Next generation upcyclers?

I spent Earth Day weekend with 6 energetic Daisy Scouts and their parents on gorgeous Camp Orkila on the San Juan Islands. We had unexpected (and unforecast) beautiful weather -- dry, sunny, and just the right temperature.

In between fun workshops (archery, climbing, etc.), we spent our time walking the beach, looking for that perfect shell or rock. Both adults and kids share a passion for gathering and collecting, it seems. 

I found plenty of gorgeous rocks, but I couldn't imagine easily upcycling them, so I left them where I found them, trying to take a moment to appreciate each detail. The daisy scouts, on the other hand, came back with bulging bags to share with their families at home. One enterprising girl used the plastic holder for her name tag to hold her finds.

Kids are always finding new ways of using old stuff. On the beach, they decided to build a fort. They gathered driftwood and stacked it into a tee-pee. To hold the sticks together, they wrapped kelp around the top (after shrieking about how icky it felt).

I think this counts as upcycling! Also, their finishing touch of decorating the fort with shells carefully arranged on one of the logs.

For the Saturday night campfire, each scout troop had to perform a skit of their own devising. Our scouts dreamed up a morality tale about puffer fish and mermaids learning to share a pile of "pearls" on the ocean floor. The pearls, of course, were creamy white rocks, scavenged from the beach. I think that counts as upcycling, too!