This post is to share about the upcoming training. Have a read: My name is Jamie Black, I am the founder of Wild Craft Play ‘sCool. I have an opportunity for teachers who work with children ages 8 to 12 (Grades 3-7). Research indicates the pandemic is having a negative impact on children’s mental health. They are bored, overwhelmed, stressed, … Read More
Drum Stalk for Youth Mental Health
I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to take a group of youth on a drum stock. My name is Jamie black. I am a Behaviour Interventionist, a Consultant, an Artist, Musician, and the Founder of Wild Craft Play School. It’s my mission to build regenerate resilience in youth the way nature intended. It was an honour and … Read More
My Experience at Fairy Creek Blockade – May 29th
So you might have come across this post because you saw that I wanted to share the story of my time spent at Fairy Creek yesterday, May 29. With the one big day, this big invitation of many people showing up, I want to share my story, because there are teachings, there are misunderstandings, and there are new understandings that … Read More
Guided Drum Journey with HummingBard
4 Week Online Guided Drum Journey with Hummingbird (aka Jamie Black) Sundays from 11-1:30 pm Register and Donate by emailing Jamie HERE CLICK HERE to find a Sunday Start Date that works for our next intake, space is limited. Thank you for considering donating. For this first experience, we will be ironing out the kinks of online journeying. Any feedback … Read More
Sometimes you just need to take yourself on an Adventure
Sometimes, when the going gets really tough, and you feel like you don’t have someone available to go with you, you just have to say yes to an invitation to go on an adventure. That’s what I did this past week and I am so grateful I did. My heart is swelling, and my body still feels like it is … Read More
Faith across Canada – January 2018
Sometimes one must take a leap of faith and stretch one’s comfort zone by driving across Canada in January, yup it’s crazy, and TOTALLY worth it! I didn’t drive across Canada because I wanted to see the country in the snow, it wasn’t about the scenery… For me, January is a time of ending and new beginnings and I needed … Read More
The story of the Wild Craft Play Nov 4th Special Day
The story of the Wild Craft Play Nov 4th Special Day For those of you who missed this extraordinary day You will find highlights below Of Ogre’s tales, youth sharing skills And archery in the snow. Navigate downwards And pleasantly you shall find Stories that require, imagination And an open mind. Gratitude (in the Northeast) Thank you, to all of … Read More
Letting Go and Trusting the Process
Now there’s a loaded statement “Let go and trust the process.” Right. Just let go. That sounds easy enough. Am I the only one who has a hard time letting go? Yet, once I let go of trying so hard, and finally give in to trusting that things will work out as they are meant to, **Bing, I get a … Read More
Stories of Week 1
Here are the stories of week 1. Enjoy! Our first day at Wild Craft Play ‘sCool Drawn by Nature on Tuesdays: 10am to 2pm For youth ages 11 – 17 Where youth came into their own potential through a Guided Discovery Learning process called The Hummingbird Approach, founded by Jamie Black. For youth who thrive in uncertainty and minimal, if not … Read More
I commend you, teachers of Ballenas Secondary School
Today, I spent the whole day with two buses full of teens up Mt. Washington, What a gift! I had the pleasure and privilege of accompanying skilled teachers in the act of taking children not only outside, but on great adventures that were challenging, risky and potentially dangerous, and it was an incredible success, except for the fate of a … Read More
Hummingbird Guides Training – coming soon!
Hummingbird Guides Training is coming soon! Thanks to The Nature of Play Conference – Hosted by the Nanaimo Child Development Centre – Oct 5, 2016 It was a real privilege and pleasure to attend this highly educational and professional conference this weekend. I knew it was going to be motivational and educational because Hilary Leighton and Dave Segal are incredible people … Read More
Facilitating Storymaking
Tonight I just had an epiphany about my role as a facilitator. I thought I was a storyteller, but it turns out I am a facilitator of storymaking. I am in the midst of my data analysis for my Masters Research. I have been working on this baby for over a year now, and in the last three months I have been … Read More
Stuck In The Mud
For one so young, there is no thought as to what may happen after acting on an impulse. To a young girl, a ditch full of thick, wet mud looks like a great deal of fun; but what happens after the fun? Out for a walk on a cloudy day (I added this: with the Wild Craft Play group and … Read More
Gratitude for Community Storytellers
Saturday, December 12, 2015 was our VERY FIRST Community Quest and it was EPIC! It was an epic adventure for many reasons. One can only assume it was due to the new experiences, the familiar faces, the curious merchants, the real gold, the quests, the storyteller, and of course the wind, the rain, and the community engagement of businesses and … Read More
This day couldn’t get any better
“This day couldn’t get any better could it?” asks 8 year old Paula, as we walked barefoot in the rain in the woods in October. Then she says “or could it?” Just then I hiked up my skirt, and said “let’s run!” She let out a gleeful squeal, igniting my inner child and we splashed through the puddles in our bare feet. There … Read More
Moved to tears by all of you
