Join seasoned instructors Thomas Meli, Josh Roberts, Erin Domagal and Sheena Marie as we journey into the magical secrets waiting for us in the woods.

Register Now for Dawn Song Village Program

Spring Curriculum Includes:

• Permaculture land stewardship, basics in landscape ecology, plant identification – caretaking skills such as identifying exotic invasive weeds as well how to encourage natives.  This includes basics in landscape ecology and plant identification.
• Shelter craft – such as debris hut, understanding how heat moves and how to trap it for your benefit.
• Navigation skills – how to orient yourself, and how to find your way if you are lost.
• Primitive fire making – skills such as bow drill & hand drill, fire safety, match handling, teepee and tinder construction.
• Water finding & water purification skills – how to know if water is drinkable or not and how to purify it if it isn’t. Basic meteorology skills, weather prediction, cloud identification, etc.
• Gardening skills – partnering with Regeneration Farm to help harvest and plant.
• And much more!

Through song, games, primitive skills, environmental projects, adventures, journaling, and more – we will follow your children’s hearts into what they most desire to learn.

Using experiential learning skills, your children will exercise self-confidence, creative problem solving, and compassionate communication.  Additionally, we will explore place-based knowledge such as local edible and medicinal plants, animal biology, ecology, geology, and more.

Letting your child’s excitement and passion lead, we will link what they already love to an expanded connection to place.  Our goal is for your child to emerge with a deeper sense of belonging to the greater community of life.

Register Now for Dawn Song Village Program

Program Information

Serving:  Youth age 7 years and older, and teens.

Nine Tuesdays and three overnight experience this spring:
March 13, March 20, March 27 – 28 (overnight)
April 10, April 17, April 24 – 25 (overnight)
May 1, May 8, May 15 – 16 (overnight)

Time: 10:00am – 3:30pm on Tuesdays. Pick-up from overnights: time to be announced.

Location: Beautiful land bordering the Shawangink Ridge at Outback Farm, 81 Clove Valley Road, High Falls, NY.

Resources: For additional learning and support, we may recommend some resources to enhance your child’s naturalist journey. Depending on their age, learning style, and skill, we may suggest Kamana for Kids, Kamana One, or a specialized packet suited for their needs.

Cost: $660 includes tuition, land use, and materials fees.

Limited scholarships available depending on enrollment and need. Program cost does not include Kamana for Kids / Kamana One / specialized packets which we may recommend, but are optional for your purchase (approximately $25).

Register Now for Dawn Song Village Program

Additional Questions and Information: Please call Thomas Meli at (516) 850-8187 or email him at tpmeli@gmail.com about this program.  Please call David Brownstein at (845) 256-9830 or email him at david@wildearth.org with questions about registration.

Note to Parents:  We would like to include parents in the process as much as possible.  If you would like to visit the program, or be involved in some piece of it during our time out there (especially the overnights), please contact us to let us know of your interest! Though what happens in our days is highly dependent on what is alive in the children to learn, a curriculum is available for parents who would like to use it to submit to the State.

An Imaginary Moment at Dawn Song Village School:

To the east, I watched as she stalked up slowly and gently to a robin with the intention to touch it.  As she moved a purple damselfly landed on her arm and she smiled.

To the south, a boy is excitedly collecting wood from a Pine grove across the stream to see how the heat and light of a Pine fire differs from a fire made from Oak.

To my west he is splitting dogbane to make cordage for the hammock he wants to sleep in for our overnight.

To the north she is following the tracks of Deer to its day bed while her friend is hiding in the brush nearby to see if she notices.

So much pulls on our natural curiosity!  Why is there a Pine grove over there past the stream anyway?

I hear the crunching of leaves as he walks over to check the plant field guide to find out if that is a Cedar or a Pine.

I hear the grasses bend to the east and see the gleam in her eyes as she reaches out to touch the Robin. It flew out into the Cedar nearby, but later it will return to the nest it already made in her heart.

