Explorers Onsite Activities

The Explorers Activity Group have plenty of essential survival tasks that help ensure the well-being of the whole class. This group will be responsible for making the fire, hauling water, making rope, helping to track and predict the weather, and mapping.

Mapping the Land – Some of the best early maps from along this coast and inland were made by those serving the Russian American Company. Have some fun practicing your mapping skills by creating a treasure hunt for your class. Create a treasure bag for each Activity Group to find. Print enough maps for the number of Activity Groups you have in your class. We recommend you choose a color for each Activity Group. Wrap each Activity Group’s treasure with the group’s color, such as with a colored ribbon, and mark the treasure with the same color. Alternatively, you can create one treasure bag for the whole class, and whichever Activity Group finds the treasure first gets to keep it. Label each map as specified on the print out - you can mark both the landmarks and the buildings of the fort. Once you have each copy filled out, hide your treasure! Make sure to mark the maps with an ‘X’ for each bag of treasure. You may also want to give each group a clue to where their bag is hidden, especially if it is inside a building.

Ideas for Treasure - Treasure bags should be prepared in the classroom and brought to Metini / Fort Ross. Store your treasure packages in waterproof bags or boxes. One bag or box for each Activity Group. (Note for ELDP day programs - to shorten activity length we suggest you create one treasure bag to find. The Activity Group that finds the treasure first wins the treasure!

• Each Activity Groups' treasure can be labeled with a different color
• Don’t include food items
• Treasure items can be trade beads for use in the store, shells, polished rocks, decorative feathers, etc.

Fire starting - You will be starting the fires in the kitchen for the Cooks Activity Group. Learn about different methods used by the Kashia, Alaska Native and Russians. Bring flint & steel to try this fire starting methods at Metini / Fort Ross.

Practice Reading a Compass - Make sure you bring a compass for wayfinding at Metini / Fort Ross. You may make your own compass in class and bring it with you or bring an existing compass (a phone compass is acceptable).

Compass Making: optional in classroom or on site - Parent leads should be prepared to lead this activity on site. If Explorers decide to make a compass on site, they need to bring the materials with them and the parents should learn to make it ahead of time. Assembling the compass could be a good rainy day activity for Explorers.

Observe and Report the Weather – In your journal, make notes about temperature, wind strength and direction, precipitation and any predictions that you can share with the class about incoming storms, sunny weather or wind events. Take a look at this PDF to prepare. You can borrow a copy while on site. Bring the cloud poster you make in class to Metini / Fort Ross. 

Rope Making Activity – Knowing how to make rope is a very useful skill. Rope had such a wide variety of uses at Settlement Ross. Supplies and instructions for this activity are provided by ELP Instructor.

Lasso Tying - A fun optional activity to tie lassos so that everyone can practice lassoing a target. Explorers who want to make lassos can include this as part of their rope making activity. Parent leads should practice ahead of time, to lead the lasso making activity.

Practice Your Knots – This is an optional activity for all Explorer groups. There are many different kinds of knots to learn. Explorers will need to know a few knots to teach their classmates. Use the link to prepare.

Instructions are NOT provided by your ELP Instructor, but you will be provided with supplies.

Keep An Explorers Journal - record weather, notes about the landscape and landmarks. Supplies are not provided by ELP Staff.

Critical Thinking Questions -

As you arrive at Metini / Fort Ross and start to look around, what do you notice? Is the land inhabited? Does the land seem wild or tended?

Why do you think it’s important for Explorers to observe and predict the weather?

Consider the other Activity Groups in your class - Hunters, Artisans, Clerks, Farmers and Gatherers, and Cooks. Which other Activity Groups could benefit from the information and skills you are learning?

Supplies you will need to bring to Metini / Fort Ross –

• Paper
• Pens or pencils
• Treasure - One bag for every group in your class
• Compass or materials for making a compass on site
• Explorers Journal
• (Optional) Colored pencils or watercolors
• (Optional) Measuring tools
• (Optional) Thermometer for weather observations
• Create link to printable Metini area map with the coast line so Explorers can fill in the fort and X for treasure