A Wilderness School & Community
Sarah LaDuke of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio took a tour with Executive Director Michelle Apland and Program Director Devin Franklin for a story that aired on August 28, 2020.
Continue reading “WAMC HIGHLIGHTS fLYING DEER on ‘THE ROUNDTABLE’”
Trout lily empanadas, close encounters with deer, epic backyard shelters, intricate nature mandalas—the digital format didn’t stop our Wild Ways Teen Program from getting wild! Teens became instructors, creating videos of how to make face paint with natural pigments, how to make cordage, and a series on fine-dining camp cooking!
Continue reading “Wild Ways Teen Program Stays Wild At Home”
When we visit another person’s home, we usually ask permission to come in, right? Because we respect them and their home, and it is good manners. A teacher once told me that I should try doing the same when I enter the forest, or visit my Sit Spot. Here’s a story about what happened when I tried it.
Continue reading “Asking Permission to Enter”
Here’s a great family game that encourages kids—and grown-ups, too!—to imagine the inner world and community life of birds!
Continue reading “Bird Language Charades”
Here’s a great way to start (or add to) your wilderness survival kit! Simply follow these steps to make an awesome match case!
Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Waterproof Match Case”
Every year I am ecstatic to hear the first calls from the pond. The frogs and other amphibians emerge from dormancy and get active, making noise in the water, crossing roads, mating, laying egg masses just beneath the surface of the water.
Try this today: Find a body of water near you. Hear anything? See anything? Any masses of eggs in the water? Journal what you find.
Here’s a resource to help with identification.
If you want to take on a project that you will remember forever, consider bringing some eggs home and following these instructions.
Seize the moment! We suddenly have more time than ever. Use it to work on things you want to get good at, things you enjoy and things that will benefit you and your family.
—Josh
Here are a few ways to tap into the power of nature connection to support joy and learning for little ones.
Learn one or two stories a week to tell your child orally. This can be shared during snack or rest time. Here are a few resources for stories:
Continue reading “Nature-Based Activities for Kids”
Given the current circumstances, we’d like to offer you a few things you can do with your children this week at home. Let’s make the best of the time we have now to slow down and enjoy each other and our connection to nature, as much as that is available to us. Take some time to slow down, notice how you cope with fear and stress, practice self-compassion, and stay connected.
We hope that everyone can settle into a rhythm that works for you. We recommend using a simple schedule to keep your days structured.
Continue reading “A Home Routine for the LIttle Ones”
We send our warm greetings to you all. We are missing our times together in the woods and look forward to seeing you all again soon, when it becomes apparent that it is wise to do so. In the meantime, we encourage you to settle in with your family, and enjoy some good quality time with them—including time outdoors if you are able.
This is a great season to celebrate the changes that are happening all around us. This is such a lively time of year for wildlife. So much is happening each day! We encourage you all to get out there and watch, listen, and discover what changes are happening on a day-to-day basis.
We began our day by twisting up a big jute rope and of course immediately started playing tug of war, trying to lasso each other and testing its strength. Then we played Palm Tag and Bobcat Dodgeball to get our blood pumping and warm up.
Yesterday we focused on two important aspects of survival: fire and water. Today we rounded out our skill set with shelter and food. In our morning block, we hiked up the hill to what one camper referred to as the “shelter learning village.” We explored some existing shelters of various types and some old collapsed or re-purposed ones as well. Then the instructors alerted us to a huge (fictional) blizzard on its way within the hour! We had to work quickly and hard to make a shelter large enough to protect all 20 of us from the coming storm.
Continue reading “Shelter from the storm”