4 H Survival Skills Workshop

This summer, our county 4 H has several activities related to the theme "Back to Our Roots."  The first activity was the Tour of Historic Washington that we attended last week.  This week we had a Survival Skills Workshop.  Next week is an old fashioned cloverbud picnic.  The rest of July has embroidery and sewing workshops and a pickle canning workshop in August.  We will not be participating in the sewing or canning workshops because the girls are too young (you have to be 9) for the sewing and embroidery workshops and the boys have no interest.  And the canning workshop will not work out for us because the children really, really do not like the smell of vinegar or pickles.

The Survival Skills Workshop was very interesting.  He talked to the kids about the kind of things that you should take with you if you are going out hiking, camping, or hunting.  He talked about learning to use a compass, searching for water source, food and shelter if you are lost.  He also talked about boiling your water to make sure you kill anything in it that could make you ill.  He taught them different ways to make fire, like using steel wool and a battery, or reflecting the lens of your flashlight.

Then we headed outside where he showed the children a type of plant (I can't remember the name of it!) that can help repel mosquitoes.

And how to use a bag to get water from a plant.

He showed them that Queen Ann's Lace with a purple center has edible parts, along with the uses for cattails (food and fire) and how to find crawdads to eat.

We saw a fish trap that allows the fish to get in but not get out.

Then we headed back inside and made a walking stick.

And some fire starters.

We have never done anything on that topic before and really enjoyed it!