Date: June 18, 2022
Place: Ome City, Tokyo
Participants: 6 campers, 1 care worker, 5 LITs, 6 Mirai no Mori staff
Sponsor: Morgan Stanley

Program:

On a sunny day in the rainy season, campers gathered to enjoy a day of art. After a brief orientation, campers took part in a trivia quiz about crafts. After learning about the various tools and materials used for crafts, campers moved to the riverbank to work as a team on a nature art activity.

Each team worked together to create a piece of art using only what they could find in nature. Each of them gathered various materials and used them in different ways to create one-of-a-kind artworks such as “the entrance to the Tama River,” “fireworks,” “the king of stones,” and so on.

After a delicious lunch on the riverbank and a little free time, it was time for individual crafts.

This time, under the theme of “good luck charms,” we introduced not only what are familiar to children, but also evil eye from Turkey and dream catcher from North America. Each one of us was able to make a good-luck charm as they liked, using materials of their choice.

One popular material was a wood given to us by our partner in Takao, and many campers became creative and worked hard to cut it with a saw and turn it into beautiful bracelets and necklaces.

Camper’s voices

“I was very happy that we were able to come up with a lot of different ideas and create an artwork that people could walk through.”

“I was not good with the saw in arts and crafts class at school, so I avoided using it again today. But when I got up the courage to use it, I was able to use it well and create a cute piece of artwork.”

LIT’s voices

“I took the wrong train today and was late, so I want to be more responsible in the future.”

“I was impressed by how the campers used various materials in ways I would never have thought of, and how their individuality shone through.”

Care worker’s voice

“The school events are gradually resuming, but opportunities for hands-on experiences continue to be limited. The children are really looking forward to the Mirai no Mori experience. Hopefully the summer camp will be able to take place!”

Thank you to everyone who supported us through volunteering to make craft samples and donating materials, in addition to your sponsorship on the day of the event!