Wilder's Guild Homesteading Overnight Camp
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Become a Wilder
Wilder's hold a deep connection to the natural world. They feed, clothe and shelter their family while taking care of the land they live. In homage to the Little House books, Wilders create a world where the needs of people and the needs of what is natural peacefully coexist.
Join the Wilders Guild
Take the most creative, wholesome and fun-loving aspects of Little House on the Prairie, Drama Club and Top Chef and you have the Wilder's Guild! Campers roam 136 rolling acres of forest, field, creeks and valleys at Fawnwood Farm. This is the perfect setting for both wild and cultivated adventures in homesteading, theater crafting, outdoor skills and forest games.
Campers make homemade summer treats like berry soda and ice cream, eating fresh from the organic garden each day. They tend to baby chicks and chickens plus learn to preserve, dry and can fresh fruit and veggies. Shady afternoons are spent concocting tales for their outdoor dinner theater productions, building the perfect camouflage and shelters for forest games, tracking local wildlife and experimenting with plant dyes to color their own camp t-shirts.
In addition and in harmony with the farm’s schedule, campers have the opportunity to harvest and sell produce at Fawnwood Farm’s local produce stand, eat meals fresh from the garden, and care for Fawnwood’s many plants and animals. Evenings and meals are be spent socializing, singing and performing around a campfire shared with our Ranger's Guild campers.
Parents drop off campers at Fawnwood Farm at 10am Sunday. Pick up will be at 2:30pm on Friday.
Optional shuttle service from our Portland Campus, Portland Airport or Bend, Oregon is available for an additional charge (see below). To connect with the shuttle service, students' flights to have limited arrival and departure times. Contact us to learn more and before booking flights.
Register for Wilder's Guild: Homesteading Camp
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Ages 8-13
$35
Shuttle from & to PDX Airport or Campus Start & ending days of course Limited times Call or Email to designate a time or location |
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Ages 8-13
$85
Shuttle from & to Bend, OR Departs 6:30am first day & arrives 6:30pm last day Call or Email to designate a session |
A Day in the Program
Each day we practice skills in caretaking and nature awareness. This personal and deep understanding of ecology helps students discover their own connection to nature. We also spend time in the farm garden, tending to plants and chickens. In the forest we wild craft plants to feed our families and make herbal medicines. We also develop the basics of many homestead skills such as preserving and nourishing foods and traditions.
Whenever we introduce a skill, we refine and test it by making real crafts to take home to our families. Students work in a team to make decisions and complete group projects. These team skills are honed and put to the test while solving puzzles and riddles of ancient wisdom.
Safety is the foundation of this course. Along with the skills of the Wilders Guild we also guide students through House Safety Certifications. From campfire tending to sewing, parents can feel confident and proud that their kids are learning and adhering to core routines of safety and care.
Ages 8-13 Wilder's Guild: Homesteading Camp includes
Earning Badges
This program also enables students to earn badges in the fundamental skills of the Wilders Guild. We work with each student to help them reach new levels for the badges in this course. If they already have advanced experience or choose to focus themselves on specific crafts we encourage student directed study, offering the potential to earn badges that apply to higher levels or different skills.
We help children to feel like that group of kids wandering country backyards 50 years ago: independent, tired, muddy, wet and happy from the woods and wild. We are acutely aware of full and real hazards of the out of doors after years of working in environmental education. We try to move away from the highly structured and limiting tolerances of conventional environmental education while keeping kids truly safe but not encapsulated from, or phobic of nature. We are deep patriots to the value of offering guided yet very free and transparent experiences for kids. We believe it is okay to be thirsty at times, cold at times, and wet at times. It builds empathy and care for the gifts of life. It fosters adventure and sincere accomplishment. We also believe it is critical to feel supported and cared for as they truly explore their passion and responsibility. And through a healthy life immersed in nature, they test the limits and great potential of the often untapped physical and emotional resiliency they possess.
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