Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A bit of fire making . . .

Today was a really fun day with all the kids. We had a guest/friend/dad come in and 
demonstrate a slew of survival skills. Mainly he showed us how to make fire with the 
use of friction: Bow-drill,  hand-drill, and the last one was new to me, bamboo. 
The kids were very involved, and it brought me back to when I was a kid and my parents hosted 
"Tom Brown" camp at our home in the mountains. 
We learned the same technics . . . 
And the fresh smell of fire made the exact same smell . . .
  Everyone got a chance to try the tools and put their best power toward making fire . . .
 It certainly is tricky business . . .
 I believe it would take a fair while for any of these kids to master it . . .

And for anyone who has never read Tom Brown’s book The Tracker it is a must. 

Read it yourself, or if you can, read it to some kids . . .

                                                  Cheers ~ Marica


Also posted at: Wasabihoneybee.blogspot.com

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Done!!

This post should have been published over a week ago, but hey, sometimes things get a little behind. 
We finally finished the dolls . . . They're done!!!
I am so so happy with them. We have worked for weeks starting with socks for the inner strength of the head, until the final addition of red beeswax crayon as rosy cheeks . . .
The kids took such care with every step along the way . . .
Each doll is so unique . . .
This project meant as much to me as it did them. I'll never forget making these five dolls with these  five girls. Spending the morning sitting together in a circle on the rug, working working, deciding deciding, creating creating.

                                     To doll making and its simple satisfaction ~ Marica