This active program for boys ages 9-13 will focus on various earth skills as well as adventure and exploration in the Shawangunk region of Ulster County — and beyond.  We will usually meet every other Sunday from October – May, and will also have an overnight in the spring.  We will be sharpening our wilderness skills and deepening our connection to nature through guided activities such as:

• Tracking
• Fire by friction
• Wandering with awareness
• Stalking and the art of camouflage
• Storytelling
• Discovering natural mysteries
• Shelter building
• Making natural cordage
• Primitive tool making
• Practical camping skills
• Being outdoors through different seasons and weather
• Games and play

Program Information

For: Boys ages 9 – 13.  This program has a limited enrollment (fifteen boys ages 9-12 and five boys age 13).

Dates: Thirteen Sundays October – May and one overnight experience:
Oct. 2, 16, 30, Nov. 13, Dec. 4, 18, Jan. 8, 22, Feb. 5, Mar. 4, 18, Apr. 15, April 28-29 (overnight).

There will be an optional two-night “Winter Wolverine Campout” on Feb. 18-20 for boys ready for this experience under separate registration and an additional fee.  Please let us know if you might be interested in registering for this experience.

Time: 10am-3:30pm on Sundays, overnight times to be announced.

Instructors:  Program will be led by Peter Ferland and Josh Roberts with Larry Brown, Thomas Meli, Tyler McNamara and other guest experts and instructors.  The staff are experienced and dedicated guides who will treat you and your children with compassion, respect and positive communication.

Location: Outback Farm at 81 Clove Valley Road in High Falls, as well as new terrain – possibly High Point Mountain in West Shokan and/or day hikes in the Catskills.

Cost: $790 includes tuition, land use and materials fees.  You may pay program fee in one lump sum or in three seasonal installments, with the first installment due at registration.  Limited scholarships available depending on enrollment and need.

This Program is currently full.  Please call for more information.

Additional Questions and Information:

Please contact Peter Ferland or Josh Roberts with questions about the content of this program.
Peter Ferland: (845) 384-6192 or peter_ferland@yahoo.com
Josh Roberts: (703) 881-2388 or joeroberts3rd@gmail.com

Please contact David Brownstein at (845) 256-9830 or david@wildearthprograms.org with questions about registration.

The Old Ones have prophesized that the tapestry of the world is ready to be rewoven into something kinder, wiser and strikingly beautiful. Therefore the Mystwood Adventurer’s Guild now calls upon all creative, cooperative and daring adventurers to weave a fantasy world called Mystwood.

World Weavers of Mystwood is a production arts and a CIT training program woven together.

Our young designers will create the mythical land of Mystwood, an engaging, nurturing, age-appropriate setting for the 8-11 year olds who will enroll in our upcoming program, Mystwood Adventurer’s Guild, in 2012.

During each meeting the World Weavers will face a design challenge focused on an aspect of the Mystwood world. The program fee covers eight monthly group meetings as well as weekly support of each teen’s ongoing creative process.

Come fall of 2012, the Weavers will receive a formal invitation to join the Mystwood Adventurers Guild as Apprentice Members (CITs) to participate in live quests as characters and guides for younger voyagers along the sometimes harrowing yet always rewarding path.

Program Logistics

Serving: World Weavers of Mystwood is for youth aged 13 and up who are actively interested in:

- Fantasy settings and adventuring

- Theater, acting, costume & prop design, make-up artistry, stage management

- Writing, character development, history, ancient languages

- Drawing, painting, songwriting

- Making masks, swords, books & maps

- Working cooperatively with peers and children of all ages

- Being in nature and learning a variety of earth-living skills*

*see Mystwood Adventurers Guild 2012, coming soon

Dates: Meets one Saturday each month from October through May. 10/15, 11/19, 12/17, 1/21, 2/18, 3/17, 4/28, 5/12. Mentoring & creative support continues throughout the month via web and participant-initiated appointments.

Times: 9am-12pm each Saturday meeting.  Ongoing mentoring times will vary.

Instructors: Tyler McNamara and Alisha Mai Frank

Location: An indoor location in New Paltz, to be announced

Cost: $440 covers 8 in-person sessions as well as ongoing mentoring support from staff throughout the program experience.  Sibling discounts apply and limited scholarships available depending on enrollment and need.

