Majors by Category
Many students will attend both major and minor classes. Students attend the same major class Monday–Thursday mornings and all day Friday, and attend a different minor class Monday–Thursday afternoon. A few classes are all day every day majors as noted in individual class descriptions.
Participants will be placed in classes with students of similar ages. Age limits may be adapted as enrollment progresses. Class sizes are limited in space and fill quickly. We encourage early registration.
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Art
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
In this class, students will create our very own masterpieces, trek though nature and explore science in the outdoors. We will use clay, paint, and other art materials to create art. Join us as we explore the marsh, forest, and trails on this exciting adventure. Gear up for a week of games, play-based learning, and fun while we capture the beauty around us!
Ages 10+
Students will experience various techniques specific to clay with both guided and free expression time as well. Students will leave with a foundation of how to make both sculptural as well as functional ceramic art this is glaze fired. All experience levels are welcome!
Ages 8 - 12
We will explore immediate diverse habitats, such as the woods, prairie, marsh and river. We’ll take our sketch books with us making nature notes and then return to our barn to explore the amazing forms and colors of nature. We will also work from a diverse set of scientific specimens including preserved turtles, frogs, fish, mud puppies, and crayfish We take them out of their jars and can get up close and personal using them as inspiration for both drawing, watercolors and sculptural work in self-hardening clay. We will also have other natural history specimens such as bones, skulls, dried plants, seeds and pods, and marine specimens to provide inspiration. Sharon will also weave stories of Amazonian explorations into her art instruction with lessons about biodiversity and conservation.
Ages 10+
Students will use a variety of fiber arts with an emphasis on the importance of reducing pollution by repurposing materials from “trash” and using natural and non-polluting dyes. The class will learn about the power of the slow arts – not just as a technique, but as a philosophy that fosters patience, connection and mindfulness. Students will be encouraged to slow down, engage with their materials thoughtfully, and make something both beautiful and purposeful from the world around them. By the end of the week, students will have various projects to bring home and we will work on a class project together, often inspired by the class itself as their mindful moments often allow for expanded creativity! Ages 10+
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
This class is an introduction to the Sun Foundation. Campers will explore all that camp has to offer. We will hike, play games, visit the marsh, look for fossils in the creek bed, paint, work with clay, dif for treasures in our own “archeological dig”, bead, and explore our environment.
Ages 8+
In this class we will work on and complete a LARGE mural as a group. We will draw our inspiration from nature and the life around us using bright colors and vivid expressions that capture the artist/explorer in each of us. Get ready to get messy and creative and leave this class with the knowledge to make a painting of
Ages 7–11
Have you ever wondered if fairies, gnomes, Bigfoot or other mythological creatures really exist? In this class we believe! Campers will spend the week exploring the many mythological creatures that live deep in the forest. Students will make art in clay, painting and found objects. They will also learn basic skills of tracking, camouflage and wild edible herbs through games and stories. Of course, camp wouldn’t be complete without some games, songs and creating a mythological creature of their own.
Ages 8+
The first 2 days Connie will guide the class in sculpting animals from dogs or cats, to birds and elephants. Then you’ll get to choose any animal in the world to create. She will help you come up with a pose and a way to create it so you’ll have a 3 dimensional piece of art to take home. There will be paper and paints available as wellfor those that would like to also create on paper. And of course, we will take time to explore the Sun Foundaiton grounds.
Pee Wee • Ages 5–7
The youngest among us often notice the WONDER-full details of the natural world. This major is for those who love to make amazing discoveries right before their eyes! Join us as we explore the forest, marsh, grassland and creek. We’ll draw big inspiration from small wonders, like a caterpillar’s stripes or water flowing over pebbles – to sketch, paint and sculpt artistic treasures. There’ll be lots of games too. Come play and create with us!
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Culture
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Nature
All day major Ages 13-18
Shannon Thomas, Pam McDonald
This class is for students who have participated in the basic Ancestral Survival Arts Program and want to fine tune old skills based on their interests. Each day will comprise part of the day working on hard skills based on group interest, with options such as tracking (cluster tracking, drawing tracks), fire build(bowdrill, etc.) shelter creation, cordage and advanced textile arts (quadbraid, finger weaving), traps, edible and medicinal plants and advanced camouflage. The second part of the day will be immersive practice in applying multiple skills simultaneously, such as awareness practice and games, stalking through the woods while in camouflage and practicing ancestral weaponry OR tracking and trailing in teams while blindfolded. The fun and flow of theis class will be dictated by student interest & initiative!
