MILWAUKEE — Even though temperatures are fairly mild, winters in Wisconsin can be harsh. But when the wind chills are below zero and the snow is flying, would you be able to survive in the wild? On Friday, TODAY'S TMJ4 tagged along with some grade-schoolers who learned to do just that.
Class may be out for winter break, but these Milwaukee Public School students are still busy learning.
Riverside Park served as the backdrop Friday for an important lesson on how to survive in the wild... in the winter.
"I think the most important thing they'll learn today is teamwork," said Madeline Karian, Community Program Educator for the Urban Ecology Center. "How to stay together, find a solution, and count on one another as opposed to the 'every man for themselves' mentality."
The Urban Ecology Center offers adventure days when school is out like it is now.
The 'Winter Survival Challenge' teaches kids in second through fourth-grade techniques such as finding their way in the woods, how to build a shelter, and the proper way to construct a campfire.
"You need a special kind of wood to make a fire," said student Patience Finkley. "You need dry wood to make a fire and skinny wood."
Finkley and her classmates will even learn to find sources of freshwater and how to test whether it's safe to drink.
Real-life skills for a potentially serious situation... while mixing in a little bit of fun.
"I liked making the forts and doing a fire because at the end we always roast marshmallows," said Finkley.
There are additional adventure days during winter break and another one on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. To register your child, click here.
