own creative life in the last decade has been working with felted wool, and I'm excited to share my favorite, needle-felting, with you!

Our first Thursday night workshop:  October 18th, 7-9 pm, at The Thought Lot, 37 E. Garfield.  $15 includes all the supplies you will need, plus an extra bit to take home and experiment with, all tucked in this sweet felt basket.  
The needle felting technique uses a special barbed needle to make sculptures with wool.  A bright fluff of soft mohair, its microscopic scales caught by the barbs,

can be condensed and shaped into remarkably firm little three-dimensional figure.Needle felting is also used in a more two-dimensional way, as a sort of embroidery, but for this workshop we will focus on its sculptural applications.  I first saw needle felted forms in a newspaper story for a fall festival I attended at a Waldorf school in Nashville, TN.  One of the parents at the school had made a set of characters from A Wind in the Willows to be auctioned off.  I had never seen anything like that before!  Made by a parent, not a professional artisan!  I bribed my daughter to go into the children's-only Angels Gift Room and buy me a small needle felted angel that still sits atop my printer's drawer-turned-miniature shelf.  I bought one felting needle and a baggie with four colors of wool, and my love affair with felting began.  It was early in the days of crafting tutorials online, and I searched for hours with my dial-up connection for a thorough tutorial.  I never really found anything, and this is why:  you just poke.  Well, there are a few tricks...I'll save those for the workshop.

In the meantime, I'm ordering new needles, and dyeing wool in preparation.  For starters, I have an 11:00 date this morning with a friend to ride bikes to a field of goldenrod, which yields a bright chartreuse....

Front page!

wonder girl Becci Zullinger shows off our press cred

The print edition of the SNC has the wonder collective on the front page of today's paper. Photo + nice little article on the Shippensburg page of the Public Opinion too. Thanks, Dale & Amber, for your kind words. Welcome, reader, if you found us there!

more press!

And a few mentions from Ship News Now (a division of the Chambersburg Public Opinion).

By college student blogger Sarah Gilbert (who also signed up for 5 classes; thank you, Sarah!) here:

http://www.shipnewsnow.com/2012/09/blog-try-something-new/

And from reporter Amber South:

http://www.shipnewsnow.com/2012/09/new-arts-education-program-starting-up-in-shippensburg/

Today's print edition will carry an article, too.

(Hmmm...it appears that I need to work on my phone skills.  A "kind of" overload there!  Apologies!)

I have another interview today with parenting blogger Jo Watts, and will of course let you know when it is up.  

my "not quite" notes in the interest of my relationships:  

*My role as a partner in our collective is overstated in this article I think because I was the one interviewed, and have fallen into the spokeswoman post.  Fully a joint endeavor between Becci, Shannon, & I.  I was even the "third" in our beginning!

*My 14-year-old, Audrey, isn't "struggling".  I did develop programs with her in mind, and because I saw the need, but anyone who is familiar with my fiesty, independent girl knows her struggles are the ordinary ones experienced by eclectic teens, and she is already doing a good job finding her place.  I did, however, like the use of the word "eclectic" ;).

THANK YOU, SHIP NEWS NOW.

I'm a bit embarrassed that I didn't even know, for instance, that we had a local news parenting blogger, nor of how extensive the local online news community was.  Someone else to link on our site!

Do you read local news online?  How frequently? 

the wonder collective in The Shippensburg News Chronicle

Woo hoo!  We're getting press!

http://www.shipnc.com/articles/2012/09/17/news/doc50576950038b8808679987.txt

With a photo of happily painting Pierce, Peter, and Lydia, too.

We wouldn't complain if you dropped by and left a happy comment.  Just sayin'....

Thanks for your support so far,

Valerie

A Sense of Wonder

I wrote this introduction to the Sense of Wonder concept to present to our campers on the first day of Springfield Camp session one: "A Sense of Wonder".  I was lucky enough to talk with a reporter for the Public Opinion this morning about our new venture, and she asked "Why the 'wonder' collective?"  I thought I should post part of the answer for all of you.  Within the text are questions we discussed at camp, and I decided to leave them in as a prompt for either your own self-evaluation or a conversation with the young wondering spirits in your life. 

On Sunday mornings growing up, one of our local radio stations often played a song that started with spoken text on living life a little richer:  “Spend time with a child, and see the world through four-year-old eyes.” 

*What do you think that means, to “see the world through four-year-old eyes”?

 I am the oldest of seven children, so there usually was a four-year-old around to see the world with, and I made a point of borrowing their sense of wonder, their amazement at this world they really are discovering for the first time.  I think these reminders helped my own sense of wonder survive the hardening of adolescence.  I loved my brothers and sisters, and thought living in a big family was lucky.  I made a point of spending time with the little ones individually and now that they’re grown men and women, a doctor and a dentist and scientists, fathers and mothers themselves, I really treasure my memories of their open, clear-eyed, trusting selves, discovering the world together.  One of my life’s great honors was hearing from my entomologist brother (that’s a bug scientist!), now doing cutting-edge molecular genetic research (and catching bugs all over the world), that it was at a sister date at the park, when I showed him the marvelous detail of a leaf and explained its parts and functions, as his first “science is amazing!” moment.  I still really love detail.  I like to hike with my grandfather’s magnifying loupe and stop to see closer the markings on a mountain laurel blossom or suddenly drop to the ground to check out the star-shaped moss along the trail.  It drives my husband (a “conquer-the-peak!” sort of guy) crazy, but he is patient, and I consider my sense of wonder my greatest talent.  A gift!  It makes my life glow.

