Our Blog
Make photographic collages of your adventures
Are you looking for interesting craft activity to do while at home? In this post, I explain how to make photographic collages of your adventures. As I discovered recently, this is a fun activity that doesn’t require a lot of resources. Over the past fifteen years, I...
The Magic of the Rain Forest
Last week I released my first online reading of 'The Magic in the Rain Forest' on YouTube. This is a Brazilian creation story, which Naomi Alder retells the story in her picture book, ‘The Barefoot Book of Animal Tales From Around the World.’ ‘Magic in the Rain...
Myth and Legends Class For Young Ancient Explorers
In light of current developments in Australia, it is with great sadness that I announce that I will not be giving workshops for children for an extended period of time. However, starting during the first week of April, I will share videos featuring myths and legends...
Let’s Record The Buildings of the Inka!
Is your young ancient explorer fascinated by the majestic city of Machu Picchu? Or perhaps they need to practice converting common measurements and calculating perimeter and area?Yes? Then I have just created a resource that is the perfect for them! In my latest...
New Book
Happy New Year, Ancient Explorers! I hope you had a terrific break. I have been quiet for a little while, as I have been busy finishing a new book, a volume of papers called Yachay Wasi: The House of Knowledge of I.S. Farrington, with my fellow ancient explorers,...
Nature Art As A Portal Into The Flow State
Art is a portal into other modes of being. When stressed, for example, drawing or painting can help us enter a more relaxed state. Meanwhile, by closely studying a subject, such as a person, animal, plant or object, we gain essential information about their...
Artefact Drawing as a Creative Experience in the Classroom
Drawing and painting illustrations of artefacts are one of my favourite past times. Artefacts are objects made or shaped by people. My interest in artefact illustration developed naturally after working in Peru as an archaeologist. Later, while working with children...
Improving Emotional Intelligence in the Field
Emotions are a vital dimension of the human experience. While they can be hard to describe at times, it is generally believed that there is a limited range of feelings that we can sense in our physical bodies, including anger, sadness, frustration, joy, surprise and...
Play in the Field: Lessons from the Andes about Creativity
Possessing a creative mindset is an increasingly important skill in our fast-paced modern world. Fostering this outlook enables us to generate new ideas and solutions, which help us successfully solve problems. While it is crucial, it is not always encouraged, as I...
Taking Breaks in the Field
In our busy lives, it can be challenging to find time to chill out and then achieve quality rest when we do. Yet, rest is essential for building wellbeing; for one, it helps our bodies to replenish. In this blog, I share a simple practice I observed while in the field...
Building Bridges of Connection With Laughter
Connection is central to our human experience and underpins our identity. Fostering connection creates a sense of belonging, which is essential to our wellbeing, as thought leaders and researchers, such as Brené Brown, tell us. Yet, as they also point out, we are...
How to Start a Nature Journal
Practising Mindfulness in Nature with the Illustrated Nature Journal. ‘The land is the real teacher. All we need as students is mindfulness.’ Robin Wall Kimmerer. Are you looking for a fun and creative practice to combine your love of nature with mindfulness? Or...
New Cusco Retreat Dates
It is with great delight and excitement that we announce new dates for Cusco retreat. We will be travelling to the Inka heartland in October. This retreat has been several years in the making and has been made possible by the wonderful support of my friends in Cusco...
Happy International Women’s Day
Today, 8th March 2019 is International Women’s Day. This day is observed in many cultures and celebrates the achievements of women all around the world. Over the past hundred years, this day has also been a mechanism for raising awareness of social, political and...
Becoming a Child of the Storm
Have you ever marveled at the sky during a thunderstorm and wondered what it would be like to be touched by lightning? I can tell you from experience that it is a truly transformative experience. In this blog, I share with you my story. After my encounter with...
Creating Joy with Pachamama
In more recent times, studies have shown that spending time outdoors is very beneficial for your health and wellbeing: for example, it can help fight short-term memory loss, reduce anxiety and stress, and improve your ability to focus.I have myself experienced some of...
Practising Equanimity in the Face of Sacrifice: A Lesson Learnt in the Field
Recently, I was asked a thought-provoking question: what are the saddest things that archaeologists have ever discovered? I think that in the minds of many, our discovery of sacrificed people is one of the saddest. Sacrifice was practised by many cultures around the...
Learning to Love Nature the Andean Way
We must discover our kin, the other animals and plantswith whom we share this planet.We are related to them with our DNA and evolution.To know our kin is to come to love and cherish them.~E.O. Wilson In many traditional societies throughout time, nature is respected...
The Coral Tree: A South American Queen in Australia
On the walk last week I discovered a Cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli) on the edge of the creek close to my home. I live near subtropical rainforest on the East Coast Australia, and I can easily spot the coral tree in amongst the gumtrees and banksias when...
Llamas and the Play Dough Challenge
A few years ago, while working on an excavation just outside of Cusco city with a team consisting of archaeologists and representatives of a local Quechua speaking community, I gained several key insights about the nature of creativity. These experiences inspired...