Outdoor Skills 2: A Plants and Team-building Focus

In this 11-week series, students will delve further into outdoor skills yet in the perspective of plants and leadership. A plant class day will feature one plant specifically and its practical uses pertaining to the outdoors, and students will make a medicinal or utilitarian skill-craft. The classes with team-building engage students in activities that highlight communication, cooperation (working together), positive character, trust, and leadership qualities, all within the backdrop of outdoor skills. A debrief process discusses the outcomes and ways to incorporate the lessons learned into personal, school, and family applications!

Plants Focus - may include topics such as the following:

Mugwort - An antidote for poison oak (how to apply a poultice)

Yucca - Natural Fiber Cordage (Rope) and Soap ... make "Soap and a Rope"

Plantain - Nature's Natural Insect Bite Remedy. Make a Salve

Oaks: Acorn Processing for Food ... 2 days

Day 1: Grind Acorns into flour

Day 2: Leach the Acorn flour and Cook (then eat!!)

Horehound - The weed for sore throat (unsure if there's time to make a throat lozenge??)

Willow - used for tools, shelter, baskets, aspirin, and games (make a ring and pin game -or- shelter)

Elderberry - make a syrup from Elderberry is awesome for immunity; -or- elderberry jam.

Rose-hips - let's have a vitamin C boost from Rosehips tea.

Cattails and/or Tule - a riverine plant for making a mat or woven plate.

Wild Edibles - miner's lettuce, chickweed, mustard, cactus, ... whatever's available.

Leadership/Team-building Focus:

These sessions will focus on "working-together" skills such as communication, cooperation, leadership and followership, positive character, trust, and group decision-making and has an emphasis on outdoor skills (i.e., team fire-building, team safety, etc.) May include topics such as the following:

Ground Based Initiative Activity (Land Crossing)
Ground Based Initiative Activity (Water Crossing)
Ground Based Initiative Activity (Team Fire-making)
Ground Based Initiative Activity (Team Travel and/or Safety)
Ground Based Initiative Activity (full Leadership Challenge)

No Cancellation Policy: The only way to withdraw from a class with a refund (by the second week of classes at the latest) once you have registered is to provide a replacement student to take your place, drawing from any existing waiting list first, in order of sign-up. In this case, you are responsible for securing reimbursement directly from the replacement student. If you cannot find a replacement, you are responsible for all tuition and class fees.

Outdoor Skills Winter/Spring: A Plants and Team-building Focus - Tracker Rob Ages 13+