Ages 12+
We will take paint and paper into nature and learn to paint a scene from life, not just painting “a landscape.” But building depth and mood using three intentional layers- foreground, middle ground and sky.
Read MoreAges 7+
An introduction to the art of basket weaving. Campers will work on a small basket to learn the basics of weaving.
Read MoreAges 7-12
Let’s explore Crow Creek looking for all the amazing animals who call this ecosystem their home!
Read MoreAges 10+
Students will spend the afternoon learning the basic skills of IMPROV! From creating strong characters to telling short stories, we will have fun doing exercises and playing games to help become strong improvisational performers.
Read MoreAll Day Major • Ages 8-12 - CLASS FULL
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.
Read MoreAll Day Major • Ages 10-14 - CLASS FULL
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.
Read MoreAll day major Ages 13-18
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!
Read MoreCLASS FULL
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!
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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!
Read MoreCLASS FULL
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!
Read MoreCLASS FULL
All Day Major • Ages 13 -17
Luke McNally, Damion Schierer, Luke Scalise
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. These lofty
ideals are achieved from the ground up, starting from a foundation of
running and team rivalry. Please note, scholarships are not available
for this class.
Ages 18+
Luke McNally, Damion Scheirer, Luke Scalise
Building upon the principles of Coyote Warriors, the advanced class offers young adults a chance to continue their Coyote Games experience, while engaging in more complex challenges including leadership, acts of service, and planning for their adult life. Facing a period of major transition, young adults will benefit from developing their professional interests, collaborative discussions about continuing education, and finding and vetting professional mentors. In addition to playing doubleball, activities will include learning from other Art & Science in the Woods instructors, advanced workouts, and cross-country travel around Blue Heron Farm. Participants will take field trips to the marsh and old growth forest, conduct acts of service in benefit of their fellow Campers, and gain training and hands-on learning in the ecology, agriculture, and natural resource management of the farm.
Read MoreCLASS FULL
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.
Read MoreAges 8+
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 8+
Read MoreCLASS FULL
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.
Read MoreAges 11 + - CLASS FULL
Come explore some of the older ways of cooking, processing foods, foraging, processing wild game, using plant dyes, making lip balm, candles, homemade kites and fermentation.
Read MoreCLASS FULL
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.
Read MoreCLASS FULL
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.
Read MoreCLASS CANCELLED
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.
Read MoreCLASS FULL
Ages 7-12
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.
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