Learning Story – Tanning a Moosehide
The Week of March 26, 2024
What Happened?
We had the great privilege of working with Larry Jones on a moose hide that was gifted to us. Larry has been very generous with his time and knowledge and has begun to guide us through the process of tanning this beautiful hide. Most of the bushkids helped begin to flesh the hide. Some took more time to acquaint themselves with the process and others simply observed from the sidelines. It is such a gift to be able to learn how to respectfully care for the hide and learn about the tradition of tanning hides.
While the hide was our central focus, so much learning was happening elsewhere. It felt like spring in the air and the snow was beginning to slowly melt, changing the landscape. We made bannock pizza with the Bushkids, noticed that some Canada Jays had moved into a nest near the entrance, made a new slide near the sliding hill, ventured down on the lake, noticed how the snow changed throughout the day and found the first insect of the season.
Why is it Important?
At Bushkids we want to create space for the knowledge of hide tanning to be passed on to the staff and to the children. We want to meet the Bushkids where they are at and give them opportunities to share their own knowledge and experience of working with hides too! It’s important for the Bushkids to see other adults learning alongside them – we are modeling what it means to be a lifelong learner. There was so much play and conversation that happened around the hide all day. Its presence was embraced and well respected. We have been taught that the more we practice these skills, the more knowledge we will have about the animal, its habitat, its physiology and all of the different ways we can use it and not waste anything.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
We still have a lot of work to do on the hide. Over the next two weeks, we will cut holes in it, stretch it, and then dry scrape it. The Bushkids will be a part of some of this and will continue to have the opportunity to work on the hide or observe how it is done.
Next week we are off to Makerspace. We are very excited to make birdhouses as we have begun to notice that the birds have changed some of their behaviours because of the change in the season. It is nest making time! Maybe one of the Bushkids’ houses will become a safe little home for a bird after a long migration.