Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors – Page 2 – Wolf Camp, Blue Skye Farm & School of Natural Science

Teaching Nature Part I – Outdoor Education Fundamentals (Prep, Safety & Discipline)

March 14, 2017April 14, 2017 Chris Chisholm No Comments

Although I love the outdoor skills we teach at Wolf Camp and the Conservation College, the actual skill of teaching is my real specialty. Teaching in the classroom is difficult enough, where walls and rows of tables and chairs help keep students focused. Outdoors, it’s a real trick helping students learn efficiently, and to avoid…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors

OJT at the Teaching Nature – Professional Training for Outdoor Educators

January 1, 2017January 27, 2019 Chris Chisholm No Comments

My OJT Experience by Ben Kleiber Teachers training week at Wolf Camp and the Conservation College is full of preparing for classes and rapid-fire teaching full of information. It can be stressful at times but ends up being the most valuable week of the summer. Working with all ages for a week gives an entirely…

Posts on Apprenticeship Events, Posts on Camps & Expeditions, Posts on Classes & Workshops, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Student Reflections

How to Pit Cook in the Outdoors

November 19, 2016January 8, 2020 Charles Borrowman No Comments

Unsurprisingly, many people have never even heard of pit cooking. Getting our food that close to dirt is enough to make anyone uncomfortable, and with the invention of indoor ovens, pit cooking has become widely ignored in our culture. Lately though, there has been a resurgence of similar outdoor cooking trends, including La Caja China…

Outdoor Skill Essays & Video, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Plants & Herbs, Posts on Sustainability & Self-Sufficiency, Posts on Traditional Technology & Wilderness Craft, Posts on Wilderness Survival

Backcountry Camp Cooking Recipe – Rice Pilaf

May 23, 2014January 8, 2020 Charles Borrowman No Comments

Check out other cooking blog posts by Wolf College wilderness chef Charles Borrowman including How to Cook for Backpacking Trips and more. When on a backcountry wilderness or backpacking expedition, it doesn’t take much more than the thought of yet another night of eating half soggy, half crunchy freeze-dried disaster to wrinkle one’s nose up…

Blog & Reviews, Posts on Classes & Workshops, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Plants & Herbs

Hiking & Backpacking Leadership Part II – Trip Preparation plus Wilderness Emergency Response Protocol

April 22, 2014August 5, 2021 Chris Chisholm No Comments

Please click here to read critical introductory material in Hiking & Backpacking Leadership Part I – Outdoor Risk Management including how to Engage the Frontal Cortex, recognize the difference between Perceived & Actual Risk, and mitigating the Eight Great Outdoor Hazards. These articles are designed to help the outdoor leaders cut the chaff, and start…

Posts on Environmental Policy, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wilderness Survival, Posts Reviewing Outdoor Books & Gear

Hiking & Backpacking Leadership Part I – Outdoor Risk Management

February 25, 2014August 5, 2021 Chris Chisholm No Comments

If you would like intensive, hands-on training to become a highly effective outdoor leader, join us in mid June for our annual OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING EXPEDITION: Backpacking into Wolf Country course or stay all summer and graduate from one of our six unique residential summer Environmental Education Apprenticeships on Outdoor Leadership & Nature Guiding, on Ethnobotany…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wilderness Survival, Posts Reviewing Outdoor Books & Gear

Sensory Awareness – If You Learn Nothing Else!

February 24, 2014January 14, 2020 Chris Chisholm No Comments

Do you get a vague feeling that you hike past a lot of wildlife without seeing it – the deer hiding in the thicket, the coyote silently watching your every move, or the minutes-old cougar tracks saying she heard you coming? Do you wish you could be as good as those wildlife photographers or famous…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding, Wolf Journey Study Site Visits

Tracking Animals for Fun, Photography and the Hunt

February 19, 2014April 1, 2022 Chris Chisholm No Comments

It All Comes Back To Tracking – The Most Critical Outdoor Skill If you can find it, you don’t have to make it. But what’s more, tracking is exciting as a mystery. You can discover the story of what happened in nature before you got there, so next time you’re on the trail, see if…

Posts on Hunting, Fishing & Gathering, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding

Identify Birds Quickly by Sight, Sound & Behavior using Bird Feeders, Field Guides & Apps

February 17, 2014April 4, 2022 Chris Chisholm No Comments

This article is being published in honor of the 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count. Check out its great video instructions and online submissions tool. Identifying Birds by Sound & Behavior < If you’re not already excited by birds and bird voices, check out my previous article on bird language which will teach you when predators…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding, Posts Reviewing Outdoor Books & Gear

Why Birds Sing & What Birds Say – Their Languages, Voices & Vocalizations

February 14, 2014April 4, 2022 Chris Chisholm No Comments

This article is being published in honor of the 2014 Great Backyard Bird Count. Check out its great video instructions and online submissions tool. Nature’s Internet Of all animals, birds in particular are in constant communication with one another. We can take advantage of their vocalizations to find not only them, but also to find…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding

