A taste of survival; Class teaches children how people from the past lived in the outdoors

Jay C. Hormel Nature Center Director/Naturalist Larry Dolphin pushes off in a canoe to demonstrate how to properly guide one around on the pond at the nature center Wednesday.  -- Photos by Eric JohnsonExecutive Director Larry Dolphin’s voice could be heard, describing the different berries and wild grapes to a group of children at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

When the children began asking if they could eat the wild grapes, nature center director Larry Dolphin responded with a smile, “They won’t be ready today.”

The nature center’s Heritage Survival Class started Monday and ends today. In the class, children ages 10-12 participated in a number of basic camping activities.

About 16 children participated and experienced activities like canoeing, fire-building, cooking lunch over a campfire, fishing, playing old-time games, candle-making and learning about the Native American “Ghost Dance” shirts by making their own out of paper during an art project.

They also learned to make arrowheads and throw atlatls — or spears — and listened to Minnesota storyteller and naturalist Kevin Strauss share history, folklore and tall tales.

Read more: http://www.austindailyherald.com/2014/07/a-taste-of-survival-class-teaches-children-how-people-from-the-past-lived-in-the-outdoors/