The Mockingjay: A Mystery Solved

There is a good place for holding circles outside at one of the schools where I work with classroom circles and council. While a 5th grade class was setting up their circle I overhead one of the boys talking to another one about the mockingjays he had heard earlier. I figured he meant either a mockingbird or a scrub jay--both are plentiful in the neighborhood. The context wasn't right to correct him, so I did that internal manuever of shaking my head and wondering "Where do they get this stuff?"

Because there's no such thing as a Mockingjay. Right?

Think again. In the parallel universe portrayed in the film The Hunger Games there is indeed a bird called a Mockingjay. And, along with other nature awareness and outdoor skills, Mockingjay bird language plays a role in the story. 

I enjoyed The Hunger Games. Although it's somewhat gruesome I felt there is a chance that it might awaken interest in more young people in some of the skills it's protaganists call upon. These include:

• Climbing trees
  
• Camouflage
  
• Finding shelter
  
• Plant medicine
  
• Archery
  
• Bird Language
  
• Finding Water
  
• Building Traps
  
• Making Fire 
  
• Cooking small game
  
• Insect Awareness

and the one that I've found most frequently needed in the backcountry:

• Evading raging packs of very large, very ugly ravenous apex predators.
  

Mockingjay. Actual photo...sorta.

From The Hunger Games. 

I liked the movie enough that I'll probably read the books. You know, pick up some more nature awareness insights....