Session 4

Our main theme this week was whittling with sheath knives and potato peelers. We compared the two to see which tool was more effective. Whichever one we used we were encouraged to work safely so before we began we carried out tool talks:

Doing a tool talk with the sheath knife

We then set about whittling stick people:

We decorated them with permanently marking, water based, acrylic pens:

Here are a selection of our stick people:

We couldn't all whittle at once so whilst we were waiting we worked in our teams to make a storyboard of a well known story. First we made a row of similar-sized frames out of sticks. Then using natural materials, each team told their story in a series of two- or three-dimensional pictures in the frames.

 The rest of us had to try to guess the stories. Do you recognise them?

The Three Little Pigs

Pedro finds true love! Pedro is the woodland character created in week 1!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

We're all going on a bear hunt

We ended the session with an introduction to the fire circle.

We set out a series of circles to create zones and demonstrated and explained how they work:

• Zone 1 - the fire itself
• Circle 1 - around the fire
• Zone 2 - the area for lighting, using and maintaining the fire
• Circle 2 - zone 2 boundary
• Zone 3 - space for legs when sitting, wide enough so that they cannot touch circle 2                     
• Circle 3 - sitting circle: logs, benches etc for people to sit on
• Zone 4 - walking zone
• Circle 4 - outer perimeter: boundary with entrance and exit to walking zone                     

Fire equipment was placed within easy reach and explained to everyone:

• safety bag / first aid kit (outside the zones)
• water
• gloves
•  fire lighting kit
• wood

We practised how to use the circles and zones before doing any fire lighting:

• pointed out the entrance and exits and how to WALK round the walking zone
• demonstrated how to stand up and step back into the walking zone if moving or leaving and to walk, step over and sit down when entering
• played games such as ‘swap places with someone who has a birthday in March’ to practice these important ‘rules’

It's important to understand that walking cuts down risk and creates a calm atmosphere which is important around a fire. Next week we are cooking!