Remebering String: Next meeting Saturday

 

To all the awkward arangements of limbs and longings known as human beings who find yourselves at the whims of our e-mail listserv:

May it be known that we will again cast our threads towards the great wild entity we’ve somehow found ourselves on the periphery of. Should you wish to embark on this redemptive renaissance known as “The Guelph Nature Connection and Folklore Club,” please see to it that you find yourself among kin at our usual meeting place this Saturday, September 15th at 10:30 AM come rain or shine. We’ll play some fun nature games until noon and afterwards, stick around and call your opposable thumbs into service as you learn to twist cordage from basswood bark.

Hope to see you there. Bring your friends and maybe even your enemies (all ages). There is no charge.

Next meeting: Sunday, August 19th

Folk (n.) common people

Lore (n.) amassed learning

What is a folklore club without folks? That’s right, we need and your willingness to be curious at our next meeting. Come out to the banks of the Eramosa River with us for a few hours of free, facilitated nature fun and games for all ages. Children, families, adults, elders, teenagers, we need you all if we’re ever going to see the folkloric revial we so long for.

This month’s meeting will be facilitated by Chris Green of The Guelph Outdoor School for the Gifted, a learning alternative for young people labelled as ADD / ADHD and those who struggle in the conventional classroom format.
 
We’ll meet at the usual spot, Eramosa River Park at the end of Lawrence Avenue (click here for map) from 10:30 AM until noon on Sunday, August 19th. Afterwards, stick around for an informal primitive skills share. Bring your craft materials and/or a willingness to try new things.

Hope to see you there! Bring your friends!

PS. Check out our friends, Knowing the Land Is Resistance. This week we’re mentioned in their blog.

Summer Workshop Series for Adults

Having trouble connecting with nature in the city? We are proud to offer three great workshops in August. They focus on fundamental skills that help us shape our perception and connect more deeply with nature to matter where we are. Click here for details.

Traditional Movements: A Workshop on Natural Running and Barefoot Walking

You want the good news first, or the bad news first? Well, you’re getting the bad news first: there will be no Nature Connection and Folklore Club meeting this month. Too many people are away and it’s just not gonna work out. We are going to miss you all who’ve been coming out. The good news is that we will certainly be doing it next month. So stay tuned.

The other good news, is that Guelph Nature Folklore is presenting:

Traditional Movements: A Free Workshop on Natural Running and Barefoot Walking

This could be you on Thursday, July 26!

Thursday, July 26

Eramosa River Park at the end of Lawrence Avenue. Click here for a map.

The workshop is geared towards adults, but younger people who have a desire to learn the skills and to pay attention can also attend.

Our friend from down south, Dustin will share with us a very old style of movement called “Natural Running,” which is a way of running safely without shoes! There will also be a detailed presentation about foxwalking, which is a way of walking stealthily without shoes. To end, we will play some games and use our newly learned skills.

Goldenrod, Rain and Weasels!

Storms brewing in the sky’s cauldron the morning of our second monthly meeting threatened to spill over and rain down upon us, a small band of humans gathered below. Some rains did come, but we managed to stay dry for the most part. Already, our group is starting to round itself out a bit with a nice mix of children, young adults and parents. We’re still patiently holding out and keeping our fingers crossed that the elders and teenagers might show up in the future.

Thanks to all who made it out this month! Again, this month we played some great games! The goldenrod, whose leaves had only just started reaching skyward last month, had now grown into waist high clusters of dense greenery, which was just perfect for our hiding game. Has anyone ever jumped into a clump of goldenrod, or burdock? What a nice home it must make for small animals…

Leave a comment of who you think this mystery weasel is!

Speaking of small animals, a few days before our meeting, one of us was down at the river sitting still and watching the birds when he saw something strange moving in his peripheral vision. On the muddy banks of the other side of the river, a dark member of the weasel family scurried in and out of the Manitoba maples! Here’s a picture of a similar creature above. Can you guess who it is? Leave us a comment! And stay tuned for the soon to come news of our next meeting.

 

Next Meeting: June 17

Click below for June 17 info.  Hope to see you there.

June 17 Poster

First meetup great success!

Hey everyone!

Our First Meeting Was a Great Success!

Last Saturday morning under a blue, sunny sky, about 15 of us gathered for the inaugural meeting of the Guelph nature connection in folklore club. There were many different ages of folks and we had a great time playing games by the River.

We started off by saying a few things we were grateful for then got right to it by imitating animals. The stories of Eagles and Bears in this area were fresh in our minds as we tried to move our bodies as they do. Soon, we were walking like Fox towards the River, very quietly and stealthy. When we got to the water, we realized that we’d lost byron and spent a long time looking for him. He had hidden in the grasses and it was hard to see him because he had covered his arms and face in mud and put grass in his sleves! One person managed to spot his black T-shirt because it stood out against the green grasses.

This was great because the next game we played was a hiding game, so some of us rubbed the wet soil from the riverbank onto our bodies to help us get camouflage. Other people used burdock leaves to cover their faces and poked in some eyeholes so that they could see! After the hiding game, there was a scavenger hunt for different plants! The one we had the most trouble finding was Cinquefoil and many of us were left wondering where Cinquefoil likes to grow (if you’ve seen any, let us know on the comment section below).

Near the end, we reflected on how much we learned and how fun it is to not know something sometimes, to be curious. Then we each said one thing that we didn’t know, but were wondering about. One person was curious about how to polish rocks, another about the difference between learning and knowing (What are you curious about? Let us know below!). It was such a great time, that we all agreed to do it again.

Here’s the details for next month’s meeting:

Location: The Eramosa River Park at the end of Lawrence Avenue (one Street before Victoria). We’ll be near the trail. Click here for a map.

Date: Sunday, June 17, 2012. Rain or shine.

 Time: 10 am until noon. (Informal nature skills share, River swim to follow)

 What to bring: water bottle, clothes that can get dirty, curiosity (if you’re gonna stick around for the skills share: craft materials if you got ’em, tools, packed lunch, and maybe a bathing suit)

Cost : FREE

  Hope to see you there! 

Just Beyond the Trail’s Edge… May Meetup

The Eramosa River is a natural corridor for many different plants as well as animals, who use the river and the surrounding cover to make their way in and out of the city from the wild lands on the other side of Victoria Road and the golf course across the water. There’s been tales of the three-legged coyote in this area. Maybe we’ll see the tracks. What would a three-legged coyote’s track look like? Have you ever found fox scats at the river? What about beaver ones? Hey, what do beavers eat anyways? If these questions or any of your own tickle your heartstrings with curious longing, we need you to come wonder with us! Many more questions lie waiting… just beyond the trail’ s edge.

So come out on Saturday, May 19 from 10 till 12 (noon). We’ll meet in the covered picnic area at the Eramosa River Park at the end of Lawrence Ave (one street before Victoria, click here for map) and head down towards the river to explore the area, play some games and see what we can learn about this little corner Guelph. If it suits you, stick around afterwards for an informal folk-knowledge and primitive skills share. Bring your skills/craft material and/or a desire to learn.

This first meet up is geared towards adults, but children are certainly welcome if they are with an older person. Hopes are to broaden the age scope when more help comes in.

If you’re interested in helping out some way or organizing something for children, please contact guelphnaturefolklore@gmail.com.

The area is trailed and even off trail it is pretty flat. If you have concerns about accessibility/mobility or about anything else, please contact us so that we can see to it that you can come and participate. 

Hope to see you there!