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
In this class, students will create our very own masterpieces, trek though nature and explore science in the outdoors. We will use clay, paint, and other art materials to create art. Join us as we explore the marsh, forest, and trails on this exciting adventure. Gear up for a week of games, play-based learning, and fun while we capture the beauty around us!
All Day Major • Ages 13+
Luke McNally & Damien Schierer
More than a game, Coyote Warriors builds upon a foundation of athletics to teach young people about teamwork, conflict, work ethic, awareness and maintaining a healthy mind and body. This course is about building confidence in teens. By facing hard work and struggle in a fun environment, we equip students with tools to better prepare for work and school beyond nature’s classroom. Coyote Warriors relies upon an ancestral understanding of team sports blended with modern science and a hint of the spiritual. It is a chance to escape the contemporary world, examine ourselves in nature, and return to the challenges of modern life with new training for adulthood. Ironically, these lofty ideals are achieved through not trying too hard, from the ground up . . . from a foundation that starts with lots of running and team rivalry. Please note, scholarships are not available for this class.
Ages 8 - 12
We will explore immediate diverse habitats, such as the woods, prairie, marsh and river. We’ll take our sketch books with us making nature notes and then return to our barn to explore the amazing forms and colors of nature. We will also work from a diverse set of scientific specimens including preserved turtles, frogs, fish, mud puppies, and crayfish We take them out of their jars and can get up close and personal using them as inspiration for both drawing, watercolors and sculptural work in self-hardening clay. We will also have other natural history specimens such as bones, skulls, dried plants, seeds and pods, and marine specimens to provide inspiration. Sharon will also weave stories of Amazonian explorations into her art instruction with lessons about biodiversity and conservation.
Ages 8-12
Spend a week exploring the Sun Foundation’s natural spaces and the living things that build healthy ecosystems! In addition to plenty of hiking and science-based field activities, we’ll also build a mini museum collection of our favorite findings and research how they contribute to our environment.
Ages 8-12
We will explore the Sun Foundation property, looking for native reptiles and amphibians. We will show you how to find and identify animals. We will discuss what they eat and how to take care of them. You’ll get to catch, touch and hold them. Plan to get hot, wet and dirty! Please make sure to wear clothes that are appropriate. Class will be all day on Wednesday.
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
This class is an introduction to the Sun Foundation. Campers will explore all that camp has to offer. We will hike, play games, visit the marsh, look for fossils in the creek bed, paint, work with clay, dif for treasures in our own “archeological dig”, bead, and explore our environment.
Ages 8+
This class provides an introduction to a fascinating world that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Children will learn how to use several different types of microscopes. They will learn to sample, identify, and develop microscopy skills while studying the samples brought back from different sites.
Ages 7-12
Dellvenna Hambling
Spend the week learning about the physics of motion, moving your body through the woods using maps and magnets (compasses), and enjoying the general mayhem of camp! Campers will learn some bite sized physics lessons and be introduced to the art of land navigation with map and compasses. If you have a compass, please bring it.
Ages 8+
In this class we will work on and complete a LARGE mural as a group. We will draw our inspiration from nature and the life around us using bright colors and vivid expressions that capture the artist/explorer in each of us. Get ready to get messy and creative and leave this class with the knowledge to make a painting of
Ages 7–11
Have you ever wondered if fairies, gnomes, Bigfoot or other mythological creatures really exist? In this class we believe! Campers will spend the week exploring the many mythological creatures that live deep in the forest. Students will make art in clay, painting and found objects. They will also learn basic skills of tracking, camouflage and wild edible herbs through games and stories. Of course, camp wouldn’t be complete without some games, songs and creating a mythological creature of their own.
Pee Wee • Ages 5–7
The youngest among us often notice the WONDER-full details of the natural world. This major is for those who love to make amazing discoveries right before their eyes! Join us as we explore the forest, marsh, grassland and creek. We’ll draw big inspiration from small wonders, like a caterpillar’s stripes or water flowing over pebbles – to sketch, paint and sculpt artistic treasures. There’ll be lots of games too. Come play and create with us!
Ages 10+
Steve Hambling
Hike the creek bed with Steve searching for clues to the past as you learn about geology and collect fossils and different kinds of rocks. After you study and display your collection, it's yours to keep.
