As I begin an adventure on Steemit...
I feel like an explorer in a mysterious world – like the guy in the picture below. He’s traveled far and is generally a friendly inquisitive fellow. His backpack is full of notes and ideas and a smattering of half-started tales. He’s not a scholar, preferring rather to explore the wilderness, discover first-hand interesting creatures and magical places. And here he’s found a new friend – a baby dragonling of some sort or other, not realizing that the large, very powerful, and potentially dangerous mother dragon is headed his way. To devour him? Or to befriend him? That remains to be seen…
Yes, I make a living LARP’ing with children.
LARP: That’s live-action roleplaying – dressing up as elves, wizards, goblins, and trolls, and playacting with kids. Sound fun? It is! And…there’s a lot more to it.
Experiential Education Through Live-Action Roleplaying
How do you teach a kid to think outside the box? To share, and not interrupt other kids? To not label a “monster” as a “monster, or as good or evil, but rather to see shades of light and shadow? To view so-called “villains” as creatures deserving of respect, and who have complex goals and motivations, like everyone else.
How do you help a kid build their self-esteem, self-worth, and courage to speak up and stand up for what they know is right?
Lecturing and moralizing - these are not effective. However, give a kid a foam sword and some magical powers, playact the king or queen asking them to go negotiate a peace treaty between dwarves and goblins, and you can facilitate an amazing opportunity for learning. And that is a topic I’ll talk more about in another post! For more information about edu-LARP, check out my three-minute video on youtube, or on the homepage of my website: www.RenaissanceAdventures.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts6DDMdn-Mk
A Little Background On Me:
I founded Renaissance Adventures in 1995 out of a passion to give kids the opportunities for learning, play, and love that I did not have as a child. I do my best to lead RA through ethical leadership, and to coach my staff in leading the children’s Adventure Quest programs in a non-authoritarian style, that invites children’s creative expression and responsible empowerment.
As for me, I grew up an introverted disempowered nerd, avoiding life through reading fantasy novels and playing roleplaying games with a few friends. Roleplaying was my creative outlet, and my most active and engaged method of communication and co-creation as a teen.
Meditation and Personal Growth
Meditation retreats and intensive group therapy in my early twenties tore me open and out of the safe shell. Gratitude to my many mentors! When I found my center I realized I needed to work with kids. I do storytelling at schools and camps, and I lead a team of storytellers, actors, and teachers in facilitating the children becoming the heroes of mythic quests.
I’ve lived in spiritual communes, worked with amazing people, and done a lot of soul searching. I’m human - I get laid low by old wounds, reactions, self-sabotaging habits. Lately, I’ve been wrestling with a part of me that believes I’ll never be able to accomplish what I truly desire. That old voice says, “It’s ok to numb out. No need to finish writing your book. No need for your business to succeed. Disappear into distraction.”
But maybe engaging with Steemit will be helpful for my creative spirit and desire to expand my community. Will I flake out? Procrastinate and not share my struggles, insights, and wisdom? Let’s find out, shall we?
Writing!
Over the years I’ve started writing a few fantasy novels, and somehow they’ve fallen by the way side after writing only one or a few chapters. “When I retire,” I tell myself. Well, that’s lame!
I am hoping that you, the Steemit community, will inspire me to write, and to share and collaborate.
So – hello, and well met! I look forward to participating. It may be baby steps at first.
I’m passionate about a lot of things.
If any of these topics interest you, I invite you to follow me:
- Conflict resolution
- Conscious parenting
- Experiential education
- Inspiring and working with children
- Ethical leadership, right use of power
- Psychology
- Live-action roleplaying (LARP)
- Tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs)
- Game Design (I'm the lead designer for Adventure Quest - the Live Action Roleplaying Game)
- Dance Therapy & Drama Therapy
- Meditation
- Personal growth, emotional healing
- Relationships, communication
- Delicious health-food recipes
- My inner journey Spirituality Riddles – one fun sample below.
