Gettin’ crafty in week 6

Groups all around the forest practiced their crafting skills this week at Primtive Pursuits. As we head into Week 6, some campers are returners and seasoned in forest crafts, and some are brand new! Since the conclusion of Arnot Overnight camps for the summer, a few Arnot instructors have returned to 4-H Acres to join us once again! Welcome back Rachel, Rey, and Jackson!

Monday’s rainstorm didn’t stop campers from having a great time. In the afternoon, the Forest Explorers (Ospreys) spent time in the Hemlocks building fairy houses and stone drilling. The Hemlocks are a peaceful place to hang out and work on crafts! At Hearth Camp, the home of Primitive Cafe, the campers made Dragon Eggs in the fire. A dragon egg is a clay ball consisting of ash cake wrapped in edible leaves. The group also made a berry puree and caramel to go with the treats. Another group got crafty this afternoon; the Wildcrafting group hung out at Turkey Knoll where they started to make paper! Cattail plants were harvested from Beaver Pond, which instructor Gwen and MIT Alasdair mashed up to put in a pot to boil. The green ooze will eventually be turned into paper! Nearby in the Meadow, Forest Archer’s group practiced with their bows. 

On Tuesday morning, the Gifts of the Deer camp were in the process of braining their deer hides. They were scraping the membrane and fur off of the hides so they can move on to the next step in the smoke and fat tanning process. Instructors Danielle and Cindy led the group through hide tanning throughout the week. Super cool!! At Muskrat camp, the Forest Engineers built a fire and practiced their structure-building before being put to the ultimate test: build a bridge across the creek. Instructors Simon and Victor led some campers to the creek to scout the area and brainstorm ideas.

Nearby in the Hemlocks, instructors Blue and Jackson told the campers a story about the Golden Birch tree, a birch tree named for it’s tendency to be hit by the sun through the leaves. Blue and Jackson told the campers of the tree’s magic so they ventured off to find magic wands to channel magic from the tree. The day came to an exciting end when multiple groups met up at Old Bow camp to play a large game of Crow Spirit. Crow Spirit is a tag game with a twist, the Crow Spirit can mark you with the spirit of the crow so you can tag the trolls. Instructor Blue camouflaged in the bushes as the Crow Spirit while the other instructors were trolls who tagged the campers!  

On Wednesday, Primitive Cafe got a treat with their lunch: chocolate! They peeled and ground up cacao beans which instructor Ava put into a tray to make little chocolate bars. They were yummy! Later in the day, Primitive Cafe made rice balls which they paired with vegetables. The rice was seasoned with spices and oil and wrapped in edible leaves for extra flavor. Growing Wild also spent time crafting some treats. They harvested lemon balm and pine to make tea! Campers had tea with their lunch while MIT Ava told a story. 

In the afternoon, a large game of Capture the Flag happened in the Meadow. Capture the Flag always brings fun and energy to the campers! Next door at Turkey Knoll, instructors Ida and Gwen made cattail pulp to make more paper. 

The Forest Archers group

On Thursday, Growing Wild spent the morning harvesting plants to paint with! They made some colorful paintings with flowers and leaves. Wildcrafting was also doing some harvesting, they harvested more cattails at Beaver Pond to make covers for their journals! The Peregrine Falcons hung out at Beaver Pond, carving their magic wands, which they used to do spells on instructor Ryan. Across the creek at Raccoon Motel, the Forest Engineers were digging in the ground and putting a layer of clay and sticks on top to start building a stove. Primitive Cafe spent the afternoon making more rice balls, soup, and ice cream, a yummy feast that they shared with other camps! The ice cream was made by shaking around a blue plastic ball filled with salt, sugar and ice.

It didn’t stop raining at all on Friday, but campers still had a great time hanging out in the Pole Barn. Forest Village paved paths and made fairy houses. Nearby, Forest Archers practiced their carving skills. The Pathfinders had smores (with un-roasted marshmallows!) that were yummy. Groups told stories, played games, and kept busy under the Pole Barn. The Gift of the Deer camp set up a makeshift-structure to smoke their hides. Smoking the hide is what gives it color and keeps the structure. Instructors Danielle and Cindy hung the hide over a smoky fire that channeled its smoke into the hide using a stove sleeve. After about 30 minutes, campers helped flip the hide so the other side could be smoked. 

A Growing Wild camper with her plant painting

Photo Gallery - August 5-9, 2024

Photos by Hallie Allport and Lyla Emery White