tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315Sun, 01 Sep 2024 05:09:50 +0000Arrow Makingbow makinghomeschooltrackingAncestral Knowledge is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operated by a community of naturalists in the Mid-Atlantic region who specialize in native life skills. We use the earth and our natural surroundings as the tools to teach wilderness survival, ancient primitive skills, activities, and philosophies that support a sustainable lifestyle. Our method is experiential education - Learning by Doing - that supports alternative sustainable life ways.http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)Blogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-771923419491628702Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:15:00 +00002009-08-14T18:26:08.847-07:00 We are a couple days into the last bow making workshop of the year. We have been blessed with beautiful August weather. Low humidity and a light breeze have made this workshop very pleasant. Sitting outside the new Ak facility, in the shade of a large oak tree has been a treat. Several neighborhood kids have stopped by to see whats going on. The workshop has gone quite smooth so far. http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-bow-making-workshop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-7723817701641943491Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:01:00 +00002009-05-05T08:16:51.205-07:00Arrow MakingOver the weekend of April 25-26 A.K. held its first primitive arrow making class. This class focused on the steps it takes to produce a primitive arrow. The first day was spent harvesting arrow shafts of Viburnum and learning how to straighten them. The process of straightening can be achieved two ways with heat or slowly straightening the shaft over the course of several months. I http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2009/04/primitive-arrow-making.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-4900351226098985010Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:31:00 +00002009-04-22T12:06:17.031-07:00trackingOn April 18th Ancestral Knowledge hosted its first animal tracking workshop. The workshops was taught along t the Paint Branch Creek in College Park MD. This area is rich with animal diversity and hosts one of the finest sand bars in the area. I spent over 16 hours a week for over 2 years tracking and observing animals and animal behavior in this location, in essence this is were I became a http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2009/04/animal-tracking-workshop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-9215690931977279819Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:12:00 +00002009-04-01T18:46:20.665-07:00homeschoolAncestral Knowledge has been working with home-schooled youth for several years now. We have tried many variations of programs and found that seasonal bimonthly meetings work the best. The 5 hour program is part primitive skills and part naturalist studies. The intent of the program is to broaden the students awareness of their environment and their role with in it. Each skill we teach has ahttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2009/04/home-school-mentoring-program.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-5137558986373557605Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:30:00 +00002009-03-29T15:33:01.645-07:00bow makingThe bow making workshop that was held on March 26-29 was a great success. Everyone had a good time and made great bows. The class was small with only 3 people so we had plenty of space to work. Its always fun to watch people turn a big log into a beautiful shooting bow. This was a beginner bow making class that focused on design and proper tillering of white wood bows, specifically hickory.http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2009/03/bow-making-workshop.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-657481595118053890Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:04:00 +00002008-10-26T21:02:31.667-07:00I want to thank those who came up and helped us over the weekend. We had a great time at Still Point, the new home of our summer programs as well as other survival based workshops. We were there for a work weekend and several volunteers showed up to help with trail maintenance and splitting wood for the winter. I think it was almost 4 cords. Two of our volunteers braved the storm and the http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/10/still-point-work-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-8028635401023273969Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:35:00 +00002008-07-05T07:18:04.296-07:00Ancestral Knowledge is a non-profit organization with a mission to teach ancient technologies, activities and philosophies that support a sustainable lifestyle to urban youth who do not have previous wilderness exposure, or the money to pay for these experiences. Your support has allowed us to provide 14 scholarships for local youth during the spring and summer of 2008. Many Thanks!How can we dohttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/07/we-found-home-now-we-need-your-help.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-6246757951083097486Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:08:00 +00002008-10-23T03:05:34.120-07:00Ancestral Knowledge is proud to say this year's MAPS Meet was a great success. The overall feedback? "Totally awesome." Okay, so there were some hiccups, but taking into considerations the growing pangs of the event and adjusting to a new site, everyone seemed quite pleased with the event. Even so there will be obvious changes for the future. Boy Scout Camp William B Snyder was a fabulous camphttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/06/mid-atlantic-primitive-skills-maps-meet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-8874444481950461587Sun, 18 May 2008 16:50:00 +00002008-05-18T10:03:38.110-07:00Ancestral Knowledge has two week long youth programs this summer. Check the dates The programs are "Woods Wise" and "Wisdom of the Woods." Note: "Woods Wise" is a prerequisite for the more advanced "Wisdom of the Woods" program. Become "Woods Wise" as we explore our natural surroundings, becoming more comfortable in the wilderness. Our one-of-a-kind nature camp provides an exciting week of http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/05/week-long-youth-programs-in-woods.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-3175723357184919566Mon, 12 May 2008 15:27:00 +00002008-05-18T10:06:44.963-07:00Comments from a student. On 10 May, AK students met with AK foraging afictionado "Hue" in Greenbelt Park to discover edible plants and have a few blood seeking tick encounters under a rain threatening sky. The class discovered many edible plants growing in the park and were amazed to also discover that many grew in their own backyards. Hue also brought some Ramps (Allium tricoccum - Wild Leekshttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/05/ak-spring-wild-edibles-class-meet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-5530851659120324010Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:26:00 +00002008-04-05T07:40:21.862-07:00There is nothing better than spending a satisfying night in your home made leaf shelter, eating a wonderful array of freshly picked edibles, serenaded by woodland sounds while under a blanket of stars. We all know Ancestral Knowledge teaches these skills well. Escaping on a wonderful vacation, in a beautifully appointed hotel room with all the creature comforts, isn’t so bad either. But have youhttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/04/hotels-can-be-green-too.