The Joyful Creative
Nurture our children’s creative genius.
Kids Summer Camp Series - Loudoun Valley II, Ashburn, VA
Camp highlights:
12+ field trips
Kids Yoga, Meditation and Brain Yoga
Art and Science in Nature
Mostly outdoor
Week 1 - Nature Joy (June 26-30)
Week 2 - I AM Joy (July 10-14)
Week 3 - Creative Joy (July 17-July 21)
Week 4 - Discovery Joy (July 24-July 28)
Time: 9:30am to 3:30 pm
Ages: 5-10 years old
Maximum Enrollment Limit - 6 children
Questions? Call at 571-758-3876 or
schedule a 15 minutes call >>
Our Philosophy
…an annoyance on his pant leg that made it all the way to the moon.
In 1941, George de Mestral was on a hunting trip and noticed that both his pants and his Irish Pointer’s hair were covered in the burs from a burdock plant. Rather than being irritated, de Mestral decided to study the burs under a microscope out of curiosity. His findings led him to develop what we know today as Velcro, a ubiquitous fastener used in almost all industries around the world including space. You can read a more detailed story here.
This story of creativity and innovation is far from unique. Most great findings and new ways of thinking and doing things follow a very similar pattern.
But what is this pattern of creativity?
We call this pattern ‘Inquition(TM) ‘. This pattern has 3 distinct phases.
Inquiry - Inquiry is the ability to observe and ask questions. It requires curiosity. George de Menstral’s curious nature made him pay close attention to burs.
Imagination - After asking questions, one needs to do some deep thinking to discover answers. This type of deep thinking goes beyond logical thinking to abstracting and imaginative to get to the essence. After studying burs under microscope, George understood the essence was hook and loop attachment mechanism.
Intuition - After abstracting the essence, most creative people experience moments of inspiration where they are able to connect the dots that no one before them have been able to connect before. It could happen in a moment or a steady stream of inspiration over weeks and months. In those moments, they are guided by an intelligence bigger than their own mind.
But how does this pattern apply to my child? Isn’t it true that only a few people are born as creative geniuses?
Nothing can be farther from the truth. The fact is that almost all of us are born with a high level of creativity. But as we get older, we are run through a factory style system at school, home and work and gradually we lose touch with it.
This truth is obvious when you closely observe how toddlers play. A stick becomes a pirate spyglass or birthday cake candles.
Watch these videos to learn more about the research that proves this point unequivocally.
Failure of success
Are creative geniuses born or made? Let’s find out from Dr. George Land, a scientist whose TED talk will change everything you thought you knew about being a genius.
Do schools kill creativity?
Watched more than 20M times, Sir Ken Robinson’s famous TED talk makes the case for nurturing creativity in school.
If that’s true, what do we need to do to keep our children’s creativity alive?
To nurture a child’s faculties of inquiry, imagination and intuition, we need to provide time and space to allow things to happen. Here are some of the non-obvious ideas and unconventional wisdom to get there.
Principle of Life-energy
Our bodies run on the fuel called prana, chi or ki. In English it is called life-force. When we are over-scheduled, following a repetitive routine, and spend a lot of time indoors, prana levels in the body goes down. Both the mind and body feel tired. The very first step is to boost a child’s energy.
Principle of Freedom
Creativity is messy. It is self-directed. Children need freedom to follow their own intuition even if they can not explain to us what exactly they are doing. If they are always in a structured learning environment where they have to follow other’s instructions, they would lose their intuition.
Principle of Virtues
In order for us to tap into something bigger than ourselves to connect the dots, we need to develop our soul qualities. Practicing virtues such as generosity and honesty can help us achieve that.
Camp Curriculum
Below is an outline of each week’s theme. We may improvise as we go along based on what children would like to do.
Week 1 - Nature Joy
(June 26 to June 30)
Purpose - To rejuvenate the body and mind and allow for ample opportunities for curiosity.
