Adult and Family Workshops
The Art of fire
W/ Conrad Simas
Saturday, December 13
10 am - 4 pm
$110 / participant
Ages 18+ (14+ with parent)
Location: Vulpes Outdoor Classroom, Bloomfield, NJ
Where would we be without fire? Not where we are today, that’s for sure. Come spend a day learning about the dos and don’ts of creating and tending a proper fire for cooking, projects or just the enjoyment of warmth and light that it can bring to a community. Whether terrified of it or a seasoned outdoor person, participants will learn the nuanced art form of how to source material and build a functional fire in any weather condition using a selection of modern and primitive methods.
Part 1: Through a series of games, challenges and exercises, participants with practice the nuances skills of tinder sourcing, fire structures, finding dry material in a wet environment, modern techniques and making char cloth.
Part 2: Participants will carve their very own bow drill friction fire kit to take home and receive instruction on how to use it, what materials are ideal and basic carving techniques. The day will end with a small ceremony around our ancient relationship with fire.
All tools and materials provided.
Traditional Bow building
May 22nd - 25th (memorial day weekend)
Time: 10 am - 5 pm
$500 / participant, includes an Osage Orange bow stave ($150 value)
6 Spots Available
Ages 18+ (16+ with parent)
Location: Vulpes Outdoor Classroom, Bloomfield, NJ
Bow making is an essential survival skill. Making and shooting projectile points from a bendy stick allowed our ancestors to procure larger harvests of meat with less personal risk.
The art of bow building has advanced greatly since it’s conception, but the concepts remain the same. With some simple techniques, a bowyer is able to carefully remove wood from a selected log and turn it into a functional hunting tool that can last generations.
Not only that, but the bow itself is a powerful symbol of precision, self-sufficiency and artistry. Something shifts when you hold a finished self-bow in your hand…
In North America, our best choice is Osage Orange. This class will cover the proper harvesting, seasoning, storage, processing, shaping, tillering and finally shooting of a traditional self bow.
Not only will participants leave with a finished longbow, they will have the information and experience to continue their bowyer’s journey for many years.
All tools and materials provided.