Short story is that last April I was able to instruct After School Matters here in Chicago. One of the things I did with my 30 high school students was to take them out for a tour of a historic and prehistoric site that I know of, with a cookout afterwards. I thought them proper way to make a small fire using my kit and a firesteel instead of matches. Along the way through the woods the each gathered a stick to roast their hot dogs and tinder too.

They already had been to this area about two weeks before, when I had given them two compasses and two aerial photos and had them navigate through the woods... In this case they were on the trails as there is no real wilderness here.

Most of these kids have no real outdoors experience, coming from Chicago public schools and were exploring everything they could. They could not understand how we were going to cook the dogs with such a small fire, what the knives were used for and how to make a fire without gas and a lighter.

Each knife was used for a different task. The Muk chopped bits of wood and was used to cut the hotdog sticks, the SAK used to cut the tinder string for a nest and cut the packets open and the double bladed Spyderco was used to sharpen all 30 sticks.

Here are the pic's...

The kit, contains fire making kit in one small container and cotton with vasaline in another. The first aid kit is under the black rubber lining:

[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/P3200204.jpg[/img][/image]


Fire:

[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/DSC01657.jpg[/img][/image]


[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/DSC01662.jpg[/img][/image]


[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/DSC01673.jpg[/img][/image]


[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/DSC01674.jpg[/img][/image]


The Dogs:

[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/DSC01686.jpg[/img][/image]



The Knives:


[img][image]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s146/DMelone73/DSC01683.jpg[/img][/image]


The Muk was also used to dig a hole for the fire.... I know that this is not recommended for the blade, but the fire needed to be put out completely. I thrust the blade into the ground and sliced a rectangular shape, then pryed the plugs out. The knife held up with no damage to the blade at all.

Being that they are in high school I cannot post pic's of their faces, but all in all they had a blast! The even learned a few things as well. I miss that group!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" />

Great going.

Makes me feel a lot better that some people take the time to teach kids that the invention of fire precedes the invention of the lighter and that milk doesn't come from the counter in the supermarket <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Great post!! Those dogs look tasty!! Love the muk too!!

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Sure is dose,
...if the cow is standing on the counter in the supermarket.

Nice fire kit D.

I tried to show them that there is more to life than just the video games and texting that they want to do all the time. They were a great bunch of kids for the most part and I have to say, the girls were more into it than most of the boys. The majority of the boys didn't even want to get dirty where as some of the girls were even tromping through the mud. I asked the girls what was up with boys today, they replied that most of them at their school we to sensitive and worried about their looks. They used other words to describe them but I will not repeat them here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

I could only do so much however, being in Chicago in the local forest preserves.

Very nice, thanks for sharing! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Good on ya' Dan! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> I bet that a trip afield with you would be not only fun but educational as well. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

That is awesome that you do this for the kids. Having been to Chicago more than a few times, and after talking to my brother about the lack of wilderness in the area I am sure this is the only exposure the kids get to the outdoors. Hopefully, they will continue their interest and expand on your experience.

And you are right, the boys (I use that term loosely there) today are a lot different. I see it everyday and I wonder many times a day how some are going to make it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crossfingers.gif" alt="" />