Schedule a Program

"IN PERSON"

"REMOTE CLASSROOM"

"REMOTE STUDENT"

"DEMONSTRATIONS"

"DIGITAL"

Soapstone
Beadmaking

Drilling hole in piece of soapstone using bamboo tipped willow drill

Drilling Holes
in Rocks with Sticks

is a fun coordination developing activity which introduces many of the age old stone and wood shaping techniques used in many other technologies: drilling, grinding, polishing & oiling.

Using soapstone (a soft but durable stone) we make beads to hang on the string that we have created.

Participants drill holes in soapstone using a drill made of willow & bamboo, shape that stone in to a bead using abrasive stones, polish the bead with "horsetail" sticks, and oil the finished bead with fat.

Everyone takes home either a bracelet or necklace which they are very proud to have made "from scratch".

Soapstone beadmaking is a core activity in all programs, whether taking place in school or in the home via remote learning.

Soapstone & pine nut bead necklace made “from scratch”

Hunting Tools Target Practice

Extremely Popular!

A safe activity
as long as there is
enough space and
other adults are present

Large grassy field is the best venue.
Tools available for this activity are:

RABBITSTICKS
Oldest & most pandemic of hunting tools.
In Australia, rabbitsticks evolved into the boomerang.

HANDSPEARS
One of the oldest most fundamental of tools.

SPEAR-THROWERS
Developed over 40,000 years ago to hunt mammoths, mastodons & other megafauna.

Only available for 6th grade and older and requires large private field.

Spear-thrower in motion. The dart is about to fly away from the thrower.

CROSSBOWS
First developed in China in the 3rd Century BC
Our low power crossbows are very popular.

Hunting Tools Target Practice Activities are part of “in school” hands-on programs.
For distance & remote programs, this topic is covered via video presentations.

Firemaking

Fire From Sticks

We begin by demonstrating how to make a fire by rubbing sticks together. Prepared handdrill firemaking kits are then supplied so participants can partner or group up and give it a try as an additional thing to try during their bead making activity.

Friction fire is a difficult skill to learn, so youth programs concentrate on the process, the need to cooperate, get into a rhythm and focus each individuals’ energy.

Focused groups of younger kids
do sometimes succeed at making a hand drill fire,
which is both empowering and exciting..

Young adult programs are slightly longer
and more focus is given to actually making fire.

Friction firemaking is a complicated group activity which is part of “in school hands-on” programs.
For long distance & remote programs, this topic is covered via video presentations.

Games of
Chance & Skill

Catch games, dice game
& buzzer games

Catch games made from deer cannon bones, atlas bones & string

Hoop & Pole game is a very fun and instructional spearthrowing game. — ***Hoop & Pole game*** *is a very fun and instructional spearthrowing game.*

Games of skill and chance are part of “in school” hands-on programs.
For distance & remote programs, this topic is covered via video presentations.

Getting ready to throw handspears at rolling hoops.

BOW & ARROWS
Probably the most familiar hunting tool.
Still used in many different forms today.

Wood
Beadmaking

Finding Things
with Holes in Them

Using pine nuts (Pinus sabiniana) and/or willow stick segments, we make beads to hang on our strings to create a beautiful necklace which represents the energy and time that we have put into creating it.

Pine nut beadmaking is a core activity in all programs, whether taking place “in school” or “in the home” via remote learning.

Pine nut, willow stick & soapstone bead necklace

Stringmaking

String From Sticks

The process of extracting the native fiber Dogbane and/or other materials is demonstrated and can be explored further with individuals if there is adequate time & interest. We will use prepared Romanian hemp to practice string making and create our necklaces.

We twist these fibers into string using a group triangle twisting method which utilizes concepts of physics & geometry and which also requires cooperation.

Stringmaking is a core activity in all programs, whether taking place “in school” or “in the home” via remote learning.

Three fibers twisted together: dogbane, milkweed & black buckskin

Ropemaking

Teaming up as a Group
to create a Class Jumprope

The process of making a rope embodies a lot of cooperative energy.

Ropemaking is a complicated group activity which is part of “in school” hands-on programs.
For distance & remote programs, this topic is covered via video presentations and a miniature rope “fob” project.

Three separate cords being twisted on their own and then together.

Teamwork

Working Together

Sharing our workstation with friends. — Sharing workstation with friends.

Buckskin (Backorder)

$19.95

About
Tamara’s Clothes

Before the advent of agriculture, the predominant “cloth” used for clothing was animal skins tanned using some of the oldest forms of “chemistry”.

For the past 30+ years, we have been tanning our own buckskinn, making our own clothing using technologies similar to those used by our hunter/gatherer ancestors, and teaching others this important craft.