Slightly warmer-than-Saturday sunny skies greeted the Daredevil’s Club to their first fall outing on Sunday. It was a day of learning about primitive shelters, and why and how we might make them. We also considered which animals in the natural world also build shelters if we could use their knowledge as our own.
We started the day with some games and settled down to listen to a story about Tom Brown studying squirrels for four days before making a successful shelter. In the end, he shares the conclusion that insulation is paramount to stay warm and dry in the woods. The Daredevil’s Club heeded Brown’s advice later in the day.
On our way to the 100-Acre Woods we crossed the field, rolled up the hill but stopped at the top because someone yelled, “Hide!” Some Explorers went flying into the brush; other clever ones hid under the picnic table on which the searcher was standing. Others were distant and some went arboreal. By the time two rounds of Hide were over, our eyes were sharp and ready to find the clues that would help us build shelters.
Sure enough, someone saw a squirrel bolt up a tree as soon as we walked too close to it while it was foraging. We then spotted its nest high up in a tree. As we looked around to the huge Douglas Firs in the vicinity, we found three similar nests. We even considered the pros and cons of climbing one of the trees to take pictures and bring the evidence to help us learn about shelter building.
In this moment we focused on the motto:Safety First. Explorers discussed risk assessment for climbing over 30 feet in the air. Did the risk outweigh the benefit of getting intimate knowledge about how the squirrels construct their shelters?
We were almost convinced that a mentor could do it but the presence of consecutive dead limbs deterred us from going for it. For now, we could use Tom Brown’s words as a guide; the high-climbing would have to wait. So, into the woods we went!
Explorers gathered around a clearing and mentors showed how to construct Brown’s basic shelter. We learned about how much debris was necessary to provide ample insulation from the wet and cold. With the basic knowledge in mind, we went to work on various structures. Teams and individuals spread out in the forest to construct their best shelters.
After some time, we shared our projects with the group. The best part about the “shelter fashion show” was the difference degrees to which people had completed them. We saw basic and strong frames, with multiple Y-branch supports in place. We saw others with most of the ribs in place and the beginnings of the debris work. And a very important one was the mini shelter that Steve built. As it was so small, he managed to find and place the proportionately appropriate amount of debris.
We then tested the shelter for “water-proofness” by dumping his water bottle on it. I’d bet you’d love to know if it passed the test. Your Explorer can tell you if it did and what we learned about how the water flowed!
With a strong foundation (pun intended!) of shelter-building we finished with the perfect amount of time to share apples in a Circle of Thanks. We practiced the motto, Attitude of Gratitude, and everyone contributed to the group. In the spirit of sharing thanks, Thank You Explorers for your energy and motivation to learn! Thank you parents for your support and encouragement!
You can see more pictures from our outing on the photo gallery!
No comments:
Post a Comment