Creativity runs wild at Whidbey arts camp

On an unusually drizzly summer day at Full Moon Rising Farm in Freeland, kids could be found dyeing pieces of fabric, building boats to float, running through the woods and playing with farm animals.

Fittingly, it was the water-themed day for Green Arts Camp, a creative, free-form camp led by mother-daughter duo Joan and Torrey Green. Kids between the ages of 5 and 8 spent the week using reusable materials such as cardboard packaging, upcycled fabric, corks, tubes and caps in process-based art activities. The instructors explained that this opens the discussion about why humans are overconsuming and coming up with solutions to help during this time of climate crisis.

“We’re all about eco art and connecting people to their creativity and to the earth through these reusable materials,” said Joan Green, founder of Green Art Labs.

On the day a Record reporter visited, kids could be heard exuberantly counting to 60 from afar. Upon closer examination, it was revealed that they were soaking their shirts, socks and even pillowcases in a tub of indigo – a natural, plant-based dye – to create a tie-dye pattern.

Upon unfurling her tightly bound article of dyed clothing, 7-year-old Momo Hess of Langley exclaimed, “I love it!”

Though the indigo dye looks green, the fabric turns blue once it hits the air.

“It’s really fun for them to see what happens,” Joan said. “Everyone’s is different.”

At the same time, kids built boats from sticks and leaves using hot glue guns.

“Some people get nervous about that with kids, but we teach them how to be safe with them, so it’s really empowering and confidence-building for them to do that,” Joan said.

When finished, kids took turns sailing the boats in a nearby kiddie pool. Some sank, which inspired further modifications.

Though these were the two main activities of the day, kids were also free to work on their forts in the forest. They navigated a network of trails with ease to their creations.

“It has loose structure, but it’s really like what they want to do and how they want to play,” counselor Gabbi Korrow said of the camps at Full Moon Rising Farm.

Cousins Sally Gibbs, 8, Katie Olin, 7 and Gus Black, 7 – all from the mainland – agreed that making new friends has been their favorite part of camp.

The cousins visit their grandparents on Whidbey Island during the summer. They said they enjoy spending time away from the hustle and bustle of Edmonds, Lynnwood and Seattle.

“But sometimes, when you’re in the woods, there’s sometimes not really much things to do when you’re looking for stuff,” Olin said.

“Sometimes you have to be creative,” Korrow agreed.

For Torrey Green, the arts camp has been a regular part of her life, especially since she became an instructor working alongside her mother. The Greens moved to Langley in 2020, but have been putting on summer camps for Whidbey Island since 2017.

Torrey said it has been cool to see the kids so engaged in nature, whether they’re entertaining themselves with farm animals or forts in the forest.

“Nature really takes the stress away from everything, and I really see the kids thrive in that environment,” she said. “I think the counselors and teachers too, we all feel our best outside.”

A recent South Whidbey High School graduate, Torrey is bound for university in New York City this fall. But she plans to come home every summer to help with camps.

Full Moon Rising Farm has been hosting summer camps for the past 25 years. Founder and director Anne Petersen initially started the camps with a focus on environmental education outside of the walls of a classroom.

“We don’t want it to feel like school,” she said.

About six years ago, Joan Green and another instructor approached Petersen about running their own educational programs at Full Moon Rising Farm, in addition to Petersen’s farm- and wilderness-based camps. Since then, a series of guest instructors have taught several skills to a wide range of age groups, from blacksmithing and woodworking for teenagers to photography for pre-teens to songwriting for younger kids.

Petersen teaches Farm Life Camp for 5- to 10-year-olds, who learn how to feed, clean and milk barnyard animals. A highlight is the last day of camp, when they make ice cream from goat milk.

She also teaches Coyote Camp for 6- to 11-year-olds, where kids learn survival skills, forest arts and join in imaginative play by making forts. They also play games and often hike down to nearby Double Bluff Beach.

Some of the kids who attended Petersen’s camps are now counselors themselves or bring their own kids to camps. Over the years she has seen more kids from off-island join the camps while visiting family on the island or a second home.

Older kids interested in becoming counselors can attend an apprentice program to learn responsibility and leadership skills.

Though the summer camps at Full Moon Rising Farm are wrapping up for the season, Petersen hasn’t ruled out the possibility of letting instructors teach during the fall.

For more information about the farm, visit fullmoonrisingfarm.com.

As for the Green Art Labs camps Joan and Torrey Green lead, there’s still room to sign up for some upcoming sessions at a different location. A camp on “Eco Art” runs Aug. 21-24 and a camp on “Land Art” runs Aug. 28-31. Both camps run 9 a.m. to noon, are at the South Whidbey Community Center and are tailored for kids between the ages of 4 and 8. Standard tickets are $250, with a 10% military discount and a scholarship option to purchase a ticket between $150 and $200 available. To register, visit wilasc.com.

This fall, Green Art Labs is planning to offer ongoing classes and camps at additional locations throughout the island.

“Through art making and play, we can encourage sustainability and empower children and families to take zero-waste actions in their day-to-day lives,” Joan said.

For more information about Green Art Labs, visit greenartlabs.com.

Instructor Joan Green, left, helps Saoirse Dunham, 6, of Langley unfurl a tie-dyed shirt at Green Arts Camp Aug. 9.

Photos by David Welton 7-year-old Katie Olin from Lynnwood sets her boat made from sticks and leaves afloat at Green Arts Camp Aug. 9.

Photo by David Welton From left, cousins Gus Black, 7, from Seattle, Katie Olin, 7, from Lynnwood and Sally Gibbs, 8, from Edmonds play in the woods at Full Moon Rising Farm.