MAY 29TH - JUNE 1ST | Mendocino, Northern California
MAY 29TH - JUNE 1ST
Mendocino, Northern California
Kids Camp
Nurturing the Seeds of Regeneration
Welcome to the Kids Camp
at Aniwa Gathering 2025
Our camp provides a vibrant and transformative environment for children to play and be creative, explore nature, forge meaningful connections, and cultivate skills that honor our Gathering's theme of Regeneration.
Our experienced teachers and staff are dedicated to creating a safe and nurturing space where young minds and hearts can flourish. Through our carefully designed program, children will discover their innate capacity to renew and reimagine their relationship with the Earth and each other.
kids activitiesWe offer a diverse range of activities including:
Teachings
with Aniwa elders
Collaborative games that build community and ecological awareness
Nature exploration and stewardship practices
Storytelling circles sharing tales of renewal and transformation
Our curriculum is designed to be educational, experiential, and deeply engaging, with a focus on inspiring children to become active participants in healing our world.
Children at our camp will have the precious opportunity to participate in activities taught by the Aniwa elders and leaders, where they will learn about nature connection, regenerative practices, and cultural wisdom that has sustained communities for generations. Learning from Indigenous knowledge keepers offers an invaluable perspective on restoring balance and honoring the interconnectedness of all life.
We prioritize social and emotional development through activities that cultivate empathy, resilience, teamwork, and a sense of belonging to the larger web of life.
Aniwa Elder Activities for Kids
Apache
Twila Cassadore
Medicine Pouch Making Workshop for Kids
A hands-on activity where children learn to create their own medicine pouches, guided by Apache tradition. Twila shares the meaning and purpose behind each element, empowering young ones to carry their own sacred tools.
Mayo Yoreme
J. Salvador Valdez Armenta
Deer Dance
Traditional Yaqui - Yoreme sacred deer dance, the deer is a symbol of goodness - he comes to the people and offers himself to them for their well-being.
Tewa / Hopi / Havasupai
Mona Polacca
Water Blessing
Grandmother Mona shares teachings about the sacred relationship between water and life. As a lifelong water protector and elder of the “people of the blue-green waters,” she leads a prayerful water blessing to honor this vital relative and teach children about the connection to our first foundational of life, and its presence all around us
Waiãpi
Sisiwá and Ajareaty
Sacred Song Blessing for Children
Sacred songs, traditionally sung to children, weave protective energies and plant seeds of wisdom, resilience, and spiritual strength within them. These ancestral melodies fortify their spirit and prepare young hearts for swift learning and for walking in harmony with all life.
Adults also welcome.
Waiãpi
Sisiwá and Ajareaty
Flute of Joy and Wisdom
The So’okãguerã Flute calls forth the presence of the Great Spirit, Janejarã, to bring wisdom and joy to all who listen - especially to the hearts of children, where its sacred song awakens light, intelligence, and delight.
Cheyenne
Joe David Osage
Ear Piercing Ceremony
Traditionally, this rite is performed when children are young, so they may listen to their parents, retain the wisdom passed down to them, and be protected from negativity they hear. Adults are also welcome.
Joe David will use his porcupine quill to mark the ear and offer the ceremonial blessing for the piercing.
* The actual piercing can be done by a professional after the Gathering
Kichwa
Kurikindi
The Magic of the Jungle
Kurikindi will share about the plants of the Amazon - plants whose fruits hold seeds enjoyed all around the world, like cacao and coffee. He will speak of the magic of the jungle, woven with the powerful energy of the jaguar and the anaconda, and of the sacred medicine of tobacco, which Indigenous peoples have honored and used with great respect for generations.
KIDS CAMP Workshops
Opening Ceremony in the Family Village
A Sacred Waters Honoring Ritual and simple songs or blessings to ground the space in reverence and intention.
Families create and decorate flags with prayers, symbols, and blessings to be strung around the kids village as a collective altar.
Superfood Smoothie Galactivation Station
An interactive, smoothie-making experience using superfoods and imagination to "galactivate" the body while teaching children about the superpowers of foods.
Collaborative Community Mural
A live painting experience that begins on Friday and completes on Sunday. Families co-create a visual offering to present at the Aniwa Closing Ceremony—a gift from the children to the entire gathering.
Storytime & Sound Rest Sessions
Held during the midday lull (12:00–1:30 PM), this offering includes elder storytelling or crystal bowl sound healing while little ones rest or nap nearby.
Sustainable creativity with projects like rainsticks, dreamcatchers or nature wands using reclaimed and earth-loving materials.
Family-Friendly Ecstatic Dance
The kids gather for a group-friendly dance event, a special family dance party with curated music, on a sound journey designed for little ones.
A scheduled "family journey" that moves through the Gathering space together, landing in public areas where families are welcome. A great way to keep kids engaged while integrating them into the larger flow.
Mystic Journey to Find Your Animal Ally
A magical experience where children connect with their animal ally through visualization, using water, sound, feathers and other elements to enhance their meditation journey, followed by creating masks and painting their animal allies.
A beautiful marking ritual using natural body paint to honor each child's unique journey and transformation during the gathering.
Working with the Anastasia method, we put our prayers in soil and act them out in movement as we stand on the soil, and then plant seeds with the soil in take home containers.
A playful, grounding circular yoga class that incorporates crystals, storytelling, and movement for all ages.
Our facilitators
Sabrina Vedete Elmaliah
ANIWA Kids Camp manager
For many years, Sabrina has been devoted to curating and producing the family areas at transformational festivals—not just as a role, but as a soul calling. Families are the roots of our collective existence, and she believes when we honor them, we anchor a new paradigm of community, connection, and regeneration. Prior experience includes BA from The Ohio State University where she majored in English and minored in Education with a specialization in Child Development. Oregon Eclipse 2017, Lucidity festival - (Main Collaborator from 2013 until 2017) Shakti Fest and Bhaktifes. In 2014, Sabrina was formally adopted into the Choctaw Muskogee Yamassee Nation as an Ambassador for Women and Children under the guidance of Clan Mother RochelleMariposa.
Ms. Mandy Oates - Waldorf Educator
ANIWA Kids Camp facilitator
Miss Mandy is mother to a 9 year old boy and is a certified Waldorf and Lifeways teacher with an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education. She has been teaching for 16 years. 2 years ago she opened Kindred Hearts Playgarden, an in-home nature program for young children. Her program provided a beautiful space for children to thrive and grow. She is excited to serve her community in a bigger way through the Bloom Wonder Garden collaboration.
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Located in the beautiful wilderness of Mendicino, CA (Pomo Territory), our camp provides an inspiring setting for children to experience firsthand the regenerative powers of nature and their own creativity.
We welcome families from all backgrounds and are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and diverse community. Together, we will foster a regenerative experience that plants seeds of hope, healing, and transformation in the hearts of the next generation.
Be part of the Gathering
MAY 29TH - JUNE 1ST | Mendocino, CA | Pomo Territory
We invite you to join us in this extraordinary journey of renewal and shared wisdom. Your presence will add immeasurable value to our community, and together, we will walk the path of regeneration.
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