You can alter the actual creation of the journey stick to fit the age group. I used thin string, but would recommend yarn because it would be stretchier and easier to manipulate objects through. For each part of our adventure that day we tucked little physical reminders of that part of our story under the string, creating a visual narrative. Once we had that, the kids played while I wrapped various colors of string on the stick to create layered stripes of color. When we began our hike, our perfect journey stick happened to present itself right before the trail began. Make it part of the adventure to find the perfect stick. You can make one journey stick for the entire family or individual sticks for each child, if they’re old enough. You can either create your journey stick at home after your adventure or while you are out exploring. When you go, be prepared – bring various colored string, scissors, and crayons on your hike. Talk to your kids, show them pictures of journey sticks before setting out on the trail. To start the process with your family, show your children pictures of journey sticks to familiarize them with the concept. While particular symbols carved into or painted onto the stick could show weather patterns, natural features, or events that took place. Some things can be used as markers for natural features in the land, such as tree bark to indicate passing through the woods. The collected materials and markings have various purposes. These sticks can be used as storytelling and navigational tools. Native Americans also decorated sticks to recount their journeys and tell about their travels. They found a large walking stick, collected materials found along the way, and tied them to the stick in chronological order. Aboriginal people in Australia used journey sticks to more easily recount their journeys to other people upon their return. I’m excited to share our experiences with these storytelling tools with you and get you started making your own memory maps!įirst, a little background on the journey stick for you. I’ve made journey sticks with my little ones, ages two and four, while out on the trail. When we look at a map we see the lay of the land, yet when we tell our story the land comes alive. The most amazing thing about this method of remembering is it’s ability to capture individual perspective and personal narratives. Creating a journey stick is one way to poetically strengthen our connection to the natural world, as they intertwine person, place, and time. Just like that, they understand in some basic way that their journey is shared with that of the world.īy using verbal and visual maps, we can more easily recount our days, and tap into those individual grains of sand that might otherwise get lost with the passage of time. And when children are asked to recount the story of their daily adventures and explorations, they become active learners, leaders, and caretakers of their environment. We as humans are more likely to attach importance to a story when we see ourselves as a part of it. The lasting memories you create as a family can live on through the art of storytelling. If you want your children to learn to love and respect the natural world and better yet, to understand their part in it, it needs to be an integral part of their story. The story we tell ourselves shapes who we become. Wouldn’t you love to have an intuitive way to access all the little details that make a day so magical? Like dew on the morning grass, the everyday moments of our family’s journey shine brightly, but quickly get pulled back into the earth or sky – our natural narrative truly is our fleeting anchor. How many times does something beautiful happen in life, be it simple or extraordinary, and you think to yourself, wow I wish I could hold onto this day a little longer? We may rembember the overarching feeling or event, but the little details eventually slip through our hands like tiny grains of sand, getting lost in the crevices of our minds. This would be a great project to start this fall while the leaves are turning and there’s lot of adventures to be had. I love the lessons this project teaches – from being observant in nature to inspiring creativity in retelling the story of your adventures. is here to show you how to incorporate elements of your hikes, adventures and outings into beautiful physical storytelling devices. The amazing and uber-talented Jessica, from Collect. I’m really excited to bring you today’s post, all about creating storytelling journey sticks with your kids.
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