Author: Bill Kaczor

Learning how to build a shelter is one of the most engaging skills for instructors and students alike. Few other skills under the “primitives” umbrella get you as much bang for your buck. The skill of constructing (and/or finding) a safe, dry, warm place to retreat should be a top priority for everyone, ranging from those who are very focused on emergency survival scenarios where the idea is to live through the immediate future and get back to civilization (protection from the elements is generally one of the first issues you want address) to those who are interested in longer-term wilderness living situations.

Volumes could be written about different styles of shelter, materials, etc. One of the most basic and frequently taught methods is a simple debris hut, which is essentially a framework of branches that can be covered and filled with layers of debris that shingle (on the outside) and insulate (on the inside). There are dozens of ways to tweak and customize this type of shelter, and it’s the type of shelter we teach most often. So for kids, what are some of the benefits to learning how to build shelter?

For one thing, it’s a skill that allows a wide range of ages and skill levels to tap into their powers of creativity and imagination. There’s a reason almost all kids love to build forts, and they’re all the better for doing it outside in the fresh air and sunshine instead of indoors where their poor little developing brains are bathing in the ambient noise of television commercials and the harmful compounds off-gassing from paints, carpet, and couch cushions. Building a shelter requires cognitive skills like visualizing, executing plans, problem-solving, and overcoming setbacks. Debris huts are relatively free-form, too. The sky is the limit in terms of finding new ways to fit the pieces together, find new ways to utilize the materials you actually have at hand in different situations, or add features like a lowered entryway that will keep your warm body heat trapped in the inner chamber, a fence of sticks at the base of your walls to trap slumping layers of leaves, or a lean-to/heat shield outside to protect a fire if you have one. The building blocks for shelter are accessible to almost everyone, with little skill or modification necessary. Sticks, leaves, and bark are laying everywhere at your feet, just waiting for kids to imagine and create things out of them, and shelter really helps people of all ages re-establish a creative connection to their environment.

Building shelter can also be a real ice-breaker for students who aren’t as comfortable in natural settings. Some kids are even squeamish about simply sitting in leaf litter or on the ground when they first find themselves in the great outdoors. Next thing you know, they’re having a blast working in teams to rake up giant piles of leaves (and jump into them), gather sticks and branches, and peel up dead bark in sheets. The trick is to take what would normally be a chore, and transform it into play. It can be a social activity where everyone collaborates, building up each other’s strengths and compensating for their weaknesses. Making a shelter really helps people get over any hang-ups and break down any barriers they see between themselves and the natural world, because before too long you’re covered with nature in the form of “dirt” and leaf duff, and, lo and behold, it’s fun. According to the hygeine hypothesis, getting all this crud on you is actually beneficial to your health and immune function, and missing out of the experience of slathering yourself in benign and beneficial symbionts (bacteria and other) can be detrimental.

At the end of the day, few things can make you feel as “at home” in nature as…well, making a home in nature. It bolsters confidence, beefs up critical thinking skills, makes people more aware of the utility and presence of natural materials around them, makes them more effective and clever at using those natural materials, gives people a sense of agency and capability in their environment, and can bring them together for a darn good time.

Paw paw trees produce the largest native fruit in North America, and as you can see in the photo below they look sort of like small green mangoes. During this time of year the fruits are ripening, and the kids in our Homeschool Naturalist programs are loving them! In addition, paw paw trees bless us with bark that makes effective cordage and wood that is most useful in friction fire kits. Identification of edible and useful plants is one of many skills your kids could be learning with us here at Ancestral Knowledge! The next Homeschool Naturalist Program starts Oct. 31st, and sessions run for 6 weeks.

Well it’s that time of the year we have all been waiting for!  That’s right it’s time for our summer overnight camps! We are having a blast with a great group of kids.  So far they have learned how to gather the proper sized firewood, build the proper structure, ignite it using only one match, and how to use the fire to cook their food.  The campers have also learned how to safely and properly use a knife, carved their very own rabbit stick, and learned how to move silently through the forest. Today they will start making friction fire kits (bow drill) and learning how to make basic stone tools.   Afterwards we are going fishing and camping out under the stars along the Shenandoah River where they will use fire as a tool to burn and scrape wood to make eating utensils.  Oh yeah, We can’t forget the scout log (pictured above).  Well that’s a secret but I am sure your kids will tell you all about it when the return home stronger, more confident, and full of stories of adventure!

Don’t let your kids miss out on a summer with out Ancestral Knowledge!  Look at the fun that they could be having at one of our many camps this summer!  Sign up today for one of our Day Camps or Overnight Camps!

So many people talk about wanting to connect with nature, achieving oneness, or grounding themselves. There are so many programs and organizations advertising nature connection (we sure have them). I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but in my opinion no program or workshop can make that happen, it’s too personal of a journey.  However, I do believe that workshops and programs can lead you to the trail head, point you in a direction, or give you the vehicle to get you there, but there is a catch!  It definitely isn’t as easy as a click of a mouse and it won’t happen overnight!  I can say, learning wilderness skills and increasing my awareness have been part of the best years of my life! When I experienced the feeling of oneness and connection for the first time it was only for a moment!  And it wasn’t in a program or class, it was with a group of friends practicing what we learned from a program we all had attended.  Once you experience it, what then?  You want more, you need more, you want it to last longer, but how?  In my experience I have found that I feel one with the earth, myself, and connected to those around me when I am regularly working on skills and projects from the days of our ancestors. Whether it’s bow making, animal tracking, or studying wild plants, these skills form a direct connection to the earth, our ancestors, and our deeper selves. Another way to achieve this is by venturing out without time or a destination.These traditions are some of the keys that open the doorways to the past, present, future & inner peace! Take the journey, leave the watch and phone behind. Learn to travel without time or destination and most importantly enjoy yourself!

