Adult Programs
Spring 2010
White Oak Basketry April 9-10
Clyde Jenkins is a renowned master white oak basket maker of the Appalachian Tradition and keeper of the old time skills. Come learn the process of making your own basket from an oak tree, start to finish and take home your completed basket.
$75 Friday evening and Saturday
(this is not an overnight program and finishes Saturday afternoon when basket is completed).
The Fire April 10
Humans have had a deep relationship and understanding of fire since the beginning, it is what made us human. Our ancestors used fire to cook food, purify water, make tools, heat shelters, and as a center place for stories and ceremony. Fire is at the center of our universe- the sun, in the center of the earth, the center of earth-based communities-the hearth, and the center of our body- the heart. Our ancestors were masterful in their fire skill, they had an intimate relationship with fire, as it was a part of daily life.
Come rekindle your connection with fire. In this day long workshop, you will learn how to competently build a fire, make a bowdrill fire kit (fire by friction), and learn other techniques and tricks around fire. You will leave with skills to confidently build fire, so you can spend lots of restorative time around fire.
$50 Saturday Afton base camp
An Animal Trackers Toolbox April 17
Tracking is considered the first science. Its importance was paramount to our ancestors survival. A native trackers understanding of the landscape and its animals is unparalleled, even by our best scientist. Tracking will greatly increase your awareness and relationship with our wild allies. Though wild animals are not often seen, they leave so much (like tracks, scat, rubs, trails, etc...) for us to identify and interpret. It goes so much beyond who left the track. The Art of Questioning, that I will give you, will help in understanding the stories the animals leave behind. It will reveal the influences of the landscape and other animals. It will help you see through the animals eyes.
Discover wildlife tracks and sign, and learn to interpret the stories that they tell. This workshop offers "tools" that will enhance your skills as a wildlife tracker. Topics will be addressed as we encounter them in the field, but they will most likely include: identifying species from tracks, scat, feeding signs, and other markings, interpreting behavior from track patterns, and understanding interactions between an animal and its environment. The workshop is open to all skill levels. Age: 12+ Cost: $50 9 -3:30pm
Hub Knott has thousands of hours of journaling track and sign over the past 15 years, and has been teaching tracking for eight. He has studied with some of the best known trackers like Tom Brown Jr., Jon Young, and Charles Worsham. He knows what it takes to help others become successful trackers. Tracking is one of his most passionate subjects, and he loves to share the ways of the animals.
Family Survival Weekend May 7-9
A relaxing weekend in the woods with your family and The Living Earth School. We will teach the 4 essential elements of surviving in the woods, so your family can go on in confidence. It will change your relationship wit the natural world. This class will lay the foundation for survival and give you the practical tools needed to live closely with the land. We will cover shelter, water, fire and food. We will make a debris shelter that will keep you dry and warm without a sleeping bag. Also, carve your own friction fire set, and learn the many crucial skills of survival like wild edible plants, safe water collection, awareness and more. This class is a fun, hands-on way to learn to live more closely with the earth and to walk with greater awareness of the beauty the world of nature holds. We will cook over the open fire, tell stories and roam the beautiful forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
For families. Cost $225 (1 adult. 1 child) , $75 each additional person). Friday 7pm-Sunday 4pm
Father/Son Weekend of Fire May 15-16
Come spend this special weekend together, diving into the world of fire. Learn the ancient art of fire making, carve your own bowdrill fire set, tell stories, wander the mountains and cook on an open fire under a star lit sky. Besides a great weekend of fun, leave with new skills you can utilize together into the future.
Instructors Hub Knott and Kyle Scaggs
Sat 9 am- Sun 11am $175 (includes father and son age 6+, each additional child $65)
Hide Tanning- The Brain tan method
May 21-23
Learn to tan in a completely non-toxic traditional way. In this class you will transform a deer hide into a soft, supple, wearable buckskin. Learn to scrape the hair, grain and membrane, brain, wring, soften and smoke the hide. Walk away with a finished braintan buckskin, and an 8 page handout to review when you tan in the future. Hides and materials provided.
$200 Friday- Sun (majority of 3 days will be necessary, as well as some down time between) Some camping options possible.
Mother/Daughter Weekend May 22-23
Come spend a magical weekend with your daughter immersed in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! We will connect with the natural world, cook over the fire, make wild edible teas, weave stories of mother-hood, daughter-hood throughout our day and weave our tales into a basket. Mothers and daughters will make their own basket to go home with together. For participants that attended last year we have adv anced basket options to weave into the weekend.
Instructors Kate Knott
Sat 9am-Sun 11am $175 (includes mother and daughter age 6+, each additional child $65)
The Art of Mentoring weekend- Cultural Mentoring for Nature Connection
June 12-13
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the art of mentoring with Evan Mcgown, co-author of Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature. Whether you’re a parent, teacher or friend to others, this class will help guide you into a path of nature connection for yourself and others. It also provides the opportunity to experience “cultural mentoring,”--woven into the very fabric of community life. Using games, music, stories, and the fires of everyone’s curiosity, we’ll explore how to consciously create a regenerative culture through nature connection. It will lay the path for mentoring and give you useful tools to guide you in your mentoring journey, tying in every individual’s unique personalities and gifts.
Workshop Sat 9am-Sun 4pm $175
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