Adventurer Frédéric Dion set himself another challenge this Friday, that of introducing 6th graders to winter survival.
Elementary school children braved the cold for this unusual activity. Catching fish on a frozen lake, starting a fire from scratch and cooking a meal there, orienting themselves with the help of a compass… the young people had a busy day.
A daunting challenge that will take several attempts and a lot of perseverance.
“It’s fun lighting a fire with our friends,” said the young Matias, his eyes sparkling.
“[Il n’y¬] there are not always adults next to us!”, underlined Lily-Ann, who overcame her fears.
“I was good at catching the fish. And taste the fish!”
Looking at her group so happy, the teacher was just as excited. “I see wonder, pride too. I hear students say, I am proud, Mrs. Karine, I was able to start my fire.
With expeditions to his credit, each one more unlikely than the next, Frédéric Dion was the perfect person to oversee the activity.
“The goal is to get them back in touch with what it’s like to catch a fish in the wild, build your fire, cook it. Not just a fish cake and we don’t know where it comes from. There, they caught their fish,” he said.
A pleasant activity, but which also has its educational side.
“The students consolidated notions that we learned about survival, but also about ethics,” explained Ms. Moreau. “For example, collaboration, working as a team, listening to other people’s point of view, giving your point of view.”