We are so excited to have full enrollment in our Future Primitives program!  We are having a great time hanging out and working on our projects.  We have had three meetings and we have already accomplished so much!

So far everyone has made their own personal bow drill kits and we even had a PFF! (Personal First Fire)  Everyone has established a sit spot and began their nature journals, making entries about the weather and the animal activities they have experienced while visiting them.  We have erected a sundial to track the earths movements to increase our directional awareness.  We have lit several fires during our emergency fire drills, one participant came prepared with a steak to learn how to cook on an open fire.  let’s not forget about the GAMES!  You never grow to old to play games, but now they involve sticks and stones, bows and arrows, and the occasional blindfold!

On April 18th Ancestral Knowledge hosted its first animal tracking workshop. The workshops was taught along t the Paint Branch Creek in College Park MD. This area is rich with animal diversity and hosts one of the finest sand bars in the area. I spent over 16 hours a week for over 2 years tracking and observing animals and animal behavior in this location, in essence this is were I became a tracker. It was a beautiful day reaching 70 degrees with a light wind from the south. We spent 6 hours tracking 4 different animals. Finding each print and identifying its species. The first trail we followed was a treat, having only seen clear tracks of this animal on 2 occasions in 2 years and never having seen a full clear front track. Today we had the gift of seeing several trails and trail conditions. The first two pictures are of this animals trail and I will leave it to you to try and figure out who it was we were following. As the day progressed the tracking became more and more difficult. The suns angle was changing and they were put on more and more difficult trails to follow. The third trail was along a run where fox traveled back and forth frequently. The trackers had to figure out which trail was connected to the original track I set them on. Track aging was crucial but not impossible to determine which tracks were from the night before and the ones laid that morning. The fox was doing its typical 2 x trot. After a short break to mend our tracker headaches we moved into the wooded area along the creek to look for some good deer tracks to follow. Tracking in leaf litter is a bit more challenging then on sand as you can imagine. After a short walk I found two great trails to follow. These trails taught the trackers a great deal about becoming the animal and seeing through their eyes. One trail was a meandering slow walk as it ate along the way. The other trail was of a cautious deer as it approached a bike path. The trackers quickly learned to expand their awareness to their surroundings to notice the different plants the deer nibbled on and the sight lines that the other deer paused for to check if anyone was coming along the bike trail before crossing. All in all it was a great day and I look forward to sharing the wonders of tracking in the future.

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We were so excited to hear that one of our homeschool students loved our program so much that she wanted to host a fundraiser for the AK Send-a-Kid-to-Camp fund as her community service project.

Elena was one of our original students from when we started our homeschool programs over 7 years ago.  Elena and her family have continued to support Ancestral Knowledge for several years after she finished our program.  For her service project Elena collected clothes and toys to sell at the McLean Children’s Flea Market.  The event was advertised in the Washington Post and Elena raised $200 for our Send-a-Kid-to Camp financial assistance program.  Ancestral Knowledge would like to thank  Elena for all that she did. She is an inspiration to all of us at Ancestral Knowledge.

If you would like to join Elena in supporting Ancestral Knowledge’s mission we accept donations in any amount.  You can send your tax deductible donations to Ancestral Knowledge PO Box 6 Brentwood, MD. 20722.  You can help us Send-a-Kid-to-Camp!

Over the weekend 7 people, mostly women, gathered together for a three day shoe making workshop.   We gathered with Jason Hovatter from Portland Oregon with hopes of  creating a moccasin style “turn shoe” using latigo leather for the soles and bison leather for the uppers. You might ask, “What is a turn shoe?” A turn shoe is a hand stitched shoe that is created inside-out and with the use of your hands forced to be turned right side in.  The style of shoe we made is a 10th century Scandinavian style turn shoe that looks very much like an moccasin.

The work was steady over the course of 3 days with a total of 24 hours of labor under our belts. While going through the process we were each challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally.  by the end of each step in the process we were glad it was over and but rewarded with something we could say was a success.

It was a wonderful time working together and sharing stories about family, friends, and travel.  Eventually we lost track of what we were doing as hard work and it turned into fun.  Our bodies pushed past the infantile stage of muscle memory for the new skill and locked into a more calculated free flowing pace.  It was nice to see each person discover and experience their personal talents and skills during the different stages of the process.

On the last day of the workshop Jason surprised us with the promise of handmade coffee flavored ice cream to everyone who successfully turns their shoes.  Jason roasted and hand ground the beans and proceeded to make a batch of what turned out to be the best tasting coffee ice cream on the block.  with the newly added incentive we all quickly ended our race.  In the end we were all winners and we each went home with a beautiful pair of moccasin style turn shoes that will last for many years to come.

We would like to thank Jason Hovatter from Laughing Crowe for his time and dedication to teaching this incredible skill and making sure everyone was successful with their projects.  We look forward seeing Jason and hosting this workshop again in the future.