Nature Skills

Students need one of the following pre-requisites to be eligible:

• 1 year experience at any WAS program 
• Concurrent registration in another monthly program
• Comparable experience with outdoor and/or naturalist skills

Explore your world through fun, hands-on activities, story-telling and games! This program builds on what students learn in our Nature Explorer and Nature Adventure programs. While focusing on the core skills of safe knife use and firemaking, instructors choose from among the following themes to match their skills and the interests of their students:

• Knife safety and carving
• Fire by friction and other methods
• Animal tracking
• Land navigation, with and without a map and/or compass
• Naturalist knowledge of plants, mammals, and birds
• Cordage (rope) making and other crafts

Our educational philosophy focuses on:

• Providing fun, hands-on opportunities for children to get outside and learn about the natural world
• Building social and emotional skills as students grow in community
• An engaging variety of activities through weekly themes
• Adaptability so that the programs match the energy of the group and the seasonality of the land during a particular session.
• Mentoring delivered by instructors with experience working with children in this age group
• Using our widely-respected educational philosophy, we encourage creative thinking rather than simply providing answers. Our goal is to help students develop problem-solving skills and self-sufficiency, fostering a deeper level of learning and connection.

Our instructional staff includes:

• Experienced instructors
• A targeted 1:10 adult to student ratio
• Staff trained as Coyote Mentors
• Compassionate educators who encourage each child’s respect for self, others and nature
• Experienced Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified professionals

Saturday Programs (2023-2024)

(Ages 10 to 13) 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Saint Edward State Park (Kenmore)
Saturdays: Sep 23, Oct 21, Nov 18, Jan 20, Feb 24, Mar 23, Apr 27

Tolt-MacDonald (Carnation)
Saturdays: Sep 30, Oct 28, Dec 2, Jan 27, Mar 2, Mar 30, May 4