Send 30 Children to Afterschool Nature Program

Our first focus for the week was introducing methods of friction fire, starting with the proper way to build a fire, and then focusing on using a bow drill to get an ember and transferring it to a tinder bundle.  This method of fire making uses a plank, a wooden spindle with another piece of wood as a spindle handle, and a bow fashioned from a stiff curved tree branch and para-cord. Correct body position, speed, pressure, and smooth motion are all required. One must keep the arms relaxed, yet continue to move the bow in a fluid, constant motion while keeping it parallel to the ground. Each student tried for a while, and one was very persistent.  Emma was extremely determined and found out just how much patience is required.  She worked with our intsructor, Mary, for an hour and achieved smoke but no ember.  She is close and hopes to have success next try.  

For our second focus of the week, we practiced our stealth and speed, enabling us to understand how different animals interact with their environment with minimal impact.  We talked about how animals move through the woods, and learned several techniques: fox walking, which requires moving without making a sound and in a way that if your "prey" turns you can freeze in an instant; deer stalking, where a person moves like a deer foraging and the "foxes" try to sneek up on them without being detected; and wolf stalking, which involves moving quickly through the woods without scaring off "prey".  We practiced these techniques the first day of the week, then increased the difficulty the second day, by playing a game called, Keeper of the Fire, where one person is blindfolded with four sticks placed around them about 6 inches away from their bodies, one if front, one at each side and one in back.  The other students must sneak up and take a stick then go back to their original position without the fire keeper detecting them.  If the fire keeper hears them and points at them, they must go back and try again. This was especially challenging since the ground was covered in crunchy leaves, twigs, and pine needles.  The next big challenge was, Wolf Stalking, moving through the woods as quickly as possible making minimal noise.  We chose an area in the woods with a starting point and an end point, and the kids could choose the direction they believed would be the path of least resistance to reach the end point.  We would time them as well as keep track of how many plant/tree parts they would hit, then give them an opportunity to try it again. They were frustrated but continued to try until successful. 

Each day we work on building community by beginning our days with an opening circle sharing things like what we are thankful for, or how our day has been so far, and ending our days with closing circles, voicing our successes, frustrations, failures, favorite part of the day, or what we look forward to doing next meeting.  We try to incorporate use of a talking object in our closing circles, and like to use something natural that holds special meaning for the group, and ideally something they make.  The kids really got excited about making a talking stick and finding feathers and things to attach to a stick they found that stood out to them.  Emma shared that she views the forest differently when she enters it now.  Many of the students shared their frustrations but determination to accomplish success at the challenges presented to them this week.  They look forward to learning more survival skills, in particular, shelter building, and finding a water source to explore.  It has been great to see the students’ determination and excitement as they work towards their goals.  

Have you ever tried to start a fire using a bow drill or wondered what wood is the best to use for one, or what tinder works best? How fast or quietly can you move through the woods?

What a great first week at Githens Earth Connectors!!

MONDAY

We started with an opening circle where we played a name game to get to know everyone better. After that we went to a field and set pitfall traps around the edge of the field near the woods to see what kinds of things we could catch. To make the traps we dug holes in the ground and set jars in them.

After setting the traps we made a circle and played an awareness game called “blind ninja”. In the game someone is blindfolded and everyone else quietly avoids being tagged by the blindfolded person. Throughout the game we increased the number of blindfolded ninjas and decreased the size of the circle. This game was met with strong support and we ended up playing two or three times giving different people a chance to be blindfolded. After the last game we gathered in a closing circle to complete our day. During the circle we encouraged them to share a positive story from their day while being respectful and attentive to other people’s stories. Many of the students mentioned the ninja game as their favorite thing of the day while some others really enjoyed setting the traps.

WEDNESDAY

We started with another opening circle where we played another name game and talked about respect and community. After the circle we went to check our traps.

On the way to the traps I gave the students an I.D. challenge; I had found a large leaf in the cafeteria and asked them to find the tree it belonged to on our way to the traps. The first student to find the tree was given a field guide and he correctly identified the tree as a Sycamore tree. Also on the way we found a Red Spotted Purple butterfly and discussed some of the plants we were walking near like Dog Fennel, Poke Berry and Beauty Berry. In the pitfalls we caught several ground beetles, a cricket, and a wolf spider.

On the way back we played some quick games, found an Ornate Harvestman, and a large Wolf Spider. When we got back to the school we showed them some of the wildlife ambassadors we had brought. First we brought out an Eastern Box Turtle named Sheldon; we discussed the differences between male and female Box Turtles, the differences between Box Turtles and other types of turtles in the area, and what to do if a Box Turtle is found crossing the road.

Then we brought out the Greenish Rat Snake named Jade.  All of a sudden, Elizabeth screamed "eck, don't get that thing close to me!" I told her I wouldn't make her touch it and discussed some snake anatomy, how harmless most snakes are when treated with respect, and the proper way to handle them. I then walked around the group and let everyone touch Jade.  Elizabeth moved away at first but in the end she fearlessly touched the snake and was really excited.  See her in the photo above!

To end our day we had a closing circle and allowed everyone to share their thoughts on the day. Many mentioned the reptiles, the pitfall traps, and the other critters we found as their favorite things about the day.

NOTE TO DONORS: How many of the flora and fauna in Bold Italics above do you know?