My family has a long history of wild children. My aunt was one. I have suspicions about my grandfather. These are the kids who fidget at the table, come home dirty from church, go to school neat as a pin and return looking like they scuffled with Godzilla, and poke their fingers into a dried lentil bag while Mom is choosing spaghetti sauce three isles over. Face it – you know these kids. You probably have one. Maybe you were one. I was and still am.
I loved being outside when I was growing up, riding my Huffy bike for hours on a 100-yard strip of blacktop while pretending to be in the Olympics or on a horse or even racing a car.
In the summer, my mom would pack my brother and me a sack lunch and shove us out the door at 10 in the morning. “Be back by supper,” was all she said. She knew we were smart enough to avoid pirates, bank robbers, gypsies, and the occasional black snake. Our cousins lived nearby and the 5 of us would tramp around a wooded area for hours. We were home by supper, scraped and sticky with sweat, planning tomorrow’s adventure.
I raised a couple of these kids. Now I have grandchildren and more than a few are wild ones. We have the best time together!
Christmas and birthday gifts from Papa and Nana are usually something for the outdoors, including haversacks (I sew these), pocket knives, fishing gear, walkie talkies, fire starting kits, hiking gear, compasses, air soft rifle gear, guide books, survival kits, tool boxes with hammers, nails and all the rest. Younger kids receive kites, water toys, sandbox toys, or accessories for their tricycles. We gave our 3-year old granddaughter a set of child binoculars (that actually worked), a colorful birdfeeder with feed, and a wonderful full color poster, Backyard Birds of North America, for her birthday. Her mom hung the poster near a window and Libby walked around with her binoculars on, ready to identify feathered visitors. One summer, Bob and I constructed a sandbox for two active grandsons.
The 3 year old dressed up as Daniel Boone and a granddaughter snags a nice bass.
We started a club for the kids (we have 16 grandchildren) and invited some of their friends along. The conservation club has get-togethers with fishing tournaments, educational hikes, pond exploration, bluebird box building, and river seining (catching fish with a weighted net). They have assisted the Ohio Division of Wildlife hellbender (a large creek salamander) restoration project and work with the state biologist identifying amphibians and reptiles.
The Ohio Hellbender Project is a joint effort of Ohio Division of Wildlife, US Fish and Game, and several zoos. The grandkids (even the little ones) assisted with placing the salamanders under rocks in the creek. https://ag.purdue.edu/extension/hellbender/Pages/Partners/Ohio.aspx
We all had a great time during Water Safety Day, learning to canoe, throwing a life preserver to each other, practicing treading water, and using kayaks on one of our lakes. Another day was our Shooting Sports Day, using air soft guns and BB rifles to hit targets. These events end with a cookout for all the parents and fishing. I found nice award pins on Amazon and present a pin to recognize the activity each kid mastered. The pins are displayed on their haversacks.
Shooting Sports day, a trip to Marietta, Ohio with a visit to a nature center and a ride on a paddle boat, fishing fun, kayaking on our creek
For some of the activities we pair an older child with a young one. Other days we will divide the kids by age groups. We encourage the parents of the younger children to spend the day and help out. Toddlers and babies play in a shallow pool or with a sprinkler with Mama nearby.
Haversacks
Used by mountain men and early settlers, haversacks were usually worn across the body and had a flap to close them. Originally made from leather, I use a heavy cotton to construct the bag. Old blue jeans are perfect if I can salvage the pockets on the body of the bag.
Haversacks are filled with survival equipment and, of course, snacks. Here is a list of typical/ possible contents:
· Pocket knives
· Fire starters
· Magnifying glass
· Small length of rope
· Altoids containers with first aid supplies, fishing supplies, etc. (see Pinterest)
· Guide books
· Compass and maps
· Trail mix or jerky
· Small flower press
· Carabiners
· Small notebook and pencils
· Survival gear including mylar blanket, hand saw, multi-tool and paracord bracelet
· Flashlight and glow sticks
· Small binoculars
· Life straw water filtration device
Picture #1) A haversack and gear for the adventures. Picture #2) Examples of a few homemade haversacks, including a small soft leather one with a toggle and wrap. Picture #3) Example of the award pins the children earn with activities.
One of our grandsons with his full gear and haversack.
Recently one of our daughters was visiting with her youngest children. She was trying to get the baby to take a nap so Bob and I gathered the other 3 for a ride in our Kubota UTV. We went Bigfoot hunting! The kids and I looked for Bigfoot tracks (they are sure we found one), did tree knocks and lots of ‘WHOOP’ noises. Then we threw rocks and sticks into the lake. Bob worked with the kids identifying animal tracks and scat. We came home tired and happy.
Later that week, Bob and I put together a Bigfoot tracking kit to give each of the youngsters.