*What are some of the details you see in nature that make your life glow?

As children, this still-active sense of wonder is one of your greatest gifts, too, and this week we want to help you really believe that seeing the wonder in the world makes your life better.  As we learn about birds and plants and their amazing detail and have fun with bubbles and water and wood and make new things from natural materials, we want also to record what we see with words and paint so you can remember it and share it with your families.

We advertised this camp to your parents with this quotes from a book by a woman named Rachel Carson, who fought for nature:

“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years, the sterile preoccupation with things artificial, the alienation from the sources of our strength.”         

*How do you think having a sense of wonder keeps you from being bored?

*How do you think having a sense of wonder keeps you strong?

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.”     

*Who could you share your sense of wonder with?

creative team: hand sewing

The Creative Team concept is my baby.

(read more about it here)

Having a creative community, even if small, has always been key to my happiness.  I was lucky to grow up with parents and a pile of siblings who encouraged and shared the joy of MAKING, moved on to find university and laboratory life beautifully creative (though I was deep into the joy of science rather than craft then), and when I chose to stay home with my new little girl, Audrey, having projects kept me (relatively) sane, desperate to have one thing--or a lineup of them--in my life that could be started and finished and turn out practically perfect.  Such a contrast to the ever-changing, never-finished  queue of dishes or laundry or young beautiful child souls!  I have always liked to rope others into trying things with me, whether it be the one fellow mother/student sharing hours within the cinder-block walls of married student housing on the University of Utah campus making cloth quiet books for our one-year-olds, or the eight friends (who only started two fires between them) who split the cost of mail-ordering supplies to try our hand at the art of pysanky (Ukrainian beeswax resist egg-dyeing) around my wide pine table in Nashville.  Creativity is a joy that loves a good show-and-tell.  It is always extra lovely to someone to share a new project and ideas with.  A group is even better!  I hope that by forming our Firefly Creative Teams we give you the chance to find friends who love what you love, and can support you in your creative journey.

When I was deciding what to choose as the emphasis for the first season of the Arts & Crafts team, I never strayed far from hand sewing.  Sewing is a great skill to have.  It can be applied to a vast array of mediums, is often just as practical as it is decorative, and is one of the most portable projects.  I always like to have a hand sewing project tucked into my purse or backpack to pull out when I am waiting through yet another horseback riding lesson or watching children at the park or catching up on television (I try to limit but I do love my DVR).  

The hand sewing team will be meeting on Thursday afternoons in our new studio at The Thought Lot, 37 E Garfield St in Shippensburg, from 4:30-6:00 pm for eight consecutive weeks beginning October 4th, 2012.  Skipping Thanksgiving ;).  All materials are included in the $120 tuition (including a fully-stocked, frankly-adorable hand sewing kit and a set of my original patterns), and team size is limited to 8, so I and my helper can give you adequate attention and needle-threading help.  This team is appropriate for grades 3-12, and adults who don't mind sharing a space with children are welcome to join us as well.  Besides having creative fun with linen, cotton, and wool felt, my goal is that each team member really learns to sew.  We'll start with learning the basic stitches in two-dimensional work 

and move on to applying those stitches to make practical additions to their sewing kits (needle books & pincushions),

 turning first-week embroidery into lavender sachets,

 and moving onto more detailed projects and more decorative stitches.  These little animal + habitats, for example,

will be perfect treasures to save for holiday giving...if you can stand not to keep them yourselves!  They're very popular at my house ;).

 I favor small sewing projects.  Besides having a penchant for gifts that fit nicely in my hand,

wee projects are easily completed in an afternoon, and all fit together on one table for group making.  We'll do most of our work with 100% wool or wool blend felts.  This dense material is perfect for holding small stitches (cheaper craft felt tears too easily), and the non-fraying edges are easy for beginners to work with.  It also feels fantastic in your hand and comes in a gorgeous array of colors.  Working with beautiful materials makes the whole process more of treat.

I have developed a curriculum that builds sewing skills in practical applications.  Both new beginners and experienced hand sewers can be content with the same starting projects, as all of them can be transformed to more advanced projects with further embellishment, and I'll have a pile of extra patterns that quick stitchers can move onto if they have extra time.
 

Besides the wool felt work, we'll experiment with cotton jersey reverse appliqué, apply our new skills to make a variety of accessories from cuffs to headbands, and do a woven fabric project to learn how to mind our seam allowances.  I'm guessing a seasonal project or two will sneak in, too!

I hope you'll join us.  The creative juices will be flowing; I'm smiling in anticipation as I write. ("thoughts as thick as fireflies, all shiny in my mind!")

Registration details (both mail-in & electronic) may be found on the right side bar.