Register now for World Weavers of Mystwood

Please call Tyler McNamara at 828-335-3446 or email him at tylermcnamara@gmail.com with questions about the content of this program, or call David Brownstein at 845-256-9830 or email him at david@wildearthprograms.org with questions about registration.

Join instructors Simon Abramson, Tyler McNamara, Alisha Mai Frank and special guests for edgy and fun experiences in nature.

We’ve found that there’s no easier place than nature to become our favorite versions of the people we are. We expect that each weekend, you’ll walk away with an extra dose of joy, strength and confidence.

We welcome you to join ROPES if you’re ready to show up as yourself and to take risks.

See you out there,
Simon Abramson
Tyler McNamara
Alisha Mai Frank

Program Information

For: Teens age 14+ and attending high school – ONLY 20 SPACES AVAILABLE.

Dates & Times: Three Friday evenings and three overnights from December through May.

Friday Evening Programs are from 5pm-11pm:

• December 9
• January 13
• February 10

Friday-Saturday overnights from 5pm–2pm (the next day):

• March 9-10
• April 13-14
• May 4-5

NOTE: Parents of registered teens are asked to join us for a parent meeting, Wednesday, Jan 11 from 7pm-9pm. This meeting will be for parents and instructors and will be an important opportunity for the instructors to share about the ROPES program.

Instructors: Simon Abramson, Alisha Mai Frank, Tyler McNamara and Special Guests

Cost: $540, can be paid in lump sum or seasonal installments. Scholarships (limited) are available upon request. Wild Earth has never turned anyone away for lack of funds.

Additional Questions and Information
Please call Tyler at (828) 335-3446 or email him at tyler@wildearthprograms.org with questions about the program or call David at 845-256-9830 or email him at david@wildearthprorgams.org about registration.

Come explore the beauty and the bounty of the gardens, fields and woods in this six month comprehensive course.  We will cover a vast amount of information encouraging the daily use of herbs for food, medicine and pleasure.  This course is designed to provide inspiring, practical and thorough “hands on” herbal information that can easily be incorporated into one’s life.

Topics include:

• Herbal Therapeutics
• Wild Plant Identification and Application
• Wild Food Foraging and Culinary Preparations
• Medicine Making
• Herbal Skin Care
• Nutritional Healing… and More

A significant amount of class time will be spent outdoors studying wild and cultivated plants. We will then bring these plants into our kitchen-classroom and transform them into food, medicine and various other preparations.  As part of our learning experience, we will prepare and enjoy a primarily “wild” delicious meal influenced by the plants that are in season.  Everyone will make an abundance of preparations to bring home and begin to create their own medicine chests.  In the last part of each class we will focus on a particular organ system, health topic or special project.

Program Information

Dates: One Saturday every month, May thru October 2012 (May 5, June 2, July 7, Aug 4, Sept 8 & Oct 13)

Time: Saturdays, 10:00AM to 4:00 PM

Location: The lovely hamlet of Lyonsville, Stone Ridge, NY

Cost: $600, includes material fee, $150 deposit due with registration, final balance due by April 1 (Note: All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable for this program).

Herbal Intensive with Dina Falconi is FULL.

Get on the WAIT LIST for Herbal Intensive Now

Dina Falconi, is a clinical herbalist with a strong focus on food activism and nutritional healing.  She has been teaching classes about the use of herbs for food, medicine and pleasure, including wild food foraging and cooking, for over twenty years.  She produces Falcon Formulations natural bodycare products and Earthly Extracts medicinal tinctures. She is a founding member of the Northeast Herbal Association, a chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation & on the board of Slow Food-Hudson Valley.  An avid gardener and wildcrafter, Dina is passionate about ecological agriculture and has completed the Permaculture Design Certificate course.  She is author of Earthy Bodies & Heavenly Hair: Natural and Healthy Personal Care for Everybody.

Still have a question?  Please call Dina Falconi at 845-687-8938 with questions about the content of this program, or contact David Brownstein at david@wildearthprograms.org or call 845-256-9830 with questions about registration.