The Wild Weekend

The Wild Weekend

Ages: 11-14

1st Saturdays

Ages: 6-10

3rd Saturdays

9am - 3pm

September - November

Program Cost:

$210

This course meets one Saturday a month to explore a new site each month. Each site will feature different ecological habitats that will allow us to get a closer look at different species, engage with local flora, and experience the diversity the PNW has to offer.

As the location for this class changes regularly, we will be encouraging and facilitating carpooling.

A Wild Weekend Adventure

Around us leaves are falling, we can smell the wet earth beneath our feet as we put on our backpacks and lace up our boots. We set off down the trail on the lookout for our plant of the day. Along the way we notice the migratory patterns of the birds in the sky and hear the changing of their song. We observe the beaver damn and attempt to build our own! We are enamored with the many new mushrooms growing and take time to draw a few in our nature journals.

Along the way we spot the perfect place for lunch. We sit under the sheltering arms of a big leaf maple tree, the mossy logs providing a cozy resting place.

We watch the spiders blending in with their surroundings and decide to play our own game of camouflage, weaving leaves in our hair, painting our faces with mud.

Finally the day is ending, we walk back down the trail— our feet tired, but our hearts full!

Oh the places we’ll see…

September

Oxbow Regional Park

  • Oxbow Park is such a treasure! During our time there, we will be focusing on wildlife tracking, bird watching, and exploring the many trails the park has to offer.

  • 3010 SE Oxbow Pkwy, Gresham, OR 97080

    Located 35 minutes east of Portland.

    We will be meeting at the Beaver Shelter, indicated on the map below

October

Lacamas Park

  • Showcasing the beauty of the Lacamas Lake Area, Lacamas Park offers us the opportunity to study two types of riparian habitats, get our hands dirty hunting for amphibians and possibly even catch some fish!

  • 3344 NE Everett St, Camas, WA 98607

    Located 30 minutes North of Portland

    We will be meeting in the main parking near the covered area, as indicated on the map below.

November

Milo McIver State Park

  • Milo McIver park is a treat in the Fall! With fish hatcheries, lakes, rivers, forests and fields, we will have ample opportunities to explore many habitats. Our skills focus will be on shelter building and orienteering.

  • 24101 S Entrance Rd, Estacada, OR 97023

    Located 35 minutes Southeast of Portland

    We will be meeting at the Alder Shelter near the disc golf course, as indicated on the map below.

 FAQs

  • Register for this course by clicking on the registration button at the top of the page. Fill out the forms, specifying if you would like the entire term or an individual month. Sign the forms, and we will reach out to you shortly after to arrange a $25 course deposit. This deposit is refundable up to a month before the course starts. After that point it will be used toward the $25 supply fee and can no longer be refunded. If you are only applying for a single month of the class, the supply fee will only be $15. The rest of the deposit will be discounted from your tuition payment ($220- $10= $210)

    First months tuition, and all following monthly tuitions, are due by the 5th of every month.

  • Our maximum teacher to student ratio for this course is 1:8. We will never have more than 8 students in this class. Occasionally, there may be a visiting teacher present, which will lower the class ratio to 1:4. We believe that small class sizes are the best environment for deep learning and deep relationships. We are committed to maintaining an intimate class size to better serve the students, teachers, and families.

  • Due to the nature of this program and the unpredictability of PNW weather, we will only be offering this program in the Fall and Spring. There may be other weekend skills based workshops available during the winter.

  • Class will be held rain or shine! That being said, there may be some days where it is unsafe for us to be outside, such as extreme heat, thunderstorms, or days when the roads are unsafe to drive on. If this happens, we will do our best to schedule make up days for the course. If we are unable to do so, we will issue refunds in the form of future class credits for every day we were unable to make up.

  • Once registration is set, we will reach out to all families to help facilitate a carpooling situation. We cannot guarantee that carpooling arrangements will be made, but we will do our best!

    Unfortunately, due to insurance coverage, no child is allowed to ride in the instructor’s vehicle.

  • Both Oxbow Regional Park and Milo McIver Park require day use fees. We are currently working with both agencies to bypass the need for park fees for the purpose of drop off and pick up. We will keep you posted.

    However, if you plan to stay in the park for the duration of the class hours, you will need to pay a parking fee.

  • Gear:

    Hiking boots or other sturdy and relatively waterproof shoes.

    Waterproof gear on wet days

    Additional warm layers on cold days

    A change of weather appropriate clothes. This will change as the season changes.

    A backpack they are capable of carrying themselves — large enough to carry all of their items, small enough to be comfortable to carry.

    Water:

    A full water bottle. Water will be available to refill bottles, but water may be limited depending on the site.

    Food:

    Each student should have a packed lunch as well as 1-2 snack items. Lunch boxes can be stored in the instructor’s vehicle and do not have to fit into the child’s backpack. However snacks will be eaten on the trail and should fit into the backpack.

    Optional:

    binoculars for bird watching