Bigfoot Tracking Kit
· Collection bags for scat and hair (baggies)
· Small plastic containers for evidence
· Whistles (to let others know you found Bigfoot)
· Small clamps (to hold evidence in place)
· Plastic tags (to identify your evidence)
· Candy (Bigfoot hunting is hard work)
· A small notebook and pencil
· Pencil sharpener
· Glow stick
· Flashlight
· Outdoor Adventurer award pin
Bigfoot hunting is a fun way to spend even a drizzly day outside. The Bigfoot Tracking Kit was created with supplies from Dollar Tree.
The box and most of the items came from Dollar Tree. We filled in a few other things with items from around the house. You can make Adventure Boxes for your hiker, fisherman, book reader, flower lover, gardener. Old shoe boxes or Amazon boxes work great, too. Just cover them with contact paper or paint them. You have a great adventure-starter for your children or grandchildren if you include a magnifying glass, flashlight, rope, whistle, and some trail snacks. Add other items according to your theme.
There is another reason for encouraging the grandkids to seek adventures and learn to safely live in the outdoors – it fits into our prepping plans. We want the children to know how to build a fire, make an outdoor shelter, handle a knife, understand gun safety, and survive if they fall out of a boat. They should be able to set a snare for a rabbit or catch a fish for dinner. It’s important they understand basic first aid and how to signal for help, what to do if a bear is nearby or they get a snake bite. We want them strong, healthy, and a little tough.
Making a Haversack
Take ½ yard of heavy cotton or lightweight leather/suede. Denim works well. The bag will be 8” x 11” finished size. There is a flap top that closes with a button, snap, or toggle and cord. The strap is long enough to cross the body and hold the bag at the hip for the child. If it is too short, they won’t be able to easily get into the bag. If it is too long, it will swing around to their back and be a nuisance. If you are making a bag for a small child, adjust the size of the bag and length of the strap accordingly. I have made them for a 3-year old and for a 16-year old.
Measure and cut a rectangle 9” wide x 29” long OR cut 2 pieces 9” wide x 12”” and 9” x 18”. Hem the top of the shorter piece by folding over ½” and stitching. Sew the pieces, right sides together, leave enough of the 'long piece' to make a flap to close the sack. Use ½” seams. Reinforce the seams by stitching them a second time besides, but not on top, of the original seam. I take the folded seams up to top of longer piece and then hem across the top. Turn the haversack right-side out and press.
Once you have calculated the length you need for the strap cut the piece 3” wide. I fold the sides to center, press with steam, and sew up the center with a zig-zag stitch. Then I attach the strap to the inside seams of the sack. I have also used heavy ribbon and cording.
Fold your flap over and mark where a button will go to close the haversack. Instead of dealing with a button hole, I move the button down about 1” and then make a short I – cord to wrap around a large button. I have cut narrow strips of leather to use as a wrap, too.
A Few More Things
· Now is the time to look for free or inexpensive canning jars. Check out estate sales, garage sales, auctions with household goods, and Craig’s List. I was recently given 5 dozen gently used quart jars when a family was cleaning out the house of relative who had died. Used jars should be chip-free. Older jars may not be tempered properly to withstand the high temperatures used for pressure canning. Also, don’t use mayonnaise jars for pressure canning – the glass is too thin and they will break. I don’t use them for any canning, though some people do.
Only you can decide if it is worth your time to deal with jars still filled with food. Be sure to dispose of the canned food safely. Vegetables and fruit can be composted. Meat and any item with fat in it cannot be.
· Rationing of food is happening in grocery stores in our area. Limits on the number of cans of fruit, vegetables, types and quantity of meat, and spaghetti sauces are commonplace. For larger families, this is creating a real hardship.
Plan your garden accordingly, then preserve what you grow. You may not know how to can food, but learning to properly freeze food is easy to do. Often the food must be partially cooked or blanched before freezing it. The Ball Blue Book, a food preservation resource, is a reliable source of information. Be careful getting information on the internet, especially from groups known as ‘rebel canners’. The University of Georgia is the United States’ leading food preservation research institution and they have lots of free information available, including online classes. https://nchfp.uga.edu
· Take a walk and locate nearby raspberry, blackberry, and elderberry bushes. Ask permission from landowners – don’t trespass! If the bushes are on your land, now is a good time to mow / brush hog some paths around them to use when you are picking. Making homemade jam is a perfect way to learn about home canning.
· Talk to local grocers (not big, box grocery stores), beef producers, and dairy farmers about buying meat in bulk directly from them. Use your homestead community to get the names of producers who sell direct to the consumer.
· Plan a weekend to build a pen for holding a cow, pig, or even a few sheep. There are farmers and homesteaders who have animals that they just don’t want to deal with anymore. Our family was recently given a large sow which kept getting out of her pen. We arranged to have her butchered, but needed a place to keep her for a few days. Luckily, we had a facility.
· I found the most wonderful cookbook at Goodwill – The Victory Garden Cookbook published in 1941. This 400+ page gold mine has recipes for every type of food you can imagine, from fancy 4-tier cakes to homemade sandwich spread and a ‘pecan’ pie made from saltine crackers. There are many frugal cookbooks available. Another of my favorites is Dining on a Dime.
Summer is here! Enjoy!
Polly
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