Back when we were raising our first daughter, we placed great importance on her education, hoping to mold her into a certain type of person. But in the decade since then, our motivation for parenting has become simpler and purer. Rather than trying to impart specific philosophies or experiences, our focus now is just on living well and honestly alongside our child.
Living in the UK, we greatly enjoy observing the lifestyles of local makers. For instance, some would take their children with them to the farm, placing sleeping babies in wheelbarrows or on the grass as they tend the land. Others would go to the chicken coop to cuddle the hens, or milk the sheep. Some even built their own houses, brick by brick, with their children. They would forage, cook, and explore nature together. Seeing these carefree, free-spirited ways of living ignited many beautiful fantasies about life within me. Life is so direct — you simply become what you do, without any pretense.
曾跟當地朋友閒談，他們分享童年時的假期就是跟著父母兄弟姊妹大伙兒在英國四圍遊歷野外露營，會圍圈生火煮食，看星星、日出日落，跳繩打球等，是很普遍的家庭活動，所以在假日的公路上很常看見行走中的旅行車，或者車頂上放著單車或艇的家庭車。我們也想跟著英國家庭的傳統，延續我們在香港喜愛露營的心，試過租旅行車到Dorset car camping，也試過改裝家庭車，加摺疊木板變作旅行車到Lake District露營，那就可以車到哪兒睡到哪兒。當深入了解更多當地露營文化，那些沒有明文規定的規則，信任機制中人們的自律，讓我們看見人與人之間彼此的尊重和信任，那種溫柔的、友善的、享受當下的。
Chatting with local friends, we learned that for many, childhood memories are infused with the outdoor escapades of camping holidays; building campfires, stargazing, and playing games under the open sky. This passion for family travel and adventure is woven into the fabric of British culture, visible in the ubiquitous camper vans and cars hauling bicycles or boats that dot the roads. Inspired by this penchant for adventure, we’ve sought to rekindle our own interest in camping, which first took root during our time in Hong Kong. We’ve tried renting camper vans to go car camping in Dorset, and even converted our family car into a cozy mobile sleep spot for trips to the Lake District. Car camping allows us to sleep wherever we go. As we’ve delved deeper into this local camping culture, we’ve realized that there exists an unwritten etiquette, governed by self-discipline among fellow campers. It’s a mutual respect and trust that allows people to simply be present in the moment.
說回Art of Making，盡可能運用在生活日常裡獲得的天然材料，製作成真正有用的物品，就是我心目中Art of Making的意義。例如把修葺花園的籐枝樹葉曬乾，收集剪下來的竹枝和楓葉，行山時尋的寶，如樹木、羊毛、果實、石頭、羽毛，全部先儲起來等待大派用場的時候，那就是和孩子做點手工勞作時需要的物料了。我們嘗試把重點放到生活，希望成品在日常中能用得到，與孩子一起時，方法其實和大人的差不多，但做的時候既要陪伴，也要信任和放手，有時甚至一起學習，上網找資料做法、硏究，帶著謙卑平等的心，一起做錯再糾正修補，或學習接受錯誤，接受做得不完美的模樣。我們試過用蛋殼蜜蠟造蠟燭，用乾葉編小籃子，用幼竹枝做掃把，用籐枝織dreamcatcher， 用羊毛顫刺出小碗子。當有物件需要時，不一定要買，找方法自己做出來，是認真看待生活的一種方式。記得妹妹曾想要些禮物小袋給同學，她先上網找how to make⋯整個過程由自己完成，然後做了一個袋底穿了孔的袋子，很可愛。那些收集回來的植物花卉羽毛石頭果實也成了孩子的生活日記，不帶文字的記錄，但帶著記憶的質感，獨一無二，很美滿。
Getting back to the “Art of Making,” the essence of it, in my mind, is to use natural materials gathered from our daily lives to create truly useful and practical items. For example, we dry the vines and leaves pruned from the garden, collect bamboo branches and maple leaves, and pick up objects like wood, wool, fruits, stones, and feathers from our hike; we store all these treasures, waiting for the right moment when we’ll need them for our handcraft projects with the children. Our approach is to focus on creating things that can be used in our daily lives. And when we work on these projects with the kids, the process is similar to how we as adults approach it — we guide, we trust, and we let go. Sometimes, we even learn alongside them, researching techniques online and picking up new skills and knowledge. We’ve tried making candles from eggshells and beeswax, woven baskets from dried leaves, brooms from young bamboo, dreamcatchers from vines, and small bowls from wool. Rather than buying new things, we always try to find ways to make what we need ourselves. This is a way of truly engaging with and appreciating the richness of our daily lives. I remember our youngest daughter once wanted some small gift bags for her classmates, so she researched online how to make them and completed the entire process herself, ending up with a charming handmade bag with a hole at the bottom. Those collected plants, flowers, feathers, stones, and fruits also become an unwritten life journal for the children, a tactile record of memories, unique and beautiful.
We are very grateful that so many of the houses here have connected gardens as part of their design. Tending to the garden, pruning the plants, burning wood for fires, watching the sunset, observing the birds and insects, and even burying the dead bugs have all become integral parts of our family’s daily life. Our connection to nature has become much more normal and routine. This, in our view, is the best and most natural way to nurture our children. In our daily lives, we engage in the activities we enjoy, sometimes diligently, and other times we indulge in a bit of laziness. The children participate with us at times, and decline our invitations at other times. Today, we have learned to fully embrace both our children and ourselves exactly as we are in the present moment.
