146

BRIAN A. SIMS

ROGER l. FIRESTIEN

Out Of The ClassroomAnd Through The Woods*

* The Creatiue Studies Department has existed at theState Uniuersity College at Buffalo (SUCB) since

1969. This program, the only one of its kind in the world,encourages students to deuelop their creatiue potential.Through four semesters of work, students explore the fiuestep Osborn-Parnes Creatine Problem-Soluing Process(CPS) as well as other problem-sololnq methods such ascreatiue analysis and synectics. Students learn to usetheir imaginations more productiuely and become moresensitioe to themselues and their enoironment. In thesecond year of the program, students learn creatiue leader­ship by facilitating the first year classes.

Graduate study is also offered at SUCB culminating witha Master of Science degree in Creatiue Studies. Graduatestudents work in a team-teacher relationship with theregular Creatiue Studies faculty teaching undergraduateclasses.

Students are also encouraged to participate in the an­nual Creatiue Problem-Soluing Institute (CPSI) which isheld on the SUCB campus. The Institute, which is now inits twentY'fifth year and attracts severe! hundred partic·ipants from around the world, is co-sponsored by theCreatiue Education Foundation and the State UniuersityCollege at Buffalo.

This growing program is constantly being refined andimproued. One recent innouation is the Creetiue StudiesCamp Weekend.

The authors acknowledge and greatly appreciate the editorial assistanceof Patricia A. Bodine.

Volume 13 Number 2 second Quarter

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The Journal of Creative Behavior

After the hour and a half drive from the State UniversityCollege at Buffalo to the college-owned Whispering PinesCamp, students were greeted with a barrage of friendlysnowballs thrown by students and instructors who hadarrived to prepare the camp earlier that day. Students,alive with anticipation and curiosity, emerged from thecars.

Out of the right·angular classroom to the folds of motherearth; from the hum of the ventilation system to free windblowing through pine trees; from florescent light to fire­light; for this group of Creative Studies students naturewould become a model and facilitator for creative com­munity building.

Comments such as, "Where should I put my stuff?" ..."Wow, this place is beautiful," ... "Look at that cleansnow." ... "When do we eat?" filled the lodge with excite­ment and confusion. The spicy scent of simmering spa­ghetti sauce also filled the lodge, and after people settledin and scanned the wooded, snow-covered hills surround­ing them, dinner was quickly served.

Finished with dinner and clean-up, students and teach·ers gathered in small groups and discussed each other'spersonality traits and how they related to nature. Thegroups then helped everyone invent and select new namessymbolic of their personalities. Eagle Creek, StompingBear, Silent Oak, Lone Star, Big Branch, Rustling Otter,and Radiant Butterfly were a few of the names chosen.

After sharing the new names, campers participated ina nonverbal experience which challenged them to ex­press emotions through their hands. Mingling in a largegroup with eyes closed, students paired up with differentpeople and expressed happiness, anger, frustration, con­tentment, and other emotions. Friday evening closedwith lengthy choruses of the "CPS Blues," a spontaneousconcert beginning with a single soft harmonica and build­ing to a huge ensemble of guitars, voices, and kitchen­utensil instruments.

The activities of the first evening of camp helped de­velop a relaxed community spirit, and encouraged stu­dents to become more sensitive to themselves and theirinteractions with others. The relaxed community splrltwas demonstrated by the open participation of almosteveryone in the "CPS Blues."

Campers woke Saturday morning to the aroma of freshly­baked cinnamon rolls and a country-style breakfast. After

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Out Of The Oassroom And Through The Woods

eating and cleaning up, students could select from a varietyof organized activities, or could do something on their own.Some of the planned experiences included hiking, creativedramatics, values clarification, visual interpretation of music,and Kurlian photography.

After lunch people went on nature awareness hikes,explored tai chi, or just took time to think. Later every­one gathered for a non-verbal trust walk. One person witheyes closed was guided around the lodge by a partner tonon-visually sense the environment. The roles were thenreversed and as the "walk" concluded partners sat downtogether and, without talking, ate dinner. Campers crea­ted many original sounds and gestures to communicate"Please pass the salt," ... "May I have the dressing." ...and "Thank you."

Some of the planned activities, like the trust walk, en­couraged students to break from habitual ways of inter­acting with people and the environment. Other activitiessuch as nature awareness hikes, values clarification,visual interpretation of music, and tai chi helped stu­dents further enhance their sensory awareness of them­selves and their environment. Creative dramatics andvisual interpretation of music encouraged a greater free­dom of expression. The weekend also provided free timefor spontaneous activities. In all of the exercises, campershad the option not to participate.

Saturday evening activities began by watching the firsthalf of a Laurel and Hardy movie. Students then formedgroups to create and act out skits which finished the story.Afterwards, a massage and guided fantasy experiencerelaxed everyone. Wine, cheese, and friendly conversa­tion completed the evening.

Sunday morning some campers were found dozing bythe fire or hiking out to watch the sun rise. After break­fast, campers prepared to return home. Some campersdidn't want to return to Buffalo; what they called the "realworld." This problem was dealt with in a re-entry expe­rience. Students were encouraged to identify their posi­tive feelings about camp and imagine themselves backhome incorporating some of what they learned from theweekend into their daily lives. Everyone then joined to­gether in a large circle and began singing choruses of "Willthe Circle Be Unbroken." After happy tears and warm hugs,campers slowly packed cars, reluctantly left WhisperingPines, and returned to Buffalo.

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The Journal of Creath<eBehavior

The first class session after returning was full of excitedreminiscing. The same warm community spirit that existedduring Camp Weekend quickly spread to those studentswho were unable to attend.

Each person gained something different from the ex­perience at Creative Studies Camp Weekend. Some hadused the time for incubation, or relaxed thinking. Othersleft Whispering Pines with a greater sensitivity for nature.Still others looked inward and became more aware of them­selves. And for some, the weekend was simply a breakfrom the usual college campus weekend. However, therewas a common element in everyone's experience, anelement of community. Several students reflected thiscommunity spirit in written reactions: "It seemed to bringthe group closer." ... "I feel more out-going and less in­hibited by the group." ... "Everyone who participated inthe weekend seems more open and receptive to ideas pre­sented in the classes." ... and '" came back from the campweekend pleasantly surprised to find out that the classmeant more to me."

Creative Studies Camp Weekend helped create an ac­cepting supportive community similar to the environmentthat exists at the annual Creative Problem-Solving Insti­tute (CPSI). This community attitude or "climate for crea­tivity" encouraged people to relax, to free their imagina­tions, and break from traditional ways of thinking. Com­mon goals that developed during the weekend helped pro­mote group cohesiveness.

An experience like the camp weekend, where studentsand teachers live together in a natural environment, canbe a great asset to any curriculum where the focus is crea­tive growth. The sources at the end of this article mightassist the planning of such an experience.

REFERENCES LEATHERS, D. G. Nonverbal communication systems. Boston: Allyn &Bacon, 1976.

McKIM, R. H. Experiences in visual thinking. Monterey, CA: Breoks/Cole,1972.

PARNES, S. J .. NOLLER, R. B. s BIONDI, A. M. Guide to cmatiue action. NYC:Scribners, 1977.

SAMUELS, M. & SAMUELS, N. Seeing with the mind's eye. NYC: RandomHouse, 1975.

SIMON, S. B., HOWE, L. W. s KIRSCHENBAUM, H. Values clarification:a handbook of practical strategies for teachers and students. NYC:Hart, 1972.

Roger L. Firestien & Brian A. Sims.Address: Interdisciplinary Center for Creative Studies, Chase Hall, State Uni·versity College at Buffalo, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222.