“Huck’s Song” written by Chris Anderson.
Virtual Outdoor Camps & Classes: The Original & Ultimate STEM/STEAM EDUCATION
Like the popular STEM Education movement in the classroom, STEAM brings education into balance. Here at Wolf Camp, we realized when developing and reflecting on our new virtual classess that they seem to be the ultimate in STEAM Education.
First, let’s look at the “S” and the “A.” We’re all about science, but we use the arts of nature to teach it – the “it” being a lot of biology. Actually, it’s applied biology, or ethnobiology – the way humans interact with plants, animals and the elements of nature.
One of the fundamental ways we teach biology interactively is to set students up with their own “sit spot.” The “sit spot” concept of nature education uses the scientific method – of studying a “control group” location from which to compare other areas of nature. How is a “sit spot” a control group?
Once a student learns the players and patterns of nature in one area, they can use that place (control group) they know so well to compare it to anywhere else they experience. With their control group experience as empirical evidence, students can quickly recognize the patterns of nature anywhere they go, and they will quickly identify species new to them which are filling patterns common to nature everywhere – niches they know from experience.
We also do the “T, E & M” in STEM/STEAM Education. In fact, we teach the original human technologies such as fire by friction, tanning of animal hides using chemicals naturally found in eggs. We also teach the origins of engineering: the crafting of bows, arrows and at-latls that dramatically improved the efficiency of hunting, and we teach ancient and new farming methods that focus on sustainability and self-sufficiency.
We also teach the fundamentals of math developed through animal tracking. Similar to how music has been found to help young people understand basic math, some anthropologists believe that humans developed the capacity for advanced mathematical thinking through the mysteries of tracking. Presented with sign (evidence) that an animal may have been present, humans had to develop complex thinking to “put 2 and 2 together” and figure out “who” it was, “what” it was doing, “when” it happened, “where” it is now, and “why” it would have been in the area in the first place.
On top of that, we’ve figured out how to do it virtually – the ultimate marriage of ancient and modern technologies. Ironically, we are using the most modern of technologies to teach the most ancient, and to get people off their computers and into nature for a few hours per day. Check it out:
Virtual Outdoor Classes with Kim & Chris Chisholm
Tuesdays: Ethnobotany Classes
Tuesday Classes focus on Herbal Medicine & Plant Crafts in the Autumn Season from Sept 15 – Nov 17, 2020, followed by Gardening & Cooking Wild Edible Food Plants in the spring of 2021. Tuesday class times include • 1 PM Pacific / 4 PM Eastern for micro-schools, homeschoolers, and youth and family; or choose • 5 PM Pacific / 8 PM Eastern for adults – with teens, high school and college students welcome. A full season of ten classes plus unlimited access to our private community site for participants of the Fall Tuesday class series costs $195, and just $50 per additional household member sharing a connection. Or drop into one class for $25 and stay online to ask questions afterwards. Maximum of 10-12 households per class series. Click here for Tuesday class topics, schedule and registration information.
Thursdays: Wilderness Survival
Thursday Classes focus on Wilderness Survival & Bushcraft Skills in the Autumn Season from Sept 17 – Nov 19, 2020, followed by Natural Navigation, Wildlife Tracking & Birding in the spring of 2021. Thursday class times include • 1 PM Pacific / 4 PM Eastern for micro-schools, homeschoolers, youth and family; or choose • 5 PM Pacific / 8 PM Eastern for adults – with teens, high school and college students welcome. A full season of ten classes plus unlimited access to our private community site for participants of the Fall Thursday class series costs $195, and just $50 per additional household member sharing a connection. Or drop into one class for $25 and stay online to ask questions afterwards. Maximum of 10-12 households per class series. Click here for Thursday class topics, schedule and registration information.
Saturdays: The Neighborhood Naturalist
Saturday Classes start with a free webinar on Sept 12th at 9 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern to introduce you to nature journaling and Wolf Journey Book One – The Neighborhood Naturalist which is excellent for adults wanting to immerse themselves in nature, as well as for micro-school and home school students wanting a comprehensive nature curriculum.
Saturday classes continue through the fall from Sept 19 – Nov 21, 2020, guiding you chapter by chapter through skills of the Neighborhood Naturalist, and continue in the spring from March 20 – May 22. Classes begin at 9 AM Pacific / 12 PM Eastern and last one hour, with plenty of time afterwards to ask instructors Kim & Chris Chisholm questions.
Registration includes passwords to Neighborhood Naturalist chapters as they are rolled out over the academic year, plus access to our private community site for participants actively working through Neighborhood Naturalist study experiences. It’s where we post supplemental resources and class recordings in case you miss them live, but it also provides a sense of community and crowd-sourcing help.
The fall season of ten classes which continue after the free introductory webinar, plus perpetual access to the Neighborhood Naturalist student group on our community site, costs $295, and you can add additional household members for just $100 each. Fall Saturday class series participants can also add 10 spring classes for just $100 when registration opens in the new year, plus $50 per additional household member who participated in the fall. Click here for Saturday class topics, schedule and registration information.
If you can’t join the live Saturday class series, you can gain access to the Neighborhood Naturalist curriculum and its community group site (with resources and Saturday class recordings) for $100. See paypal registration options below.
