The Wilderness

Survival Adventure
  

A Program Facilitating Seventh Grade Student Dynamics

It can arguably be said that the seventh grade can be one of the most challenging group experiences that class teachers can face. Students who have been willing to follow the curriculum and guidance of the school may suddenly test every limit, and the group dynamics between longtime friends can dissolve, change or shift overnight. The pressures of this time call for challenges that temper and feed the spirit of our youth, who seek opportunities to learn, grow, speak out and move in ways that are difficult in traditional classroom settings.

The Wilderness Survival Adventure is designed to provide opportunities for students to grow in a safe, natural setting with experienced counselors learning native American skills of survival and awareness. These skills are authentic and exciting, where making a fire without matches, or tracking a deer through the woods is a reality, rather than legend.

Students make rope from plant fibers, cook food in a variety of ways over a campfire they make with a bow and drill, and explore and wander the different forests, meadows and streams. Carving, leathercraft, beadwork, stone tools and other native crafts will be shared as students slow down and learn to relate to the earth and each other in a new and profound way. Building natural shelters in the forest is a challenge as well, involving hard work, safety consciousness and a new appreciation for modern conveniences.

The pace of nature is much slower than that of our busy society, giving us time to integrate what we have learned, relax and breathe while we enjoy the warmth of the sun or the crackling campfire. The senses are engaged, problem solving and creativity skills are tested and the celebration of lessons well learned feel especially good at the end of each day.

The Adventure has several options that can be discussed, and we work with you to determine the right kind of program to help your class reach a new awareness of self, group and nature. Our specialty lies in our passion for helping students truly grow and learn according to their own pace and level.

Our programs includes all food throughout the week from our commercial kitchen, all materials for crafts and skills, tenting accommodations in our wilderness camp that includes tents on platforms and a covered workshop area for inclement weather. We have a large Lakota tipi for evening storytelling or for working on crafts. Our property has approximately 200 very private acres, surrounded by over 600 other acres which we have permission to wander, gather and explore freely. We have outdoor showers with hot water, and an infirmary for students who aren’t feeling well. All staff are certified in First Aid and CPR.