This Nature Club happened a few weeks ago but I just have to share some of the pictures with you!
We drove around the coast, on the Scarborough side, to a picnic spot in a forest near Red Hill Pottery Studio-I hope those directions are clear enough for you, sorry I can't remember the name right now;-)
Underneath the shade of the tall pine trees our little nature clubbers got to practice some scouting survival skills.
First they had to collect kindling for a fire.
They soon discovered the pine needles and thought they would make great kindling.
(even though some of their collection was green-we left it up to nature to teach them what would happen when you put green leaves onto a fire).
And then they got to light the fire!
It was very interesting watching the experienced Daddy's-little-braai-helper's teach their friend's just how to do the job properly!
When the fire was all ablaze it was time to hunt for a sturdy stick and some more pine needles to use to create a broom. So off they went in search of sticks while I was left to man their fire.
Soon they were racing back to get their little hands busy broom making.
They learnt how to lash their leaves onto the stick to create the broom.
Lots of co-ordination needed here!
After successfully making their brooms they had great fun sweeping the site clean.
Then the big girls got rolls ready for lunch time because we were going to cook eggs on the fire in orange peels!
Yip, you read correctly.
Eggs cooked inside orange skins on the fire.
Want to know how?
First halve your orange.
Scoop out all the flesh.
Crack an egg into the "egg cup".
And then place your egg cup onto the coals.
Wait patiently while the egg cooks.
Patiently, I said, because it does take rather long!
And then if you're a real rough-it kind of kid you'll taste the egg-even if it is covered in ash and tastes a little like orange :-)
Needless to say, although it is a great idea if you're stuck out in the wild with a only few oranges and some eggs to eat, it probably wouldn't be recommended by my rough-it kind of kids.
They preferred the marshmallows of course, but not done in mom's experimental banana split style!
After learning all those survival skills it was time to relax under the trees and gaze up at the branches high above us.
Another wonderful morning spent with our friends perfecting our survival skills and enjoying nature.
