The Middle Schoolers get to have Practical Arts Classes. First Quarter the 7th Grader’s unit ended with a sort of finaltest to start a fire with no matches or lighters. They succeeded by rubbing sticks together!

Everybody got a turn spinning one stick in a hole in the bottom stick, with small bits of dry grass under it.

The small bits of grass were coaxed into flame.

Then the flame went to the prepared campfire sticks.

Finally the fire got going well enough to roast bananas and to make s’mores.

The class passed this final project of their Middle School Pracitcal Arts unit. Now that is a practical skill. But they decided matches are way easier!