How to Play in the Woods: Activities, Survival Skills, and Games for All Ages

by Robin Blankenship

Overview

This book is filled with skills, games, and activities for back-to-nature adventures and camping trips. It is great for all ages and abilities, from children to adults, and is a must-have for anyone working with scouts or youth groups. How to Play in the Woods is also a handy reference book for campers and outdoor enthusiasts who need to brush up on basic survival skills.

Learn how to make rope from plant materials, navigate using the sun and/or moon, build shelters, and start a fire. There are activities for teaching about safe knife handling, gathering and preparing wild foods, cooking on a spit, and plant medicines. And, for more fun and entertainment, there are instructions for making instruments, natural jewelry, clay containers, baskets, and even buckskin clothing.

This book encourages and motivates readers to be interactive with nature, to be free from prescribed schedules, and to just play and enjoy outdoors while relearning the wisdom and ways of our ancestors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423641537
Publisher:	Smith, Gibbs Publisher
Publication date:	04/26/2016
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.02(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Robin Blankenship is the owner of the Earth Knack School and has been teaching primitive skills, sustainable modern life skill courses, and leading wilderness treks since 1978. She is the author of Earth Knack: Stone Age Skills for the 21st Century.

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Make Music with Sticks and Stones 7

Throwing Sticks and Boomerangs 11

Make String and Rope from Plant Fibers 15

Make a Stone Knife 27

Safe Handling of Tools and Knives 39

Find Your Way in the Woods 45

Make Shelters and Forts for Fun 53

Gather Wild Food in the City 57

Cooking and Dehydrating with the Sun 69

Tricks and Tips for Telling a Good Story 75

Wild Medicinal Plants and Tea Infusions 83

How to Make a Drum 89

Make a Rainstick 99

Spear and Hoop Game 103

Make Whip Darts 111

Make Felted Material from Natural Fibers 119

How and Why to Use a Metal Knife in the Woods 131

Find Your Way with the Moon and Stars 137

Make Your Own Paints with Earth Minerals 145

Light a One-Match Campfire 151

Make a Matchless Campfire 165

Survival Shelters 183

Gather Wild Food in the Countryside 195

Make Meals on the Campfire Coals 201

Make a Bone Knife or Awl 209

Make a Bark Basket 213

Make a Rope Coil Basket 219

Make Cough Syrup with Medicinal Plants 223

Make Healing Salves 227

Make a Lamp and Candles 231

Make Felt Balls and Other Toys 237

Find Your Way Using Nature's Signposts 243

Make Colorful Dyes and Stains from Plants 249

How to Boil Water in the Woods 255

Use Stuff around the House to Make Fire 259

Make a Flint and Steel Fire 263

Gather Wild Food in the Forest 269

Dutch Oven Cooking 279

Make Willow or Grass Baskets 287

Make a Wood Burn Bowl 295

Conclusion 300

List of Plants 301

Resources 302