Learning to appreciate Mother Nature and all the beautiful things in our forests is the goal and focus for all School of the woods activities. Campers will learn about the technologies and tools Native Americans and early frontier people utilized daily to produce food, shelter, water, music and thrive off of the land. All activities are designed for the group to begin and end together, no one is first or last; we do every thing as a team. We keep our staff to student ratio very low to insure one on one time for all campers. By the end of the week all campers can expect to have created several crafts such as their own wooden spoon, bowl, Obsidian arrow point, natural cordage, bow and drill fire kit, buckskin leather bag and a basket made from native materials.

WEEK LONG IMMERSION PROGRAM

Ages 11 – 17 Maximum of 15 campers per week.


For those kids who really want to “live in the woods” Our summer camp is super excited to offer a week-long program this year! After day campers have returned home for the day, we will either continue to work on activities from the day or learn new skills such as fire pit cooking, bowl carving, night hiking, drumming, traditional food processing or soap-making. Along with constructing a shelter that will be their “home away from home” for the week, each camper will help prepare morning and evening meals over a campfire and stone oven. By the end of the week campers will be able to construct several types of shelters and set up a camp site, produce fire with modern flint and steel, identify numerous natural and synthetic tinders, identify dozens of native edible, medicinal and useful plants as well as trees and animal tracks, use a bow and drill fire kit, make an arrowhead, navigate with and without a map and compass, cook efficiently over an open fire, making baskets and natural cordage. Camp staff will provide 24-hour supervision, day and night for the entire week. If you would like to provide transportation for your camper check in will be Sunday afternoon between 2:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Pick up will be the following Friday between 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm or Saturday morning between 10 am and 12:30 pm. We are also offering transportation on Sunday and again the following Saturday at designated locations listed below.

Sample day

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7:30 -8:15 Wake up, personal hygiene and sleeping gear storage
8:15 – 9:00 Breakfast and clean up
9:00 – 9:30 Morning circle and plan for the day
9:30 – 12:00 Woods walk, animal track ID, native and invasive plant and tree ID,
12:00 – 12:30 Lunch
12:30 – 2:00 Wooden spoon carving, flint knapping or flint & steel fire craft
2:00 – 4:15 Sewing buckskin leather bags, bow and drill fire or ………
4:15 – 4:30 Afternoon circle and daily wrap up
4:30 – 5:00 Day camper pick up
5:00 – 5:45 Personal time and shelter maintenance
5:45 – 7:00 Campfire Dinner and clean up
7:00 – 8:00 Sunset hike
8:00 – 9:30 Campfire conversation, natural cordage
9:30 – 10:00 Lights out and bedtime
Meals will vary daily and weekly but will typically offer granola, bagels, yogurt and fruit juices for breakfast. For lunch sandwiches (meat, hummus or veggie), fresh local produce, chips and juices. Evening meals will offer pasta (veggie and meat), salad, steamed or sautéed vegetables. Meals can easily be adjusted for special dietary requirements and food allergies.

All meals and snacks including Sunday night after drop off through Friday night are provided

All crafting materials, tools and necessary equipment are provided by NABS and The School of the Woods.

PACKING LIST

Some items are required for each camper to have upon their arrival at School of the Woods. If you do not have or are not ready to purchase one or more of the items on this list please contact us well in advance of your registered week of camp. We can help you out with most of the items on the list but we need to know ahead of time as our equipment inventory is limited.

REQUIRED:

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Sleeping bag
Ground mat or sleeping pad
Head lamp or flashlight w/ spare batteries
2 pairs of long pants
2 pairs of shorts
1 long sleeve shirt
2 short sleeve shirts
4 pairs of socks
1 Rain jacket
2 pairs of shoes or boots that can get dirty
1 Hat
2 Refillable water bottles
Shatter resistant plate/bowl, spork and drinking cup
Personal hygiene items ie. Tooth brush, paste, sunblock, Johnson’s baby bath, Dr. Bronners soap (recommended) or baby wipes, bath towel
Back pack or duffel bag to carry all gear in and small/medium pack for day hikes.


RECOMMENDED:

Waterproof bivy sack
Note pad with pens/pencils
3 or 4 season tents can be brought if desired Swim clothing
Any other personal camping gear
ALL knives or multi tools or any other cutting tools need to be given to camp staff by parents or guardians upon arrival to camp or pick-up. These tools will be given to campers at the beginning of each day’s activities and stored securely in our main office each night.

All electronic devices such as phones, tablets, lap top computers and Ipods are allowed but not recommended at camp. All electronic devices will be turned off and stored during camp hours 7:30 am – 8:00 pm. Phone calls can be made during camp hours at the discretion of camp director or at the request of parents or guardians. Camp staff mobile #’s will be given to parents /guardians on Sunday during drop off.