Wolf Journey 7 PM Adult Class

Your first class comes with a no-questions-asked-money-back-guarantee, and in order that we can prepare for the exact number of students, is very important that you register in advance through Meetup or at http://www.wolfcollege.com/wolfjourney/classoly.html by 12:00 Noon before each class. You can also RSVP anytime before class begins by calling us at the number on our website. Classes follow the online Wolf Journey Earth Skills Training Course which guides students through field exercises that interest them, including those in: Volume I - Trail of the Naturalist Mentor; Volume II - Trail of the Traditional Herbalist; Volume III - Trail of Wildlife Tracker; Volume IV - Trail of the Survival Scout; Volume V - Trail of the Ancient Artisan; Volume VI - Trail of the Honorable Hunter; Volume VII - Trail of the Sustainable Pioneer; Volume VIII - Trail of the Outdoor Educator. If you are already engaged in another course of study such as college biology, an herbal correspondence course, or another naturalist earth skills curriculum, you are very welcome to attend Wolf Journey classes as well, where you can receive insight and guidance into your own course work. Everyone can attend on a class-by-class basis for $15 (and $10 for additional family members), or for $10 per class if pre-registered for the remainder of the season. The topic and itinerary for each week is based on suggestions from students who shared the journaling work they did before our last class, and may change based on the "finds" that we all bring this week. For instance, if you harvested a plant that you need help processing and which we can all learn something from, let Chris or Kim know in advance so we can prepare for that. Otherwise, here's what we have in store for this week: 6:45 Orientation for New Students (if you're late, please understand that we may choose to answer your questions later via phone/email which may have already been covered earlier). 7:00 Based on the tradition that when sharing around the campfire in the olden days, we would also be working with our hands to create tools and materials needed in the coming seasons, students will receive instruction to work on a craft such as making rope from raffia, cedar bark, or nettle stalks, or perhaps making a medicine pouch from scraps of leather. This is also a chance for continuing students to show new students the skills they've learned in the past (as teaching others really makes us learn the skills better:) while also giving us a chance to meet one another. 7:15 Once everyone has started working with their hands, Chris will share his study site experience, which this week is from Volume III - Trail of the Wildlife Tracker, Chapter 9 - Humans and the Hidden Wilderness Field Exercise 042. We may then divide into groups if necessary, based on experience, progress on Wolf Journey field exercises, and group size so that everyone gets a chance to share about their own nature experience from the week. 7:30 By this time, students will also be introducing themselves and sharing any experiences or insights from nature which took place over the previous week or month. Historically, this has been where students experience their greatest learning, either from telling their own story and therefore processing what happened at their study site, or by receiving feedback from others who have experienced something similar in the past. 7:45 When done sharing about our nature experiences, we'll add to our Interactive Earth Skills Calendar which displays changes happening in our bioregion. For instance, when did the Indian Plum bud and bloom this spring? When did the Western Red Cedar produce pollen cones? When do the Chinook Salmon start spawning in the streams? When should we plant and harvest various crops in our garden this summer? And when will we have our first frost at sea level next fall? 8:00 The second hour of class is designed to advance our understanding of a specific earth skills topic. Last month, we discussed The Most Important Plants and the last couple of weeks, we studied Botany in a Day, which is a wonderful way to learn plant identification through taxonomy. This spring, we are working on Wildlife Tracking. 8:15 We'll review Sensory Awareness exercises as we walk to our group study site, working on bird vocalizations along the way. 8:30 We'll continue mapping our group study site this evening, including placement of all the animal trails! See you Wednesday!