All of the "naturalists" taught several different classes, but we got to sign up for the ones we liked best. I mainly stuck to pond and river studies and wild edibles. Growing up in a desert climate totally different from Indiana I was fascinated by all of it!!! We typically had 8- 10 students in a class plus chaperones. For pond and river studies I wore rubber boots and taught while standing in the pond. The students used small fish nets to get muck from the pond, they then dug through the muck to find larve, worms, or other insects. They also caught frogs, fish or turtles on occasion. In the river we turned over rocks to find soft shell turtles or crawdads or mudpuppies. Pure FUN in my book!!! The kids really enjoyed it also!
Wild Edibles was a different story. I loved teaching it but it was a little more challenging. I would lead the group around camp and sample things. All the down time while tasting and the hiking in between could cause them to loose interest and or cause trouble. In the beginning I saved special treats like wild garlic mustard or wild onions for these "special children" to taste... typically they were boys and typically they did NOT like these special treats and would behave a little better in fear I had more delicious treats for them. Mind you, we also tasted things like rosehips, water from grapevines, violets, sassafras, dandelion, clover and the ever popular wild camomile... did you know it is helpful for curing flatulence. Did you also know that most 5th and 6th graders do not know what the word flatulence means? The adults got a kick out of this and the male chaperones always asked if they could take some for later that night. Sometimes we let the kids in on the joke.
I had heard stories from other Outdoor Ed. staff that daddy long legs were edible, but I had NEVER seen anyone eat one. I had been assured on several occasions that they were but never dreamed I would eat one. I did mention this fact in my wild edible class, I just did not eat them, in the beginning. One day I had a rather large and rowdy group of middle school boys. This school had chosen to separate the boys and girls so the group was especially wild. I was not even teaching the wild edible class when the first incident occurred. I was trying desperately to teach a team building class, which involved them having to be VERY close to each other and to touch each other and not laugh or cut up. Needless to say the class was not going well and these boys WOULD NOT listed to me. I sat them down, yet AGAIN, to discuss the objective and get them to focus on the task at hand. While trying to get them to settle down I spied my victim, an innocent daddy long leg going up a tree. I picked him up and dangled him by one leg and said I had heard they tasted like peppermint. Those boys got very quiet. I decided it was my chance and I better take full advantage. I popped that thing in my mouth before I had a chance to think about it and chomped away. And then opened up to show them it was gone and by golly it did taste like peppermint, but those legs were NASTY, very tough and stringy,but I had their FULL attention from there on. I was the talk of camp that night and I am sure the conversation at a few dinner tables after camp.
The next time I did my "trick" I decided to pull the legs off first (because they were so nasty) and believe it or not white goo comes out that smells like peppermint. If you don't believe me, try it yourself. For those of you in California, I don't think you have the same kind of daddy long leg. These have a pretty big black or reddish body and really LONG legs, not the kind you find in the corners of your home.
I have used this rare talent in the past to raise money for the YMCA scholarship fund. I told the kids in one of my after school programs that I would eat one for them if they raised $100. When the parents, teachers and even principal heard about it, the money came pouring in!!! It was pretty fun to be a part of and the money went to a good cause. I also think this rare talent influenced my husbands decision to ask me out (you know, before we were married). It doesn't sound so bad with all the good that has come from it, right???
What about you, could you eat a daddy long leg?
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