once again the nature center in Maplewood Minnesota that my Wife and i do some volunteer work at held their winter Trappers and Traders workshop for fourth and fifth graders.inside they got a run down of the life of a canoe Voyager and a chance to see and touch some of the items that would have been found in a trading post in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds.flintlock rifles and knives were among the items along with clay pipes,steel needles,brick tea,copper pots and cloth.



then it was outside to see how these would be used to make a life in the Minnesota wilderness,trapping animals to trade and use as clothing and food.the staff member in full Voyager gear is showing how to use a bow drill.



my part was fire tender and teacher.i kept a pot of wild rice warm so the kids could try a local wild food that was a staple in those days.when it came to the teaching part i told them that there would be no pretending but we would make real fires using one match.the kids loved this part of the program as much as the chance to get out on snowshoes and hike around the frozen lake our camp was next to.



then came the big moment when they were let loose with bags of tinder and birch bark to make their own fires after my lession.
we gave them the materials so they would have a good chance to really make a one match fire with the snow a couple feet deep and nothing around for them to gather.i also had them try flint and steel to see how hard that was and did a demo of a fire bow.



we had about two hundred children over five days.most were able to get a fire going with at least two matches.if one failed another in the group of two of three got a chance to try.many had never struck a match before so i gave lots of "show and tell" on how to hold and strike it and apply it to the birch bark.some of the kids were naturals and some just dropped the blazing match into the wood pile but they all got the idea of how it was done.i enjoy myself every year and between groups make cups of tea over my open fire and enjoy being outside--rather than fool around on this computer--

GOOD JOB!


Pete

It's great that you very able to introduce them to this very essential skill. I ech PP's sentiments...

Bravo! Very generous of you to share your time and expertise in this way. Several decades from now some of these kids will still be talking about the first time they made a fire.

It is GREAT of you to share your time and knowledge with the children. There is no doubt that some of the children came away with a new found apreciation for the comforts that they have now, and the hard work that the trappers had to do just to survive.

Brilliant work, Canoedogs. These are the seeds we need to plant.

Really nice job, CANOEDOGS. It's very rare to find a kid nowdays who knows how to light a match. The very idea seems horrifying to many parents. Hmm, no knives, no fire...basically kids are supposed to be less advanced than cavemen!

Blast family rule #12: Starting at age 4 you have to light the candles on your own birthday cake. The look on other parents' faces are worth it.

-Blast

I'd love to see a list of these rules.

Excellent! I know that the kids loved it.

Great job! I wish I could take my kids some place like this - they'd love it!





In my house, we celebrate Hanukkah. This year, I handed my four year old a lit candle and let him light all the others. My wife nearly had a heart attack, but knew enough to keep her mouth shut. She admitted to me later that she almost grabbed the candle away from him, but decided to trust that I knew what I was doing in giving it to him. Thankfully, it turned out OK and my son was immensely proud. . .

Good work Canoedogs, and thanks for posting.


Although people are a little less freaked out around here by the tought of giving small kids access to knives and matches, it is very easy to forget that the time to learn these skills is NOW. But it is very easily forgotten in a hectic urban environment, and on our family & friends trips both I and my similar minded male friends have a tendency to just "fix" things - like just get that fire going. Good role models, perhaps - but very little transfer of actual skills.


Time to add a little play-with-matches quality time with my kids... thanks for the reminder

Awesome!! My girls got to take turns lighting our Advent wreath candles every night during the Christmas season (well, Advent season ) , but those only have four candles. Back when they were being potty trained getting to light and blow out a candle was one of their rewards for doing it right.

Fire: it motivates kids!
-Blast
p.s. Kudos to your wife.

I love your skunk mittens!

thanks Byrd.i got them at a native craft store up in Canada.they are really warm,the kids always ask if they still smell like skunk,well no--

thats just awesome bro! those kids will keep the memory forever (and maybe the life saving skills too!)

Awesome canoedogs. I had an experience like this when I was a kid and the lessons learned have stuck with me for 30 plus years now(getting closer to 40 years now but not saying how close). We did it in groups, each of us were given a match (no lesson before hand) and we had to get a fire going. Our group was not able to start a fire, which might explain why I am a bit obsessed with fire starting now. I am sure the kids had a great time and the lessons they learned will stick with them as well. Kudos to you for giving back to your community.

I was an outdoor skills educator with the YMCA two years ago, and the "One Match Fire" program was big hit with the kids. Most of the kids I taught fire building were Age 7 and older.

I normally started the instruction with getting them to understand how important a basic Bic lighter is out in the woods, and how important a knife is as well. BUT because they aren't allowed knives in our camp, we didn't go much into bushcraft.

So I'd have the whole group work on a "3 Match Fire" to help learn first hand what materials work and which dont.

Then they'd break up into multiple groups and try it with a single match. Normally the catch was we'd watch the other groups succeed or fail, allowing the kids to quickly run back and change their design.

It was a success, probably the most enjoyable job I've ever had, even if it didn't pay well.

way to go canoedogs! i suspect yours was the coolest part of their day and something they'll remember for a lifetime! they're never too young to start learning self-reliance.

we've got some parents that are totally against teaching our 5-7 year olds to forage for combustibles for firemaking, and some even think that our 8-10 year olds are too young for that. no wonder our scouts are sometimes so clueless. during our recent winter camping trip, a few of them came to me asking for paper for their fires, i suggested we take the entire group out for a foraging lesson and was greeted with horrified looks and comments from the parents of the youger kids. i wasn't even suggesting anything involving flame. geesh!