Adult and family classes are offered throughout the year on a variety of subjects. Friction fire making, plant usage, tracking, and primitive cooking are some of the assorted workshops that can be found through Tamakoce Wilderness Programs.
Get on the mailing list to get notifications for these events. Or check in to see the calendar from time to time!
This group meets one Saturday per month from October to May in preparation for the Initiation week. Through a variety of games and activities, the boys practice team work, honing skills, personal responsibility, facing fears and living with integrity. Then, in June, we gather with other schools to form a large group of mentors and boys ,at all three stages, for the Initiation week.
These classes run during week days and were designed with homeschooled families in mind, but many families over the years have been able to make aggreements with their schools to allow their children to miss days in order to participate in the wilderness classes. There is also an optional overnight for the older classes at the end of each session.
These classes are held for children age 5 thru 16
Tuition is based on a sliding scale and varies for different classes.
Tracking Services
Animal Tracking is a great way to get out on the land. It's also the oldest form of human deductive reasoning and scientific analysis! When walking in the footsteps of elusive animals like Fishers and Coyotes you can start to feel and understand the intimate connection these animals have with their environment. No readings or observations from treestands can quite equal the thrill of following a trail and suddenly coming upon the scene of a hunt, kill or other interaction!
Aside from recreational classes, mammal monitoring trainings and projects are also offered for Nature centers, Land Conservancies and individuals.
This Rites of Passage for boys ages 12-16 is a collaberative experience between many wilderness awareness schools. It is built in three phases over three years.
Year 1 is about self discovery. The boys, called Crayfish, prepare for a 24 hour solo experience during which they will tend a fire, fast and attempt to stay awake and learn rich life lessons from their fire. They are visited 3 times through the night by mentors to aid them in their discovery.
Year 2 is about service. The whole group of Crayfish, now called Buckskins, tend the central fire of the whole encampment. They work tirelessly for 4 days keeping the central fire burning strong and the area around it warm and inviting.
Year 3 is about giving back. Now older and having greater perspective, the Dogwood year is about mentoring the new incoming Crayfish and caring for them as they go through their initiation.
Boys Sacred Fire Initiation
Seasonal children's wilderness classes Full day drop off classes held one day per week in sessions of 4 to 10 weeks winter, spring and fall. We gather for a 6 hour day in the woods. Our days are constructed of a combination of exploring, games, crafts and primitive skills. Activities include, friction fire making, shelter building, story telling, edible and medicinal plants, primitive tools, pottery, sensory awareness games, and much more!
All stories and traditions are prefaced with their origins and lineage in an attempt to un-appropriate these teachings and honor those people who have carried them through to this time and place.