Mike Haasl

I guess that would be ok.  A good way to think of it is that the materials have to be traditional, the tools and equipment don't.  

So if you're building a birch bark canoe, the parts that make up the canoe all have to be historical, but you can use a cordless drill to poke holes and a plastic bucket to hold pine tar.  If you want.  

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Straw badge in Traditional Skills.

We often take things like zippers, snaps and velcro for granted.  A common fastener in the olden days was buttons.  Let's make some!

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make 4 buttons from shells
  - At least 2 holes per button
  - Somewhat round and smooth
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Shell(s) you're starting with
  - Drilling or shaping shell bits into circles
  - Drilling holes for thread
  - Finished buttons

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Straw badge in Traditional Skills.

You may find yourself away from home in the winter and in need of temporary emergency shelter.  Let's build a snow cave!

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make a snow cave
  - Virgin snow or piled up
  - Sleeping platform for at least 1 adult
  - Air vent
  - Anti-drip curved ceiling
  - Not where a passing snow plow can cover the opening
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Place where the snow cave will be
  - Several progress points during excavation
  - Finished snow cave from inside and outside
  - Show an adult can fit on the sleeping platform

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Straw badge in Traditional Skills.

As you get into wild crafting you may hear about a magical material called sinew.  Let's try our hand at collecting and processing sinew!

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Harvest most (75%) of the backstrap and leg sinew from a deer or other large mammal
  - Clean and dry
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Critter you're starting with
  - Midway through harvesting the sinew
  - Collected sinew (fresh)
  - Dry sinew

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Straw badge in Traditional Skills.

Occasionally you, or your dishes, get a bit grimy.  It sure would be nice to have a way to cut that grease and get them clean.  Let's try our hand at making soap!

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make one pound of soap using ash, fat/oil and water
  - Dry and ready for use
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Ingredients you're starting with
  - Midway through making the soap
  - Finished soap on a scale showing weight

It was great!  We had around 100 attendees and I believe 30+ were from within a 40 mile radius.  I spit roasted a pig, a rocket mass heater was built, 24 workshops, a great keynote, plentiful food and wonderful comradery around the bonfire listing to local music.  People said it was the best one in recent years :)  Rumor has it next year's could be near Viroqua.  If anyone wants to get in on the planning committee, there's contact info HERE

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Sand badge in Traditional Skills.

In the olden days, some food preservation and storage methods were a bit different.  Let's explore food preservation from hundreds of years ago! This BB can also apply to the Foraging badge as a twofer.

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make one pound of finished wild rice
  - Forage the grain, parch, dehull and winnow the rice
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Rice bed you're collecting from
  - Collected "green" rice
  - Parching it
  - Dehulling it
  - Winnowing
  - Final product on a scale

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Sand badge in Traditional Skills.

In the olden days, some food preservation and storage methods were a bit different.  Let's explore food preservation from hundreds of years ago! These BBs can also apply to the Food Prep and Preservation badges as a twofer.

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make one pound of acorn flour
  - Leach out the tannins
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago
  - Must adhere to Food Prep and Preservation aspect rules prohibiting things like plastic, aluminum, etc

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Acorns you're starting with
  - Shelled or cracked nuts
  - Leaching the acorn material
  - Drying the leached flour
  - Finished flour on a scale

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Sand badge in Traditional Skills.

In the olden days, some food preservation and storage methods were a bit different.  Let's explore food preservation from hundreds of years ago! These BBs can also apply to the Food Prep and Preservation badges as a twofer.

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make six hard tack biscuits
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago
  - Must adhere to Food Prep and Preservation aspect rules prohibiting things like plastic, aluminum, etc

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Ingredients you're starting with
  - Mixing the ingredients
  - Biscuits ready for the oven
  - Cooked biscuits
  - Demonstration of how hard (and thus shelf stable) they are

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEM curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the Sand badge in Traditional Skills.

In the olden days, some food preservation and storage methods were a bit different.  Let's explore food preservation from hundreds of years ago! These BBs can also apply to the Food Prep and Preservation badges as a twofer.

 
 

Here's one way to do it:


Minimum requirements:
  - Make two pounds of salted meat (pork, beef, etc)
  - Starting with fresh meat
  - This bb can only use materials that existed 200 years ago
  - Must adhere to Food Prep and Preservation aspect rules prohibiting things like plastic, aluminum, etc

Provide proof of the following as pictures or video (<2 min):
  - Meat and salt you're starting with
  - Meat on a scale showing weight over 2 lbs
  - Putting ingredients in a container
  - Covered with brine and held under water