Join us for our very last camp of 2020! We'll spend the morning in the snow with the horses, and in the afternoon we'll explore the world of conifer trees. Why do some trees loose their leaves while others stay green year round? How do we tell evergreen trees apart from each other? What does each kind of tree smell like? As it's the season of gift giving, each participant will have a chance to create some of their own treasures to take home including a handmade wreath and conifer infused bath salts. 

In this camp we'll explore the questions: how can we get sweetness from the wild? Where does Maple or Birch Syrup come from, and how is it made?  We'll learn about sap, and tap a tree to see if the sap is running. We'll sample different saps, and make maple taffy on snow- yum!

• Day 1: Magical Creature Creation: Over the week, we'll each make a little creature out of recycled materials and papier mache. This first day we'll work on making the forms for our creatures.

• Day 2: Magical Creature Creation: We'll cover our creature in papier mache to give them a thick, durable skin. 

• Day 3: Magical Creature Creation: We'll paint our creatures using acrylic paint, and add any final embellishments such as horns, feathers, and strings for hanging

• Day 4: Balm of Gilead: We'll forage for black cottonwood buds and then make them into a balm that smells wonderful and is great for putting on bee stings, sunburnt lips and skinned knees this summer

• Day 5: Open afternoon+ horse painting: we'll add any final touches to our creatures before they come home with us, and have a chance to paint a work of art on a horse and try riding bareback!

In this camp we'll join in the celebration of spring by making dandelion or elderflower flavoured gummy candies and a dandelion flower essence! Gathering the flowers we need helps us understand the diversity of pollinators, and take in some of the life force that is waking through the natural world. the life Each child will go home with a jar of their very own gummies, and a dropper bottle of dandelion flower essence to share with their family-- and perhaps the faeries, if they wish. 

• Day 1- Medicine making: we'll create a soothing all purpose healing salve made from comfrey, calendula, chickweed, plantain leaves and lavender essential oil

• Day 2- Horsemanship: we'll learn more ways to work with the horses on the ground, including lunging and partner leading through obstacles

• Day 3- Wild plant relief dying: each camper will have a chance to create a beautiful T-shirt or reusable cloth bag with leaves and flowers using a relief dying technique

• Day 4- Picnic adventure ride! 

• Day 5- Open afternoon+ horse painting. This last day is left with some extra space in it so each camper can have a chance to paint a work of art on a horse and try riding bareback! 

In this camp, we'll celebrate the abundance and joy of the harvest season by making apple chips and drinking rose hip tea. We'll talk about how horses and other animals prepare for winter, and see which horse is growing the best winter coat so far.

In this camp, we get to go for a mushroom hunt on horseback! We'll learn to make a spore print, and ignite our curiosity with the questions: what IS a mushroom, anyway? What are their roles in the natural world? How can they be helpful to humans? We'll learn about what makes mushrooms different from each other, and will look at gills, teeth, pores, veils, spores, and mycelium. Our goal is not to be able to ID every mushroom, but to kindle enthusiasm, curiosity and exploration, Safety around edible and poisonous species will be covered. 

We will spend the morning befriending, grooming, riding and caring for the horses and other animals. In the afternoon we will explore the world of plant healers, and ask and attempt to answer the following questions: What is medicine? Before we had pills and drugs, how did we heal ourselves? How do we know if a plant is safe? How do we harvest in a respectful way? Is it possible to have a relationship with a plant the same way we do a person or an animal?

We will go on a plant walk to meet a few new plant friends, and make our own White Chocolate lip balm infused with the healing properties of chickweed, wild mint, plantain, and wild Pemberton roses!