Best,
Valerie

our first creative workshop: Lumi sun dyeing

photo from lumi.co

I've been impatiently waiting for our shipment of Inkodye from Lumi ever since I devoured their website via a campaign on kickstarter.com.  Remember that blue sunprint paper you could use to make images with leaves or a flat key and sunshine?  I loved that stuff.  With Lumi's printing system, you can print on any natural material:  cotton, linen, leather, wood, silk....my mind is going crazy with the possibilities...!!  Might that I've-been-going-to-refinish-for-13-years dresser in my bedroom finally have its day in the sun?! (sometimes puns are very stubborn & must be expressed against my better judgement....)  I've seen inspiring results with all sorts of objects online (and I do love me anything botanical), but the young innovators at Lumi developed their project to transfer photos to cloth, and it's an amazingly innovative process that yields sharp results that I'm dying to try.

During our creative workshop on Saturday, October 13th, each participant will be printing two items.  We'll provide all of the tools and enthusiastic tutelage,

photo from lumi.co

but you'll want to carefully consider and come prepared with what you want

*to print on:  You may bring your own items (clothing, tote, wood, scarf) or print on a piece of plain white cotton we'll have for you to take home and use however you'd like.  For an additional $15, you can print on cotton canvas, and I will stitch it into a simple but oh-so-custom tote bag you can pick up a week later.

*to print with:  We will have a selection of leaves and paper & tape to form your own masking shapes that you may use as a block against the sun that will set the dye, but you may want to bring your own uniquely you items:  wrenches, gears, toys, craft supplies....

OR
*a few days before the workshop, you e-mail us a photograph that you want to print.

We'll use the Lumityper app to show you how it will look in different dye colors in a return email.  If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can download the free app to try yourself.  There are a few other (exposure & balance) adjustments you may want to make yourself.

When you're satisfied, we'll have a negative printed on a special, extra-thick transparency (you get to keep that, too) that you will use to PRINT YOUR KID'S FACE ON YOUR TEE.

Or a deliciously just-barely-creepy Blythe doll.  This is my daughter's Violet.  She's going on mine.

Dyeing  (see!  can't help myself!)  to try it?  The easiest way is to register now so we can do the grunt work for you.  You'll just need to be there for the creativity & magic!  Space limited to 10 participants.  Saturday, October 13th, 1-3 pm.  $25 if you're using your own item or our plain cotton, $40 to print on heavy canvas that will magically become a custom tote bag.  

(Registration instructions, both electronic & mail-in, on the right side bar).

Lumi has a great story.  I recommend all of the videos and guides on their site for putting your mind into high imaginative gear!  Start here:  http://lumi.co/pages/about, then come make your own prints with us.

Photos of our own projects are pending, but to see process shots and completed projects using Inkodye and found objects like leaves and stencils, I liked these home artists: http://www.eclecticmom.com/home/2012/7/26/inkodye.html
http://lauries-projects.blogspot.com/2012/07/more-printing-with-inkodye.html

Springfield Camp Saturday session finalized

 After juggling our busy fall weekends (cyclocross! soccer! birthdays! cheerleading!), we finally found one where all three of us could congregate to Springfield Farm and host one last glorious session of Springfield Camp:  Saturday, October 6th, from 1:00-5:00 pm.  Hopefully that time will hit the warmest part of the day (so different than our summer approach!) and allow the soccer players among you to catch your game that day as well.  I love autumns in the woods almost as much as I love fireflies.

We're planning a "Best Of" session:   combining our favorite activities with those most popular with the wonder kids and a inevitably a couple of new things.  Crammed into four hours ;).  

 

We really do hope you can join us.  We'd love to see our summer wonder kids back, but also to introduce a few new ones to the beautiful Springfield Farm.  

A beautiful, sense-of-wonder nurturing, friendly, educational, creative experience is guaranteed. 

Sample feedback from this summer's sessions:

 

"It was my children's favorite part of the summer!" 

 

"Please just make it longer!" 

"Thank you for giving our children such a magical experience."  

"Thank you, Wonder Collective, for giving [my daughter] a magical start to her summer. When I asked [her] how she would describe camp she replied , "It's a little piece of heaven... no make that a BIG chunk of heaven!!" "

Interested?  

*for ages 5-12

*Email questions to thewondercollective@gmail.com, or call camp registrar Shannon Heckman at 717-422-2141.  

*Mail-in registration ($25 along with children's names & ages) may be sent to Shannon @ 600 Big Spring Rd., Newville, PA 17241

*To register electronically, use the payment button on the sidebar (credit card or PayPal).

the beauty we love

Just ran across this in a blog artist interview:

Rumi: Let the beauty we love be what we do; there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Like raise babies. 
BEAUTY I LOVE!

Their good glory shames the other things I make. But I love those, too.  Best:  creating with them.
Which is what brings us here.

kneel and kiss the ground!

We're so excited to be finalizing the inaugural fall season of programming!  The page tabs above (just under our blog heading) give more details about our firefly creative teams, creative workshops for adults and children, and how to register.  Browse away,  then join us.  I'm grinning just thinking about it:  we have some beautiful creative hours in store for you!