Outdoor Education Programs
NorthWoods’ staff challenge students and teachers to find new ways to communicate and support one another, to conquer individual fears and to reach team goals, to safely explore, survive, and thrive in a wilderness experience. Contact Maria or call 802.723.6551 *115 for further information.
Team-building initiatives—Students develop leadership and communication skills as they solve problems together and build trust among their group members. Initiatives include lawn and cable games, trolleys, and trust-building activities. There are also a number of activities that can be brought to your location.
Challenge Course Activities:
Challenge course participants develop a sense of teamwork with their peers, conquer physical and emotional challenges, and exceed their personal expectations. The course is a configuration of activities set in our red-pine forest that begin with trust falls and spotting, leading to a wood-and-cable maze that challenges participants both as individuals and as members of a group.
Holy Cow Swing—Culminate a team-building and challenge-course lesson plan with this high-flying, high-ropes event. Participants rise to the challenge as individuals, with their group to support them (both literally and figuratively). Protected by harness and safety gear, students climb a Red Pine and make a safe but daring swing from the canopy to the ground below. Popular with young and old alike!
Wilderness Survival: Incorporate these workshops into an overnight or day program.
Survival Skills—Students and groups will learn and practice survival skills in our 1500-acre forest, facing a challenge oriented to their existing skill level and time allotted which will require them to learn and practice:
- fire building - trip planning and preparation
- shelter building - Leave No Trace ethics
- wilderness first aid - backcountry cooking
Wild Edibles—Each season in the Northern Forest presents the adventurous palate with a host of wild edibles: not only are they fun to hunt for, they can be a true delicacy. From the less-exotic berries and nuts of the northern forest to the Fireweed’s spring shoots, the Indian cucumber and Marsh Marigold, discover the hidden treasures of our woods and wetlands.
Map and Compass—Link indoor study with outdoor experience, practicing the basics of route-finding with map and compass. Students will learn to:
-create maps and understand their terminology
-read contour lines and topographic maps
-locate significant landmarks and natural features
Yeti Challenge—Surviving the snows of the North Woods can present groups with as great a challenge as conquering the famed Himalayas. Whether it is the summertime or a snow-blown winter’s day, teams will face the challenge of planning and executing a group expedition.
Groups will be put to the mental and physical test of working together and incorporating learned survival skills.
The Expedition begins in the Marketplace, where purchasing decisions on group equipment are made. From here, it is off to the woods to build shelters, address medical emergencies, boil water as a team, and more—all the while keeping an eye open for the lurking Yeti; myth or reality? Come find out!
Outdoor Recreation: Put these workshops together with any of the above to make your visit to NorthWoods as memorable and exciting as possible! |