Ages 7-12
Fish, Birds, Bugs, Bones and Boulders! Every day is an adventure! Spend Monday with John James Audubon catching, drawing and banding migrating birds. Tuesday we will meet Charles Darwin and catch bugs, explore geology and evolution. Wednesday is a day of fishing with Louis Agassiz. Thursday we will track animals, learn medicinal herbs, play Native Games and eat wild plants with Meriwether Lewis. Friday we will put it all together publishing our findings in an instant book that celebrates the wild life of the Sun Foundation!
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Performance
Ages 8-14
This year campers will learn, rehearse and perform in the world premier of Sir Andre Lloyd Webber’s “Cats!” Students will learn audition skills before auditioning and being cast in a musical production that will be performed at the end of the week. Throughout the class students will learn and develop skills in music, improvisation and acting. This class will be an all-day major Tuesday, Thursday and Friday – so students will only have minors on Monday and Wednesday. STUDENTS MUST BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN FRIDAY EVENING PERFORMANCE!
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Science
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
In this class, students will create our very own masterpieces, trek though nature and explore science in the outdoors. We will use clay, paint, and other art materials to create art. Join us as we explore the marsh, forest, and trails on this exciting adventure. Gear up for a week of games, play-based learning, and fun while we capture the beauty around us!
Ages 8-12
Spend a week exploring the Sun Foundation’s natural spaces and the living things that build healthy ecosystems! In addition to plenty of hiking and science-based field activities, we’ll also build a mini museum collection of our favorite findings and research how they contribute to our environment.
Ages 8-12
We will explore the Sun Foundation property, looking for native reptiles and amphibians. We will show you how to find and identify animals. We will discuss what they eat and how to take care of them. You’ll get to catch, touch and hold them. Plan to get hot, wet and dirty! Please make sure to wear clothes that are appropriate. Class will be all day on Wednesday.
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
This class is an introduction to the Sun Foundation. Campers will explore all that camp has to offer. We will hike, play games, visit the marsh, look for fossils in the creek bed, paint, work with clay, dif for treasures in our own “archeological dig”, bead, and explore our environment.
Ages 8+
This class provides an introduction to a fascinating world that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Children will learn how to use several different types of microscopes. They will learn to sample, identify, and develop microscopy skills while studying the samples brought back from different sites.
Ages 7-12
Dellvenna Hambling
Spend the week learning about the physics of motion, moving your body through the woods using maps and magnets (compasses), and enjoying the general mayhem of camp! Campers will learn some bite sized physics lessons and be introduced to the art of land navigation with map and compasses. If you have a compass, please bring it.
Ages 10+
Rocketeers will build rockets made of common household materials. They will learn basic equations of rocket thrust, stability and trajectory. Then they will launch their rockets and evaluate the performance.
Pee Wee • Ages 5–7
The youngest among us often notice the WONDER-full details of the natural world. This major is for those who love to make amazing discoveries right before their eyes! Join us as we explore the forest, marsh, grassland and creek. We’ll draw big inspiration from small wonders, like a caterpillar’s stripes or water flowing over pebbles – to sketch, paint and sculpt artistic treasures. There’ll be lots of games too. Come play and create with us!
Ages 10+
Steve Hambling
Hike the creek bed with Steve searching for clues to the past as you learn about geology and collect fossils and different kinds of rocks. After you study and display your collection, it's yours to keep.
Ages 7-12
Fish, Birds, Bugs, Bones and Boulders! Every day is an adventure! Spend Monday with John James Audubon catching, drawing and banding migrating birds. Tuesday we will meet Charles Darwin and catch bugs, explore geology and evolution. Wednesday is a day of fishing with Louis Agassiz. Thursday we will track animals, learn medicinal herbs, play Native Games and eat wild plants with Meriwether Lewis. Friday we will put it all together publishing our findings in an instant book that celebrates the wild life of the Sun Foundation!
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Survival Skills
All Day Major • Ages 8-12
Ruth Ann Colby Pam McDonald
This class will immerse students in the landscape to learn through play - games that awaken the senses and hone awareness while cultivating a cooperative community experience. We will explore basic tracking, eat plants, make cordage, build shelters, practice fire building skills, experience camouflage, study natural hazards, and learn other wood’s wisdom that captivates student’s interests. The focus of this class will be to learn experientially as we rediscover our innate woods wisdom and deepen our relationship with ourselves, one another and the earth.
