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?