Did you know that spending time outdoors makes kids more attentive, less stressed and more creative? Link to article with research
Traditional science doesn’t know why and how of it yet. But from the Pranic Healing perspective, mountains, trees, water, sun and ground exude a lot of prana or life-force. When we are out in nature, we absorb this good quality of prana to regenerate the body. If we know how to absorb the nature prana consciously, we can absorb a lot more of it. But, unfortunately, on any given day, most children spend more time indoors than outdoors. And they haven’t been taught how to connect with nature consciously to improve their vitality.
In this camp, the goal is to spend most the day outdoors. Some of the activities we will do are
Children will be guided to connect with nature - texture, sounds, colors and more
Taught to do simple techniques to relax and absorb prana from ground, air and trees consciously.
Take nature walks
Daily outdoor picnic lunches
Do camping and learn how to make a campfire
Field trip to visit a garden
Engage in nature inspired art and craft
Do outdoor yoga
Play in water and soil
Simple cooking e.g. making lemonade, popsicles etc.
Every day, they will have ample amount of unhurried and unstructured play time to reinstill their sense of joy.
Week 2 - I AM Joy
(July 10 to July 14)
We are beings of light, love and power. We just need to open our hearts so that the small ‘I am’ can tap into the higher ‘I AM’, our soul aspect. The moment we are able to connect to our higher self, the intuition can flow freely. The secret of making the connection lies in stillness and character development.
Once the children have revitalized their mind and body, they are ready for this step. In this camp, we will focus on the following activities.
Daily simple meditation to open hearts
Daily virtue introduction - loving-kindness, forgiveness and honesty etc through story-telling and activities
Child-friendly techniques to transform negative emotions into positive
Nature time
Outdoor Yoga
Outdoor picnic lunches
Art and craft
Unstructured play time
Daily practice of SuperBrain Yoga(TM) exercise to develop focus, intelligence and stress-relief.
Field trip to a farm to do service
Make lunch bags for homeless shelter
Young children are naturally good at connecting with their higher self. Our goal is to provide them with tools to do it consciously. As they strengthen this connection, they will develop true faith and trust in themselves. They can become independent thinkers and even experience the joy of ‘I AM’.
Week 3 - Creative Joy
(July 17 to July 21)
With their mind and body recharged and intuition flowing, children are ready to unleash their creative spirit. Children will be provided with freedom to follow their own ideas while engaging in each creative project.
In this camp, we will focus on different types of creative activities to help them think on their own and in abstract terms. We will continue daily meditation and SuperBrain Yoga(TM). Some of the activities are
Story-telling - children develop their own stories and even make storybooks (age-appropriate).
Architecture - develop their own concept of building structures
Art - Make art with found objects. Completely self-directed activity.
Cooking - Hands on experience with textures, colors and aromas.
Create with natural materials - they can make anything e.g. paint or fragrances from natural materials found at our doorsteps.
Field trip to attend a child-friendly artistic event
Outdoor picnic lunches
Nature time
Unstructured play time
The joy of creation is unparalleled with any other joy on earth. Let’s make it happen for our children!
Week 4 - Discovery Joy
(July 24 to July 28)
“In all things of nature, there is something marvelous.”
Aristotle
“Nature is God’s factory.”
Master Choa Kok Sui
For us, it is a lab with infinite possibilities to practice our curiosity and learn new things every day. Chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics are happening right in front of our eyes in the most sophisticated ways.
This week, we will focus on science in nature. We will continue daily meditation and SuperBrain Yoga(TM). Some of the activities we will do are
Kite flying to learn about aerodynamics (and have fun)
Pond water study - learn about the habitat of pond animals
Structures in natures - using outdoor microscopes to study moss, algae, leaves and bark etc
Night sky - movement of sun, earth, moon, solstice and equinox
Field trip to local observatory to see stars, planets and constellations
Observing shapes and patterns in nature
Nature time
Unstructured play time
True science is hands-on, awe-inspiring and practical. As we learn to acknowledge the scientific beauty in nature, we open the pathways to become a truly joyful creative.