All Day Major • Ages 10-14
David Ott Pam McDonald
This class will focus on deepening student’s knowledge and awareness of woods wisdom through more in-depth experience, exploration and play - games that also awaken the senses and hone awareness while cultivating a cooperative community experience. Students will learn bowdrill (friction fire technique), build shelters, create cordage from raw materials, practice ancestral weaponry, explore tracking (compression shapes and gaits), while immersing themselves in the woods of the farm with awareness practices and games. We Will learn natural camouflage & rely on the interdependence of the class community as we learn how to stalk animals and move across the landscape with minimal disturbance.
All day major Ages 13-18
Shannon Thomas, Pam McDonald
This class is for students who have participated in the basic Ancestral Survival Arts Program and want to fine tune old skills based on their interests. Each day will comprise part of the day working on hard skills based on group interest, with options such as tracking (cluster tracking, drawing tracks), fire build(bowdrill, etc.) shelter creation, cordage and advanced textile arts (quadbraid, finger weaving), traps, edible and medicinal plants and advanced camouflage. The second part of the day will be immersive practice in applying multiple skills simultaneously, such as awareness practice and games, stalking through the woods while in camouflage and practicing ancestral weaponry OR tracking and trailing in teams while blindfolded. The fun and flow of theis class will be dictated by student interest & initiative!
All Day Major • Ages 13+
Luke McNally & Damien Schierer
More than a game, Coyote Warriors builds upon a foundation of athletics to teach young people about teamwork, conflict, work ethic, awareness and maintaining a healthy mind and body. This course is about building confidence in teens. By facing hard work and struggle in a fun environment, we equip students with tools to better prepare for work and school beyond nature’s classroom. Coyote Warriors relies upon an ancestral understanding of team sports blended with modern science and a hint of the spiritual. It is a chance to escape the contemporary world, examine ourselves in nature, and return to the challenges of modern life with new training for adulthood. Ironically, these lofty ideals are achieved through not trying too hard, from the ground up . . . from a foundation that starts with lots of running and team rivalry. Please note, scholarships are not available for this class.
Ages 7–11
Have you ever wondered if fairies, gnomes, Bigfoot or other mythological creatures really exist? In this class we believe! Campers will spend the week exploring the many mythological creatures that live deep in the forest. Students will make art in clay, painting and found objects. They will also learn basic skills of tracking, camouflage and wild edible herbs through games and stories. Of course, camp wouldn’t be complete without some games, songs and creating a mythological creature of their own.
Ages 7-12
Fish, Birds, Bugs, Bones and Boulders! Every day is an adventure! Spend Monday with John James Audubon catching, drawing and banding migrating birds. Tuesday we will meet Charles Darwin and catch bugs, explore geology and evolution. Wednesday is a day of fishing with Louis Agassiz. Thursday we will track animals, learn medicinal herbs, play Native Games and eat wild plants with Meriwether Lewis. Friday we will put it all together publishing our findings in an instant book that celebrates the wild life of the Sun Foundation!
Jump to: Art | Culture | Nature | Performance | Science | Survival Skills | Pee Wee
Pee Wee
These classes are for young children who are ready to spend full days at camp. Students must have completed kindergarten before attending camp. Children will remain with their major class groups all day and may be visited by other instructors in the afternoons. All classes will expose children to both art and science activities shared by professionals who are passionate about what they teach! These classes fill quickly so register early if interested!
Please note: If you have a “mature” 7 year old you could check out class listings for a couple of other options for that age group.
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
In this class, students will create our very own masterpieces, trek though nature and explore science in the outdoors. We will use clay, paint, and other art materials to create art. Join us as we explore the marsh, forest, and trails on this exciting adventure. Gear up for a week of games, play-based learning, and fun while we capture the beauty around us!
Pee Wee • Ages 5-7
This class is an introduction to the Sun Foundation. Campers will explore all that camp has to offer. We will hike, play games, visit the marsh, look for fossils in the creek bed, paint, work with clay, dif for treasures in our own “archeological dig”, bead, and explore our environment.
Pee Wee • Ages 5–7
The youngest among us often notice the WONDER-full details of the natural world. This major is for those who love to make amazing discoveries right before their eyes! Join us as we explore the forest, marsh, grassland and creek. We’ll draw big inspiration from small wonders, like a caterpillar’s stripes or water flowing over pebbles – to sketch, paint and sculpt artistic treasures. There’ll be lots of games too. Come play and create with us!