Homeschool: County Park Field Trip and Lesson
9/14/2011
Last week my kids and I attended a special presentation at a County Park called "Wild Edibles" and aimed at homeschoolers specifically. The guide led the children in a game, matching a "wild" ingredient with an item that can be made from it (sassafras with tea, dandelions with salad, etc). 
Then she took the kids on a hike where she was able to point out at least a handful of edible items growing in the wild.
Here is my daughter standing by a jewelweed plant. We learned that the small seeds inside the pods of this plant are edible. Though my son and I were afraid to try them, my girl liked these quite a bit and ate at least a dozen.
Then she took the kids on a hike where she was able to point out at least a handful of edible items growing in the wild.
Here is my daughter standing by a jewelweed plant. We learned that the small seeds inside the pods of this plant are edible. Though my son and I were afraid to try them, my girl liked these quite a bit and ate at least a dozen.
At the end of the two-hour lesson, our guide showed how to make grape juice from wild grapes we picked and how to make "sumac-ade" from the sumac we picked. 
Here is the guide pouring out the sumac drink. All of the kids had a turn to mash the sumac in water, which was then strained through a cheesecloth and many cups of sugar added to make it drinkable.
Here is the guide pouring out the sumac drink. All of the kids had a turn to mash the sumac in water, which was then strained through a cheesecloth and many cups of sugar added to make it drinkable.I'm thankful for our county parks and programs such as this one. Since we have been studying Native Americans, learning about "wild edibles" fit very well into discussions of life in those days.
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