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (jamey)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-2712269727659751670Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:41:00 +00002008-03-15T08:03:30.123-07:00Everything parents can do to get their children reconnected to nature from home backyard adventures to attendance in local nature camps is important. Ancestral Knowledge is dedicated to helping you with first rate nature demonstrations, classes, programs, and camps in the Mid-Atlantic Region. There are also many tools out there that help parents to maintain their children's newly found interesthttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/national-wildlife-federations-green.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-8758568356632672487Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:42:00 +00002008-03-15T08:55:45.035-07:00Are you in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC business community and want to help reconnect Children to nature? Wondering what you can do besides supporting regional and national campaigns to connect children to nature?Help your community in a more targeted effort by supporting Ancestral Knowledge, such as funding a bus service for under-budgeted school nature field trips hosted by AK, http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/business-leaders-reconnect-children-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-5788273297985230789Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:00:00 +00002008-12-08T18:49:52.804-08:00 From NPR's 'Morning Edition': 'Every year, a smaller percentage of Americans are fishing, camping or engaging in other nature-based activities. Since the late 1980s, the percentage of Americans taking part in such activities has declined at slightly more than 1 percent a year. The total effect [...] is down 18 to 25 percent from peak levels. Mark Barrow, a Virginia Tech environmental http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/americans-spending-less-time-in-nature.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (edward rackley)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-9045756380764408477Sat, 08 Mar 2008 16:26:00 +00002008-03-08T09:07:22.360-08:00Our main goal here at Ancestral Knowledge is to bring the inner-city youth back to nature through programs like the ancient skills demonstrations we have held at the Washington D.C.'s Capital Hill Day School and other youth focused programs. In addition, we help maintain connections to nature with adults through our partnership with the Wilderness Survival program a Georgetown University. And, http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/ancestral-knowledge-battles-against.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-1209452773938600638Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:49:00 +00002008-12-08T18:49:53.142-08:00 Ancestral Knowledge collaborates with Joe's Movement Emporium, another area non-profit, to teach local kids primitive skills. We work with 30+ kids (ages 5-14) every Friday at Joe's teaching ancient arts like primitive pottery. Interestingly, the kids just loved sticking their hands into the wet clay and squeezing it through their fingers. The first day we brought clay that had been sitting by ahttp://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/urban-abo-pottery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-5392133572965861679Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:35:00 +00002008-12-08T18:49:53.326-08:00More and more research suggests that letting children play in the dirt is good for them. Contact with certain germs and parasites found in the great out of doors early in life, especially those found in the soil can be healthy for building sound functioning immune systems. Some researchers suggest that time spent playing outdoors in the dirt and mud, which is filled with mycobacteria, serves a http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/woods-wisdom-found-in-dirt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-7387267311286464151Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:59:00 +00002008-03-01T10:51:58.107-08:00What if Ancestral Knowledge earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause?Well, now it can! It is that easy... give to AK just by searching the internet or online shopping. GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/03/goodsearchcom-helps-ak-earn_01.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-2784082631816912248Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:26:00 +00002008-12-08T18:49:53.512-08:00 Ancestral Knowledge (AK) was asked to design and teach an emergency wilderness survival class for the Georgetown Outdoor Adventure Trainer (GOAT) program. On the weekend of 23-24 February there were about 25 GOATS on hand for AK wilderness survival instruction that included hands-on experience. We covered all aspects of emergency survival; short term and long term survival techniques, 5-minute http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/02/emergency-wilderness-survival-at.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (bill k)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-7468089420638018690Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:42:00 +00002008-12-08T18:49:53.679-08:00Field and Stream’s columnist, Bill Heavey, is learning mid-Atlantic wild edibles jointly from Ancestral Knowledge and Earth Connection. Bill Heavey has come to learn from our hard gained wild edible knowledge to build on his own knowledge-base. Who knows, maybe Ancestral Knowledge and Earth Connection will give him some material for his column. <?xml:namespace prefix = o /> Bill Heavey’s Column http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/02/field-and-stream-columnist-learns-wild.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AK BlogMaster)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940660115964370315.post-1256621799315836375Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:23:00 +00002008-03-11T16:41:59.535-07:00Welcome to the new AK Blog and our world of outdoor adventure, exploration and fun – with a purpose. The blog provides information regarding Ancestral Knowledge happenings and events. Check-in on us often. See what’s new. Take part in our excitement. AK has been promoting and teaching ancient ways as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for over four years. Our mission is to develop and http://ancestralknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/02/message-from-president.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (jamey)0