CAMP IS KEY – Why Summer Camp Is Critical For Childhood Development

December 5, 2013April 4, 2022 Chris Chisholm No Comments

The American Camping Association slogan says “camp gives kids a world of good” and it’s so true. Good camps expose children to a safe, uplifting world of diversity, challenge, fun and success. Nowadays, there are specialized camps for every interest. But no matter the camp, it should include experiences rarely encountered in traditional schools which…

Posts on Camps & Expeditions, Posts on Environmental Policy, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Sustainability & Self-Sufficiency

Reviews of the Top 10 Professional Wildlife Tracking Books

December 3, 2013August 5, 2021 Chris Chisholm No Comments

It’s been a long time coming. The great Haitian-American naturalist John James Audubon hand-painted The Birds of America between 1927-1939 and with it, he set the standard for modern field guides. Now there are several excellent field guides to the birds, but it has only been recently that field guides to plants and other animals…

Posts on Hunting, Fishing & Gathering, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding, Posts Reviewing Outdoor Books & Gear

The Best Way To Make A Fire: Bed, Pillow & Blanket plus Criss-Cross Construction

June 1, 2013August 24, 2020 Chris Chisholm No Comments

I almost made my own fire-making video, but then I saw this great video by Peter Kummerfeldt who does a superb job explaining the best way to make a fire at Outdoor Survival-Chapter 9-Fire. The only thing missing from his explanation is that fire needs shelter. In fact, fire has the following 4 requirements: Fuel…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Traditional Technology & Wilderness Craft, Posts on Wilderness Survival

Making Clam Chowder with French Herbs

May 31, 2013January 8, 2020 Charles Borrowman No Comments

Clam chowder is a New England specialty and perfect for a foggy day down by the shore. Being the prestigious dish that it is, it must be complicated, right? Not necessarily so. With a few tips and tricks, anyone can make a delicious chowder! First we’ll start by preparing the clams. Fresh cooked clams will…

Blog & Reviews, Posts on Hunting, Fishing & Gathering, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Plants & Herbs

How to Cook Over a Campfire

May 2, 2013July 12, 2021 Charles Borrowman No Comments

It’s hard to think of anything that embodies the spirit of the great outdoors more than a good old-fashioned campfire under the stars. They provide us with warmth, light, and a great social atmosphere. There’s something deeply human about huddling around a raging fire with friends and family that brings us all closer together. Great…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Sustainability & Self-Sufficiency, Posts on Traditional Technology & Wilderness Craft, Posts on Wilderness Survival

The Tenets of Herbal Medicine: Guidelines & Rules for Health, Safety & Success

March 18, 2013July 16, 2022 Chris Chisholm 1 Comment

I was hurriedly descending the lowest slopes of Mt. Baker, through a giant old-growth forest, trying to reach the road before nightfall. My ride was waiting there, and I could see my friend in her car, just below me through a break in the trees. The trail continued at a gradual angle 1/4 mile sideways before…

Posts on Environmental Policy, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Plants & Herbs

Video & Blog: How To Use A Compass; Using Map & Compass; Recommended Compasses

March 12, 2013August 23, 2020 Chris Chisholm No Comments

Recommended Orienteering Compasses First, it is critical to get a “spinning dial” compass that is clear plastic, although it’s also nice to get one that allows you to “set declination” which is a fancy way of saying that it has prominent red lines/arrows that clearly shows your magnetic declination so that every time you use…

Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wilderness Survival

Top 10 List of Natural Navigation, Lostproofing & Orienteering Tips, Tricks & Advice

March 11, 2013April 5, 2022 Chris Chisholm No Comments

Wolf College Top 10 Lostproofing Skills Plan your route and risk manage it (empower all to say “stop, is it worth the risk, and if so, let’s make a mitigation plan) Every person needs to bring the 10 essentials. See https://www.mountaineers.org/learn/how-to/the-ten-essentials Always tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Then go there! If…

Posts on Hunting, Fishing & Gathering, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wilderness Survival, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding

Emergency & Wilderness Survival – Tips, Suggestions & Advice

February 22, 2013April 26, 2023 Chris Chisholm No Comments

The Opposite of Panic Experts say “don’t panic” in case of emergency, but we are biologically wired with a “freeze, fight or flee” response, so the only people who don’t automatically panic are trained emergency responders. So what are the rest of us to do? When we panic, adrenaline floods our system, and our “lower…

Blog & Reviews, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Wilderness Survival

First Monthly Outdoor Skills Newsletter publishes March 4th, 2013

February 7, 2013January 8, 2020 Chris Chisholm No Comments

Sign up for our First Tuesday of the Month Outdoor Skills Newsletter The newsletter contains deals and information not available anywhere else! Examples include: – Where to find current hot wildlife spots and more – Previews of program ideas and upcoming skills videos – Mini skills newsletter workshops from our workshop hand-outs – Special program discount…

Blog & Reviews, Posts on Environmental Policy, Posts on Hunting, Fishing & Gathering, Posts on Leadership, Teaching & Parenting Outdoors, Posts on Plants & Herbs, Posts on Sustainability & Self-Sufficiency, Posts on Traditional Technology & Wilderness Craft, Posts on Wilderness Survival, Posts on Wildlife Tracking & Birding