Creating their own magic!
At Witchlets or Redwood Magic, no singalong is complete without magical kids’ songs: Puff, Yellow Submarine, Rainbow Connection…
Sometimes the kids even sing with us!
And now we add our own offering: The Wheel of the Year, from a Teen Earth Magic retreat ( Song 10 and page after).
You’ll hear kids join in on several songs on this album – part of a meandering odyssey that may just be beginning.
We started with the idea that kids would be part of the chorus. But when it came time to rehearse, those present usually opted to run around in the back yard. Go figure!
Then we started recording. The first day, the attendant kids avoided our makeshift studio all afternoon, playing out back and going to a park.
But when we finished and went into the kitchen, the kids suddenly got interested in exploring the recording space.
Did they want to try on the headphones?
No.
Well, maybe.
Did they want to sing a song into the mics?
No way.
Well, maybe one, if they got to choose.
They chose We Are the Rising Sun, a favorite from Witchlets (Song 3). They must have been secretly rehearsing in the back yard, because they had the song down. Once they got used to headphones, we did a take.
Over the next sessions we added their voices to Wheel of the Year and Welcome Flame. A few more kids came over for our community-sing day toward the end of the project, and we wound up with eight young people on the album.
You’ll hear their voices on these three songs, and we’ll add some special all-kids mixes to the Bonus disk – visit CampfireChants.org for info.
Will the Kids Chorus continue? Stay tuned – maybe they’ll get inspired and record the next Reclaiming album!
Reclaiming Family Camps
Witchlets in the Woods & Redwood Magic – and more to come!
Witchlets in the Woods, begun in 2001, gathers in August at Mendocino Woodlands for five days of family and age-specific magic. Redwood Magic (also at the Woodlands) grew out of the overflow of Witchlets and is now an independent camp.
For dates and more info, visit witchlets.org and redwoodmagic.org
Want to start a family camp? We have a do-it-yourselves organizing booklet and are glad to share our experiences. Contact quarterly@reclaiming.org
Photo: Witchlets Newts Campfire. Photo By Alla Irwin.
Campfire Chants 