- The Pirate’s Last Wish – a fantasy short story about power and transformation that I’m polishing. Short excerpt below.
- A Broken Phoenix Flies – a fantasy novel about coming of age and right use of power. I have thought much about it but have only barely begun writing.
- Baldhuren’s Bloodhearts – a fantasy novel inspired by epic sagas in the Norse tradition. I’m intimidated to write this, though I have begun it. It probably needs to be delayed until I’ve a book or two under my belt.
- Learning – Thank you for sharing your posts and comments on Steemit!
And here are some teasers:
A riddle: (more for fun than to challenge you!)
Push me around will you?
I’ll slam you good, softie!
Then I’ll stop you in your tracks.
You won’t be able to get past me.
So, don’t twist or pull on me.
And don’t complain about my shrill voice.
Give me some oil and TLC,
And I’ll let you pass so gracefully!
The first three paragraphs of a short story I’m polishing, The Pirate’s Last Wish:
A’ruin Runeson fell from his ship and was swallowed by the sea. His blood seeped from many gashes, and the cold water sucked the warmth from his body. On the ship above, his crew cheered, thankful to be rid of the pirate captain’s tyranny. They thought he was dead, but A’ruin Runeson was not dead yet.
A’ruin sank into the salty depths. He could not move. He could not even think. The rage that had flamed within him moments before was utterly extinguished. All that was left was the unblinking gaze of a dying man seeing a flash of color and memory that told his life’s tale within the span of a few heartbeats. That tale was interrupted.
A’ruin had never paid much attention to the ever-beating drum within his chest until now, in its silence. His chilled blood slowed. Darkness yawned within him, enveloping the light of his consciousness. But this final moment heralded a last burst of memory, a review of the last five minutes of his life; the five minutes that had transformed him from the most dreaded pirate captain of the clans into a corpse, all because of one treacherous wish.
~~~
An Invitation
Thanks for reading! I invite you to read, explore, engage, and dialogue with the coming posts I will slowly but surely be sharing.
~Spark
Mark Hoge, Director of Renaissance Adventures, LLC.
Art credit for warrior pic (bottom of article): Jojo Monson, https://www.etsy.com/shop/monsondesigns
Art credit for all other art: https://www.thestorydragon.com
We all need a good story teller. A Seanchaí means a bearer of "old lore" (seanchas). In the ancient Celtic culture, the history and laws of the people were not written down but memorized in long lyric poems which were recited by bards (filí), in a tradition echoed by the seanchaithe. So Full Steem Ahead;D~
Thanks Frank! And I checked out your Kingslayer - mighty fine writing! I like your style! It's alive!
Thanks for that. I joined up to the Steem Blog Blockchain, with the idea of getting all my stories on the Blockchain. And if I got a few Up Vote cents along the way I wouldn't complain. It still is more Story Blog Busking than an avalanche of coins. But it builds up, cent by cent. The whole story of Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin and the Blockchain is a grand adventure tale in itself. And Steemit is the first real embodiment of what a Blockchain is capable of. That can be explained to a complete novice. Anyway good luck with your stuff.
Hey Mark! Welcome to Steemit, I'm sure glad you're here.
I am a huge fan of initiatives like yours, and I'm thrilled to see you on here and sharing it with us all! I'm a LARPer and a parent, so Renaissance Adventures and all that it does resonates with me.
Interactive storytelling - and especially LARP - is such a fantastic resource for teaching kids not just to revel in their imaginations but also for teaching them methods, like conflict resolution and critical thinking, which they might not get otherwise. Getting to raise my daughter in an environment where both me and my wife have been or are involved in RP - and nearly all of our closest friends are as well, either through LARP or the SCA and so on - has already begun to rub off on her, even though she's only three years old.
Looking forward to reading and commenting on your content in the future!
Thanks Beowulf! Appreciate your big appreciation! And thanks for Resteeming - that's huge! So awesome you LARP and RP with your kids.
