Possible Thistle (12 and up) event?

Hello! I'm Julia. I haven't posted much on Permies, but I've been at Wheaton Labs as a SEPPer since last fall, mostly staying at Allerton Abbey, keeping it heated and monitoring the winter temperatures. In May I will be moving to the cob cottage so that I can focus on SKIP for a while--I'm really going to miss the Abbey and its rocket cookstove, but I'm also very excited about this next adventure!

In the meantime, some of us here have been discussing maybe having a Thistle event in the late summer or early fall--a week where parents and kids twelve and up could come and work on cool things of some sort.

There are so many possibilities that might be fun--SKIP materials, little projects (like making wooden spoons or boxes), a bigger project that the whole group could work on, or the type of things the bootcamp works on (like making junkpole fences) but with a focus on the Thistle age group...

Would people be interested? What sorts of activities do you think would be the most fun for both kids and parents, and give everyone a chance to learn some new skills together?

Hi Julia!

I love this idea!  While I don't have kids that are old enough yet, I think its a really great way to get more folks out to experience Wheaton Labs that might not otherwise come out, because they don't want to leave their kids behind.  

I think there are a lot of SKIP BBs that would be good for kids and their parents to work on.  In fact, we plan on incorporating SKIP into our child's learning and my nephews have already done some of the projects and love doing them (they are 9 & 10)

It's great that your nephews are enjoying the projects! I have a ten year old niece, too--I wonder if I can interest her in planting a nectar harvest for pollinators this summer...

With older kids, of course, there are even more possibilities. I remember my dad showing me how to use wood-burning tools when I was a young teen--it felt so satisfying to be able to write on wood without using a pen or marker!

Oh wow, I'd love to. My son is 13, but I don't think we can swing a trip all the way to Montana this summer-fall. We might could next summer in July or August.

Whatever happens this year, I hope we can have a really great event at a point when you and your son can make it, Melissa! Are there particular topics/activity types that would be most attractive to you? Or would just getting to do anything cool at Wheaton Labs with your son be all the temptation needed?

J Parmelee wrote:Whatever happens this year, I hope we can have a really great event at a point when you and your son can make it, Melissa! Are there particular topics/activity types that would be most attractive to you? Or would just getting to do anything cool at Wheaton Labs with your son be all the temptation needed?

He'd likely be up for just about anything, but especially building things. He's in a basic electrician class at school as his elective.

Melissa Ferrin wrote:He'd likely be up for just about anything, but especially building things. He's in a basic electrician class at school as his elective.

Thanks, Melissa! There are usually lots of good possibilities for building things at Wheaton Labs, and I'm sure he wouldn't be the only person who would be interested!

I love this idea!! I have girls and boys of age.
My son, who is 15, would love any woodworking project, especially greenwood skills like we are learning in the tenon and mortise apprenticeship video. He also loves fire and cooking. So rocket-y and camp cooking are his speed.
My 13-year-old and 10-year-old daughters also love cooking and would enjoy rocket cooktops or ovens. They might also enjoy textile skills (they already use my sewing machiene at home) basketry and cordage might be fun for them. Berry picking? Foraging? Medicine making? Animal husbandry or pollinator-attracting crafts?
I think my 10-year-old girl would do well at an event like this. I took her to a primitive skills camp 2 years ago at 8-yr-old, and she loved it. Teenagers get really busy with summer camps and sports start in the fall, even as early as mid- August. They also cant miss much school once they hit jr. High. Pre-teens can do later, like September. So I think if you're aiming for a teenage group, no later than the 2nd week of August. OR a weekend. If you could be pursuased to allow pre-teens, (which are less moody and more apt to think their parents' interests are cool) you could do a fall or full-week event.

That's really helpful feedback about the school schedule, Rebekah--thanks! I hadn't thought of having a weekend event, but I can imagine that being a good length for a lot of people, and it would certainly add more flexibility with the school schedule.

Thank you for all the great ideas about activities that would interest your kids. I suspect that rocket cooking would appeal to a lot of kids! And there are so many fun things that can be made with round-wood/greenwood, and with basketry skills...
Things like foraging and animal care would probably depend on exactly when the event is held, but that doesn't mean they couldn't be included--and they could both be so satisfying to learn about!

We will probably have to stick to the current Thistle rules (https://permies.com/t/thistle for anyone who isn't familiar with them), at least at this time. You definitely have good points about the advantages of working with slightly younger kids, though! I will keep hoping that my 10-year-old niece and your 10-year-old daughter are still interested in such things when they are a little older!