This weekend I was moved to tears by all of you. You people who come together for a common good. A common healing, with wholesome intentions and good connections. And then just now, I watched this post I guess this guy who calls himself the “Goshfather” recognizes a moving experience too, and not only did he acknowledge it, he added to … Read More
“I smile” by Jamie Black
It is time that I slow down, and be in gratitude. Gratitude for all that is, all that was, and all that will be. This past weekend, I had a very grounding journey in a friend’s VW Westfalia. I just know that someday soon a Westfalia will be gifted to me, so that I may do my masters … Read More
The Essence of Exploration in Nature vs MineCraft
The essence of exploration lies in the unknown. August 30th 2014, my sister, mom and I embarked on an adventure to Jedadiah Island, in this great archipelago near Nanoose Harbour off Vancouver Island. Although it was a short three day, two night outing, the essence of exploration became apparent in regards to my research proposal. I have decided to start blogging about my … Read More
Seeing Mind Traps as Opportunities as a Director
Seeing Mind Traps as Opportunities as a Director is a skillful way to affect change. In environments involving human interaction, traps and miscommunications are inevitable. We may go into an environment with the best of intention, and yet our own motives may skew our view of a common goal. Meadows (2008) defines these traps and offers the way out that … Read More
Simulation Models for a simple mind
What is situational modeling anyway? When I was reviewing the class notes and learning about situational modeling, I didn’t understand why anyone would want to graph what they were graphing. I didn’t understand how you could turn something into data related to an X and Y axis that was worth looking at and deciphering. Maybe this makes me simple-minded, but … Read More
“In the cosmic scheme, people are vital” Wade Davis
I have to keep reminding myself, why am I doing this Masters? Why am I stressing myself, expanding my brain, understanding, then not understanding, knowing and then not knowing, and then feeling overwhelmed? Then I remember the drive that urged me to sign the application form. I have a dream… that people are the solution. By create more opportunities … Read More
Nature is my meditation… my medicine.
Yesterday, my head was spinning from all the worry, the change, the anxiety, the uncertainty the embarrassment and the fear. Something reminded me to go outside, into the unknown, the unimpeded beauty of nature. So I went to James Bay in Victoria and walked this beach. Ocean crashing… … Read More
Raccoon Medicine by Jamie Sams and David Carson
This is a brief quotation from the book called “Medicine Cards” written by Jamie Sams, and David Carson, illustrated by Angela Werneke. Copywritten in 1999 by Angela Werneke. New York, N.Y. The reason for quoting these words is to support my Masters work, as these stories, teachings and medicine of the animals in this book are furthering my self awareness … Read More
harmonious Humanness
Harmonious Humanness… Consensual Coordination Doing things together in language, move and coordinate with each other. How does one read the new circumstances and change the Once the occurrence creates enough of a regularity over and over again, and once it is determined, does one coordinate it’s new actions based on that display of behavior? What if my current actions are … Read More
I am Full-on… good luck with me… Universe!
Thank you for providing clues to this quest of life, and for giving me the ability to be aware, and receive these gifts of awareness. Awareness of self and awareness of others. Dear… Universe…? I am sorry it has taken me so long to still my mind, and quiet my thoughts enough to be grateful for the gifts that have … Read More
Who am I being that your eyes are not shining? Ben Zander
Who am I being that your eyes are not shining? Just in the past couple of days I have watched the sparkle leave your face. What have I done? I do not want to live that way! Ben Zander’s TED TALK has tickled my senses and I feel more aware: helped this concept hit home for me, and I am … Read More
Compassion for Schizophrenia
Today I was reading my class readings in my Masters of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication, for EECO 504 Course, Systems with Pille Bunnell. Her website is http://www.sympoetic.net/Cognition/coordination.html and this week the topic is Cognition as Coordination Closed Nervous system Relational domains Emotioning Boy are these ever striking a painful cord in my heart. Cognition. Nervous Systems. Relation/Relating. Emotions. And then … Read More
Humanness in it’s messiness
I love that my prof Pille Bunnell has a website called “Ecology of Humanness as a Matrix of Ideas” This to me implies that there are no right/wrong answers, and that it is a process of understanding that will never end, a matrix that is just created, developed morphed, changed and then interpreted in all sorts of different ways. Just … Read More
Why can’t we call it Magic?
Why can’t we call it Magic? Why does it have to be scientifically proven, or based on a belief structure. Why can’t the magic of nature be just that? Why am I on this journey of a Masters to “prove” the magic of nature, and how it alters lives? With over 13 years of experience in the field, I have … Read More
The physics of the quest… Eat Pray Love
I have watched Eat Pray Love over and over and over and OVER again. I am obviously trying to get something. I am on a quest to find what I am looking for, and I don’t know what I am looking for. It is funny… I feel pretty balanced in my world for me with me as me. “The Physics … Read More