Teacher Joel Lovelace building a lean-to

Kids learn winter outdoor survival skills

Nine-year-old Jeremy Hayes said he likes to go camping. But, he wasn't so sure he wanted to try camping in cold winter weather in a hand-made lean-to.

Last month, the fourth grader from St. Charles took a free Outdoor Winter Survival class at the Busch Memorial Conservation Area. There, kids found out about ways to survive if they became lost outdoors in bitter winter weather.

Teacher Joel Lovelace said the first priority in such a case was to find--or build--shelter. He said that might mean making a lean-to out of tree limbs. He then showed the kids how to do that using only simple tools.

Jeremy said he likes camping but usually stays in a trailer or a cabin. "We went camping in a cabin for my birthday at a park across from Six Flags," he said.

Asked what he liked about camping, he said, "I liked to see the wild animals like squirrels and rabbits."

Jeremy Hayes

The kids attending the winter survival class got to see all sorts of lightweight equipment that can prepare them for a winter camping trip. There were blankets that folded down to the size of a deck of cards. There was fine steel wool that burns to let you start a fire.

Lovelace said the second survival priority, after shelter, is the ability to keep a fire going. The combination of a shelter and a fire for warmth are most important, he said. .

The third priority is having a way to signal so people can find you. Oftentimes, the fire can serve as a way to show your location.

But, he also showed a neat mirror with a sighting hole so you can reflect sunlight at a rescue team. The directional mirror was designed for the military.

Nine-year-old Natalie Altis of Ballwin said she'd been camping in winter. But, she wasn't lost and had a tent. "We also had a heater that made the tent really warm," she said.

The third grader said she's camped alot along the Cuiver River northwest of St. Louis.

She said her favorite food while camping is hot dogs. They were roasted over an open fire.

Natalie said she had eggs, sausage and biscuits for breakfast. She said she had to eat the biscuits plain because "I was supposed to bring the honey but I washed out the container."

At the survival class, the kids were told that water was more important than food when trying to survive in the winter weather. A person needs as much as three quarts of water a day to maintain health.

Lovelace said carrying that much water is too heavy a load. Therefore, he told about how to purify stream or lake water with tablets or by boiling it to kill germs. He said, "Don't drink raw, untreated water anywhere in the back country."

He also showed how to build a "solar still" to make freshwater with a plastic sheet and a hole in the ground.

Therese O'Brien

Nine-year-old Therese O'Brien of St. Charles said she's been camping with her dad "on my uncle Bill's farm near Perryville." She also said she, her mom and dad and little sister, Mary, went camping in a tent this August.

As for winter camping, she said, "It might be too cold." But, she did "learn some good stuff" about winter camping. "I might be able to make a lean-to if I had to," the fourth grader said.

Nine-year-old Matthew Senter said he's never been camping. "But, I'd like to," the Defiance, Mo., fourth grader said. He lives in rural Missouri but his home is in a sub-division.

"I think I could make a lean-to if I could remember what they showed us," he said.

Matthew Senter

Teacher Lovelace showed the kids his survival kit which looked like a tool belt that workmen use on a construction job. But, it had a whole variety of things designed especially for helping you in the woods.

When building a lean-to, he suggested that it face the northeast. "The prevailing winds in this part of Missouri are from the southwest, so the smoke from your fire won't blow into the lean-to," he said.

Each kid also got a handbook, "The Art of Survival in Missouri." One of the things it showed was how to use your watch as a compass to show directions.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has three outdoor centers in the St. Louis area. In addition to the Busch Conservation area (636-441-4554), there is the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center (314-301-1500) and the Rockwoods Reservation (636-458-2236). Call for information for other interesting activities for kids and families.

The department also has a website at www.conservation.state.mo.us.