Even the rain couldn’t keep the Firestalkers from connecting with the natural world on Sunday in Fairhaven Park. We looked at ways of “knowing” our environment and considered much of Jon Young’s teachings. We glanced at his infamous “Tourist Test” to see if we were intimate with the environment and what other elements we should learn about.
Eli Loomis joined us for the day as an extra mentor and a valuable resource about the natural world. Thank you, Eli for your contribution to the Four Shields program. We also met Dave who missed the first outing but has joined us indefinitely. As such, we played a quick round of name tag to get acquainted before getting into the forest.
As the goal is to explore with the ability to not only survive, but thrive in the world, Shielders’ first important task was to continue their study of shelter. We came across a frame for a shelter and improved the structure to include all of the ribs. We were pressed for time so we didn’t weave together the ribs, but we were confident that it would withstand weight.
The next step was to recall the squirrels that use massive amounts of insulation to stay warm. We found our squirrel power and started to collect debris at a frantic pace. Though we may have fallen short of the target 115 cubic feet, we managed to find lots of leaves and dead sword fern from the recent (on-going!) storm.
Eli taught us to think smart and to find the trees that were most likely to have dropped the most leaves. We found major bundles of red, yellow, and orange leaves under a Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) whereas the Alders (Alnus rubra) and conifers hadn’t dropped as many.
Shielders also made a mini-shelter as a model to see how the rain might shed away from the shelter. While we debriefed the importance of insulation and proper structure two young squirrels chased each other right through our group! It was a coincidental sign that we had indeed learned from the squirrels. Though we still might not move as fast as them, we do know more about shelter building!
We ventured further into the forest and found shelter by the big cedar tree. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to delve into carving, but Shielders should definitely practice at home! Instead of watching TV one night, try carving those chopsticks. It would be awesome if you all brought carved chopsticks to the next outing so that we can go over those at the same time as your question sheets! Parents, please pass this message on to your son.
Then we played a game where Shielders had to build a shelter. They had to deal with Fate, which made them sick or hungry. At one point Fate (in the shape of Mentors) made Jamie come down with rabies and he started to attack his own team!
To save injured or sick teammates, others had to bring the remedies like Hawthorne berries, Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris), and even salami! Ask your son what these remedies are useful for. We all recognized that the game needs some modifications but it was a fun way to connect all of our learning.
We debriefed the day and practiced the motto,Attitude of Gratitude, with a Circle of Thanks under the big cedar tree. During the mentor debrief of the day, we asked Kyle to contribute some thoughts to the meeting. His thoughts strongly resonate with Explorers Club and Four Shields. In response to the question, “Why do you come to Four Shields?” he said, “I like getting out of the house… Let the leaves be our carpet. Let the fallen trees be our chairs.” Yes, let the natural world be another comfortable home where we can pass our time.
Pictures at the bottom of this post are from another Explorers' Club group, but they reflect what the skeleton of the shelter looks like.
Thank you, Firestalkers, for your dedication to the natural world. Parents, thank you for your support and encouragement. Please look at pictures in the photo gallery! Don’t forget to be prepared fully for the upcoming outing… it’s gonna be a showdown!
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