outdoor kitchen

I have dreamed of an outdoor kitchen.  I have so loved the one I have used nearly every summer when I join 50 folks or so up in Goodyears Bar, where we have baked dozens of blackberry pies and pancakes, and great foods.  And then I found the wonderful outdoor kitchen at Koviashuvik last summer, equally as inspiring.  I knew we needed one at Park Day, but the location of such a place was not clear to me.  I spoke with many people, and did not find an easy solution; that is until I spoke with my 8 year old daughter.  Why not make it a mobile kitchen, Mom?  Hmmmmm.  Now that actually was a good idea.  That way we could use it by the yurt for gardening class, by the pizza oven when we wanted to fire it up, and over in the mini-farm when we wanted to be a little out of the way and close by the veggies growing there.  And thus the idea, the solution to my many, many walks down the hallway to the kitchen, and a way to get the kids involved in the cooking and the clean-up was born.

I started sketching a design, and my building/teaching partner Ilya did some engineering and refining. We started building it with seventh graders, and got the pieces and joints cuts and started assembling.  Then the fourth graders finished off the bottom shelf.  I mastered plumbing when I successfully installed the faucet and hooked up the hose.  And voila!  MOKI, our new mobile outdoor kitchen was born.

nesting

I have always wanted to build a nest.  Must be all those nesting instincts gone wild.  I have seen giant woven nests in books, and one in person, and now many photos on the internet.  When the plan to build birdhouses with the third graders as part of their bird studies fell through, I seized the moment and decided we would study and build nests.  We learned about cup, cavity, pendulum, spherical, and platform nests.  And then we chose locations where the kids thought they would want to "nest".

With lots of pruned grapevine stuffed into my trunk, I headed to campus to start to build the nests.  I was lucky to have volunteers from tweethaus to help me, along with some parent volunteers.  We drove stakes in a circle, and then the kids gathered various nesting materials and got to work.

We built two nests with groups of 8 students, working collaboratively and very creatively.  The nests were unique, and changed character as the different groups worked on them, including several variations of a roof canopy.  We used grape vine, fruit tree twigs, native sunflower stems, and other garden clippings for weaving the structure.  Many other found materials were also used, from sour grass and pine needles for the floor, to flowers and leaves as embellishments, and a barrel ring as the door.   The results were inspiring.

 

The students love having them on campus and love to gather in them. 

organizing things

I started teaching gardening at Park Day School back in October, and started imagining how the garden shed could be organized sometime in November.  Organized so that I can enjoy going in it and putting things away, can easily find things, and most importantly so the kids could do the same.  So it was time, finally.  And with a little help from my hubby, we put up some shelves, and within a day it had become a lovely place to be.

Then last week on a short vacation to Santa Cruz, I rode a one-speed tandem bike (with my son) up the large hill to UC Santa Cruz campus, so that I could finally visit the LifeLab garden and farm there.  It was wonderful and inspiring, and, of course, I found the most perfect solution to the last of my organization challenges.  A wonderful tool rack.  Now I just need to plot a plan to make such a thing with my students.

summer of making part 3

I winded down my adventure-filled summer with a fun week creating 12 art bikes at CAMP 510.  The kids all drew up their individual ideas, presented them to their group, and then voted.  From giraffes,  zebras and purple ducks, to gardens and oceans, to lots of rainbows, the designs were amazing.

We scavenged materials - including fur, fake grass, duct tape, spray paint, buttons and butterflies.
We glued, painted, wired, snipped and cut.  Wheels were removed, decorated, and reinstalled.  It was great to see all the creativity in the assembly process.  The kids were so dedicated to building, making, and bringing their ideas to fruition - very inspiring.

And some amazing creations turned out, along with great matching helmets.  Come see them at this year's East Bay Mini Maker Faire!

summer of making part 2

My next foray into making with children this summer took place up at the wonderful Owl Camp up in Sonoma County.  It is a special camp with amazing staff who are dedicated to giving the kids an opportunity to explore nature fully.  The theme the week I taught was Art as Nature; Nature as Art, and I channeled Andy Goldsworthy, among others.  We made lots of different art and sculpture projects, but one of my favorites was the simple one made by some of the youngest campers on the last day, when we were hanging out down by the creek.

I assisted other staff in working with campers to build a teepee and weave tule mats.  It was so natural to harvest the plants on the property and use them immediately on a project.

I guided camper initiated projects like fort-building.  Hearing the kids describe a 4 part fort connected by a tunnel and a wall made me wonder how it would all come to pass.  It evolved and grew, and became a wondrous fort amidst a beautiful redwood grove.  The younger campers made a fort of their own, working and weaving together.  It was inspiring to see what was made.

Using the beautiful and colorful farm garden, I worked with kids to create a woven fence of colors.  It was great to see the color palette echo the garden colors beyond.

garden bounty

It was hard to end our month of summer vacation.  But it was great to be home, and the garden greeted us royally.  Tomatoes were in abundance, the basil was bushy and green, and the bean teepee was full of beans to be harvested.  Welcome home!

koviashuvik

I had the amazing opportunity to spend time at Koviashuvik, a local living school, while I was in Maine.  I declared to my kids that this was Mom's choice.  And what a wonderful choice it was for a way to spend time in Maine - truly off the grid.  Ashira and Chris Knapp are wonderful hosts, guides, and teachers, as they share the beautiful homestead they have created with their own hands.  Their electricity comes from their solar panels.  They grow most all of their food, and preserve it in their root cellar or by fermenting it.  Their daily flour comes from acorns from nearby forests, that they grind and dry (using rainwater to leach out the bitterness).  They keep ice from the pond yearlong in their icehouse.  And they harvest and make delicious maple syrup as well.

A wonderful outdoor kitchen is the center of cooking and eating throughout the summer.  A simple wood hearth and a homemade rocket stove do most of the cooking.  Delicious water comes from a nearby spring, and from rainwater collection.  

We were guided through our days with such wonderful intention about everything we were doing.  We harvested mint and made tea in their solar dehydrator.  Using the shave horses and draw knives was one of my favorite activities - and my daughter's as well.  We carved spatulas.  My son learned how to use a scythe.  Under Chris's guidance, I finally learned the proper way to sharpen a knife. We also made our own spoons using a coal burning and carving method.

Our shelter was a platform tent at the edge of the clearing.  One night there was a fabulous thunderstorm.  We looked out the tent flaps that appeared as stage curtains with a great lightning show in the fields, hills, and sky beyond.  Awe inspiring.