SCA is great - I played in my teens and early twenties; then got more involved with LARPs. Curious what part of the country you are in. I'm working on taking my 20+ years of experience and transfering it into training videos, ops manuals, and coaching to help others start similar experiential education companies LARP'ing with kids. If you know anyone who may want to do this - have them contact me. Following you now - Rock On!
Great to have another follower, welcome!
I'm in the northeast, which has a very strong LARP and SCA background - and I know quite a few folks who are either involved in running games right now or have done so in the past. I will steer them your way if they're interested!
Excellent! Thanks!
BTW, I was a squire to Earl Sir Gyrth Oldcastle, in Maryland, back in 1980, during my senior year in high school. Then moved west, so it was a short-lived but greatly appreciated mentorship with him. :)
Wow you're old-school aren't you? I think Gyrth sadly passed away in 2004, didn't he?
I'm up in the hinterlands of the East Kingdom. I'm not heavily involved but I have some dear friends that are, especially in the Shire of Glenn Linn. It's always fun and interesting around here!
I'm not sure when he passed. In the last year I managed to get in touch with mel, his wife, and had some good contact with her over the FB chat. Good people!
Thank you! Just the coaching I need! Following.... :)
this is a really great intro
Thanks Cody!
Welcome! I think we are going got get along great!
Thanks! I'm looking forward to checking out your posts!
Resteemed your Spartacus article and Following you. So great how you are working with your students!
I'm a big fan of Edu-LARP - using roleplaying to create learning environments. Tough to do in the school system, but there are folks experimenting with this. I'm curious how it would play out to cast groups of your students into different roles from the movie (6 kids represent one character, for example), and re-enact conversations from the movie, allowing your kids to add to the conversation and explore the concepts.
I knew we would get along lol. I actually do this a very tiny bit with the Middle Ages. I do a feudalism reenactment with kids competing for each other's loyalty. I always set it up where one kid is loyal to two lords and the lords go to war. Whose side does the knight/vassal pick?
Awesome! Rock on!
UV (upvoted) your post!
Welcome to Steemit! There is lots to see, do and learn here!
Barry - Fully appreciated the video you shared by dollar vigilante - burning flags. Good commentary! Following... thanks!
Awesome!
If you get a chance - reblog this please to help Ross
https://steemit.com/freedom/@barrydutton/free-ross-a-thon-is-now-today-share-the-info-details-below-2-pm-10-pm-est-steemians-speaking
Was offline all day (great day to be outside in Colorado!), so logged back on too late to participate in this. Hope he had a good turnout!
Thanks Barry! I appreciate your engagement! I'll check out your posts, as well.
This post has been ranked within the top 80 most undervalued posts in the second half of Dec 03. We estimate that this post is undervalued by $7.42 as compared to a scenario in which every voter had an equal say.
See the full rankings and details in The Daily Tribune: Dec 03 - Part II. You can also read about some of our methodology, data analysis and technical details in our initial post.
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I'm curious how this is determined. :) Following you, to check out other undervalued posts. Thanks!
Welcome! Hope you enjoy your experience here.
Thanks Rebecca!
Welcome to Steemit Mark!! You have a great job, role playing games were my drug of choice growing up.
Thanks ! Yep, my drug of choice as well. And creative outlet! Still is one of them, plus dancing and a host of others now. Thanks for checking out my Intro! I like some of your posts, and am following you, so Rock On!
Duuuuude, I'm so following you...
You and me share so many passions, and the art you use is absolutely amazing! A fun read, especially for a fellow LARPer!
Keep 'm coming! :D
Greetings @spark. Seems we haven't interacted much over these months, but I know you feel much as I do about experiential education. I'm grateful to know you're out here and am grateful for the space being held for the empowerment of children. I mentioned you in my most recent post.
https://steemit.com/portraitcontest/@everlove/steemit-portrait-photography-contest-couples-week-no-14-young-love