We talk about it, we sing about, we editorialize about it, some
of us even pray for it—the simple joys of childhood mirrored
in our connection to the land. Even more difficult to achieve
unless you are lucky enough to spend a summer at Gwynn Valley.
Walking the Walk
What would an Outward Bound instructor/career camp counselor
and an elementary and high school French teacher have in common?
For Anne and Grant Bullard, owners and directors of Gwynn Valley—nearly
everything. It's a shared philosophy and a way of living
that has found perfect expression in their love of the outdoors
and connection to the growth and education of children. That
combined with the knowledge and expertise of Dale Robertson,
who started the farm at Gwynn Valley, brings a whole new meaning
to experiential education.
 Nestled in the hills of North Carolina, Gwynn Valley, with its
emphasis on outdoor experiences for primary school children,
has adopted a whole foods or "slow food" emphasis,
with campers experiencing the life of a working farm, producing
their own vegetables for the table, and tending the animals that
complete the experience.
It's time to "smell the roses," or better
yet walk the fence line at the cattle farm or catch your breath
by the stream. Inhale some of those good old-fashioned smells—the
ones that animals produce and acres of crops release. Taking
time the old-fashioned way speaks to the basic philosophy at
Gwynn Valley: the farm speaks a different language to the children—it's
about process and flow—taking the time.
Daybreak
It's morning and six-year-old Melissa holds a squirming
chick moments after it has hatched in the incubator. She's
feeling the energy of a new life in her carefully cupped hands.
Now she'll be able to watch it grow during her summer session
at Gwynn Valley. Her chick has a name—Penelope.
The slick fish quivers on the line and ten-year-old Jack gives
a slight tug. He's caught dinner—a glistening trout,
enough for himself and several of his cabin mates.
"I didn't know it was so hard!" That's
the first impression of many campers when it's their turn
to milk the cows. Sally, a doe-eyed Holstein, the ultimate Ben
and Jerry's cow, stamps and swats her tail patiently as
campers get the rhythm of milking and realize it takes slightly
more elbow grease than opening a milk carton—plus, it's
warm and sweet. Betsy's milk then works its way to
the baby calves and piglets as campers, charged with the bottle
feeding of baby animals, bond to the farm pets.
Farm to Table
"What we grow deepens the experience and importance of
the connections that we tend to live apart from," says
Grant. "As family farmland decreases, fewer children have
any idea about how far society has grown away from its roots,
and most children today have no idea where any of their food
comes from."
Gwynn Valley produces seventy percent of its own food. We raise
our own beef, about forty head, and that translates into about
two and a half years to table. While we don't emphasize
the entire cattle process, the lesson remains that we use what
we need. The goats are born every spring and the campers get
the joy of bottle feeding them along with the new piglets and
calves while watching them grow."
If Pigs Could Fly—Gwynn Valley's Pigs Might
Be the First
If it's up to the campers, that is, waking up in the morning
can be the best part of the day. Newly born piglets may be waiting
for campers to pick one that needs their care to thrive. Each
summer with exquisite timing Clarissa, the mama pig, is certain
to produce piglets, anywhere from six to twelve perfect, pink,
powdery skinned piglets.
"Eat Your Vegetables!"
Parents may be surprised when their children return from Gwynn
Valley. That pesky food pyramid has shifted in your favor. The "yuck
factor," the all-to-common aversion to leafy or green foods,
may change as children take a caretaking role—tending the
vegetable garden, waiting for the harvest. Take this a step further
and picture the dining hall. The bright green stalks of broccoli
rest on each camper's plate. Your eight-year-old is eyeing
the plates of fellow campers—will they like it? After all,
this child owns that broccoli, watched it grow, listened to what
it needed, and proudly measures its performance in the dining
room. Somehow life has just gotten very, very sweet.
Tales the Corn Tells
 Most packaged corn whether frozen or canned is consumed without
a thought as to how it came to the table—the first thing
children learn is that corn is giant, and the ears are hidden
on the inside. It's not going to be easy. The second thing
is campers aren't the only ones who like corn. Worms do,
too. But wait, at Gwynn Valley everything is valued, so those
worms are harvested before they make pigs out of themselves,
so to speak. They become a delicacy for the chickens and a tantalizing
lure for the trout at the Grist Mill stream. Another small lesson
for the youngest campers in observation and balance in the natural
world.
The Pioneer Spirit—Counting for Our Supper
The living history experience is also alive and well at Gwynn
Valley. Boys and girls step back in time to early America and
touch the pioneer settlers' spirit as they construct the
corn husk dolls or make the toys that would be familiar to children
in the past. The 1890 Grist Mill provides the camp with its cornmeal,
flour, and grits, and a lesson in basic math. Try calculating
the amount of corn that will feed the campers at a meal and then
you'll be inside the life of Gwynn Valley campers. "The
lives of the campers are changed with the turn of the water wheel.
They know they are the lucky ones who have found a part of the
world that few experience," says Grant.
Far Afield
The camp experience for grades five through eight broadens as
campers venture away from the farm and other camp activities
to explore mountain biking, whitewater canoeing, rock climbing,
and backpacking. Under a skilled staff, the Mountainside program
for eleven and twelve-year-olds and Riverside program for thirteen
and fourteen-year-olds, incorporates the philosophy and ideals
from Gwynn Valley—nothing wasted, all part of a seamless
process—as campers discover the hills and hiking trails
of the mountains.
Close of Day
The piglets are snuggled against each other, the cows, heads
lowing, are munching the last dandelion shoots, and some are
lying against the earth. The campers are listening with the lights
out . . . the mist blankets the valley, and tomorrow the new
chicks will hatch. All is growing marvelously and miraculously—the children,
the calves, the corn, the chicks—the richness of life virtually
hums.
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