Exciting field trips planned for nature and art immersion
Morven Park, Leesburg, VA
Meadowlark Garden, Vienna, VA
Catoctin Creek, Middletown, MD
Lake Fairfax, Reston, VA
Franklin park for performing and visual arts center, Purceville, VA
Hope and serenity farm sanctuary, Knokesville, VA
JK Community Farm, Purceville, VA
8. Loudoun County Animal Services, Leesburg, VA
9. Wolf Trap National Park for Performing Arts, Vienna, VA
10. Museum of Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, VA
11. Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane, VA
12. Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Leesburg, VA
13. Turner Farm Observatory, Great Falls, VA (evening with parents)
14. Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park, Aldie, VA
“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
Why attend these camps?
Right viewpoint - We believe that children are natural born creators. Rather than leading them, our job is to nurture their natural proclivities by creating an environment that allows them to express themselves in their own unique ways.
Whole child development - A child is a synthesis of mind, body and spirit. We must nurture all three aspects simultaneously for well-balanced development.
Unique and new programming - The curriculum is a unique blend of knowledge base of Pranic Healing, meditation, child psychology and science of creativity. Rather than doing ‘paint-by-numbers’ type cookie cutter projects, we invest in the process to facilitate true child-led creative work.
Small size - We don’t believe in big class-size. Small size allows for full attention to be given to each child.
Environment - Safe and home-based loving environment for kids.
Educators - All camp leaders are college-educated and have extensive experience of working with children.
Screen and device free time.
Camp leaders
Charu Chundury: Charu has a Bachelor and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and MBA from University of Virginia. As an entrepreneur, she has co-founded two technology start-ups. She is also an avid meditator and certified teacher of Pranic Healing and meditation.
Currently, she is developing her philosophy of creativity and innovation among children and grown ups blending her personal experience of entrepreneurial creativity and meditation. She also ran a micro-preschool to experiment with some of her ideas on fostering creativity among children. You can learn more about the micro-preschool here.
Kathi Hottinger: Kathi has been working with children for over 25 years. She has managed two childcare centers. She is currently the Committee Chair of Round Hill Outdoors and runs a community garden in her town. She is also a leader for the Tinkergarten program, a program that connects children and families with outdoors and nature. She also organizes her town’s annual screen-free week. She has a passion for the outdoors and introducing children to the wonders of nature.
Ann-Margaret Russ: Ann Russ has 20+ years of experience as an art teacher teaching painting, sculpture, ceramics etc. She has a bachelor's degree in art. She will be guiding the kids on art fundamentals and letting them have fun with it. She is on board with our principle of giving creative freedom to children and we are excited to see it come to fruition.
Brigitta Elsa White, MS, R-DMT, RYT-200 received her Masters in Dance/Movement Therapy from The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York in 2007. She is a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist with The American Dance Therapy Association. She received both her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance from George Mason University School of Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish in 2005. She is certified in Children’s Yoga from Radiant Child Yoga since 2010. In 2022, she obtained her adult yoga teacher training through the Awakened Spaces Scholarship at Beloved Yoga in Reston, VA.
Camp Registration
Please select the number of camp weeks your child will attend and make a payment for it.
We will send a confirmation email with a link to submit the desired weeks your child will attend. Please note a $50 fee supplies and field trip tickets will be required after registration.
1 Camp week $350 Regular ($400 regular)
2 Camp weeks $700 Regular ($800 regular)
Have questions about the camps? Call at 571-758-3876 or Schedule a free 15 minutes call >>
Frequently asked questions
What is the camp timing? 9:30 am to 3:30pm.
Where is the camp? Home in Ashburn, VA. The exact location will be provided after your register.
Can my child attend just individual weeks? Yes, you can enroll in individual weeks. Select the number of weeks and you can let us know which week you desired for your child.
What is your refund policy? You can receive full refund if you cancel at-least 3 weeks before the camp start date and 50% 2 weeks before the start date. We can not process refunds if the camp is starting in 2 weeks or less. We can not process partial refunds if the camp has already started and your child leaves in the middle of it.
Can we change the camp week? You can request a change at-least 2 weeks prior to start date and we will do our best to honor it subject to space availability.