Learning Story – Hike in to Donovan’s Camp

Learning Story – Hike in to Donovan’s Camp

The Week of April 11, 2023

What Happened?

On the hike in to Donovan’s camp, we found three pushups and set three muskrat traps together. We started the fires at the camp in the tipi and walltent and began cleaning, skinning and cooking 5 muskrats. We cooked marshmallows, hotdogs and bannock. The Bushkids did snowshoe races and explored different techniques of using them. 

Why is it Important?

The Bushkids asked very good questions about the purpose of a muskrat pushup, where they live, how they breath and what they eat. There is no replacement for being right in the habitat of an animal when you want to learn more about its day to day life throughout the seasons. It’s also very special for the Bushkids to see how Donovan built the camp and set it up, all of the work that is required and what needs to be considered. The Bushkids were also observing and noticing the differences in the trees, their species and their size compared to the Bushkids site. We noticed that they really know their Bushkids site and space so well – they are really connected to it – enough that they can make comparisons with other areas in the bush.

What Does This Mean For Next Time?

We noticed many squirrel nests on the hike to the camp! Next week we will return to Donovan’s camp and clean and skin squirrels. We will set some squirrel snares on the trail in the morning and check them on our way out. We will draw from Dene Kede curriculum again to learn about the squirrels like we did about the muskrats.