Last week I put all of your Christmas trees to good educational use and had a shelter building party! Monday I began clearing a site and chopping boughs off the trunk of the first tree. I looked up to find a bunch of eager little faces looking at me and asking "What are ya doin?". This was day one of a three-day demonstration devoted to shelters, specifically the lean-tos. Shelter building is the first step in the sacred order of nature living (aka survival) followed by water then fire and lastly food.
The kids really enjoyed the whole process, from collecting materials to building the structure and finally testing out the comfort that a lean-to provides. Things were a bit crazy on the first day from the moment that I said the word "sticks". Some children produced not sticks, but logs, and others brought sticks probably better suited for Macworth Island fairy houses. I was looking for something in between. The second day I reviewed the mayhem of the previous day and introduced them to the rule of 5Ps (ask the kids what they are), which reminds us that impulse gathering wastes time and energy, something that may be in short supply. Within an hour to 90 minutes, we were able to erect a framework and cover it with boughs. On day three, we had a wonderful snowstorm that gave the kids a chance to see how the shelters worked.
Thanks to all the parents and teachers for your trees and your assistance during the actual demonstration!
Steven Koskinen - School parent
The kids really enjoyed the whole process, from collecting materials to building the structure and finally testing out the comfort that a lean-to provides. Things were a bit crazy on the first day from the moment that I said the word "sticks". Some children produced not sticks, but logs, and others brought sticks probably better suited for Macworth Island fairy houses. I was looking for something in between. The second day I reviewed the mayhem of the previous day and introduced them to the rule of 5Ps (ask the kids what they are), which reminds us that impulse gathering wastes time and energy, something that may be in short supply. Within an hour to 90 minutes, we were able to erect a framework and cover it with boughs. On day three, we had a wonderful snowstorm that gave the kids a chance to see how the shelters worked.
Thanks to all the parents and teachers for your trees and your assistance during the actual demonstration!
Steven Koskinen - School parent
