We spent this weeks session learning about preparing for a long and arduous journey of exploration. We read from the Great Atlas of Exploration and the information from Homeschool in the Woods about the life of an explorer. We learnt about provisions and made some of our own.
Provisions for the journey
We wrote a report on scurvy and became ‘Limeys’ to ensure that we didn’t suffer from vitamin C depletion. Limeys are made by squeezing out the juice of limes and giving it to any unsuspecting sister who happened to be within reach:
We dried some fruit and veg (apples and peas). Drying fruit prevented the fruit from going bad whilst maintaining the vitamin content:
We made some hardtack biscuits. These tasted as they sounded-hard! But drying them out to such an extent helped prevent them going bad and ensure the explorers had at least some sort of food to last their journey:
After contemplating making beef jerky, I couldn’t bring myself to dry beef myself and was very relieved when I saw some at the supermarket. They would just need repackaging in a more time appropriate wrapping and the children could try them out in preparation for their exploratory journey:
I know I must be a bit of a wimp but I couldn’t even bring myself to taste it. The children did, though….
Having made the food, we packed them up for the journey and took some photos:
We added them to the back of our explorer’s journal where we are keeping all the recipes we try:
Sailor Knots
Knots are an important skill if you are circumnavigating around the world. I photocopied a few ‘How-To-Knot’ information sheets. Sailors used knots on-board all the time but also used them to make hammocks for sleeping in. We practiced making various knots:
And looked back over T’s hammock making a couple of summers ago:
We made a note of the knots in our journal, making some mini knots to stick in:
We are near ready to actually begin exploring….
What a huge amount of activities! I love the expressions of all your children when they tasted things they didn’t like!!
Yes, I wonder will they like them when they see them?!
LOL! I’m pretty sure my children wouldn’t last long on a ship either. Great activities!
Thanks Rebecca.
So much fun! It reminds me of our study of the explorers. My guys didn’t care much for the hardtack or the lime juice (although I diluted ours with water) but they liked the dried beef and fruit. Looking forward to the next post in this series!
Thanks Phyllis. It certainly was fun seeing what they liked and didn’t like.
Oh how fun! We are getting close to the Tudor and Stuarts and I’m still working out some activities. I’m saving this post 🙂
So glad it was helpful, Christy!
So much fun! I love getting a shot of the kids tasting something they don’t enjoy – priceless reactions. By the way, I could gnaw on beef jerky all day long 🙂
I was vegetarian for years before I met Gary, but I’m too lazy to cook two meals and Gary is a typical meat loving male, so I now eat meat. I draw the line however at any kind of tinned meat or dried meat. Urgggk!
Lol, I was a vegetarian for years as well, and very similarly my carnivorous husband tipped the balance because I don’t love to cook! Ironically, when vegetarian, the only two things that tested my resolve were bacon and beef jerky! (oh and prosciutto – looove prosciutto)
HA! I think we’d have the same response over here. I have had jerky, and it is not too bad, but I wouldn’t want a steady diet of it for sure. I am glad no one had to go to the dentist after eating the hard tack. T did a great job on his knots. Evan makes lots of knots in scouting. It is a good skill to know.
Keep up the good work. Looks like lots of fun.
The hard tack was really the only thing which was universally liked and that was probably because it was made of flour, salt and water. We’d last no time at all on a ship! Maybe on a cruise ship……
But, I love beef jerky! We’ve made some at home, the key is the marinade.
I think it is very much an American thing. I’ve never seen it in our shops before and couldn’t believe it when I saw it. And seriously, I could NEVER dry it myself, I’d be too scared of giving the family food poisoning!!
Very funny food tasting pictures and a really wonderful journal, Claire!
Thank you Karin (sorry it took so long to respond!)