Skills Developed In Nature Serve Kids Throughout Life

Nature-centered play

Last week my son, Kyle, turned 18 and I was moved to reflect on the childhood experiences that contributed to his development into a strong, self-motivated, openhearted young man. He is boldly confident and yet humble and kind. He is strong enough to acknowledge his weaknesses with a commitment to growth. I believe these qualities developed through a lifetime of nature centered play.

Over the summer between his eighth grade and high school, national news reported kids his age falling off cliffs and walking into things chasing a Pokemon Go character on a cell phone screen. At the time, Kyle was away at Headwaters Outdoor School. He unplugged and learned how to tune into himself, the earth and the camp community around him.  After the first week, he asked to stay for another two sessions. And with the support of family and the Walker/Hupp Fund, he stayed on for two weeks of wilderness skills and scouting classes.

That summer he learned fire making, tracking, knot tying, earth philosophy and much more. The experience taught him to stay committed to his values and centered. Kyle learned to not take social life so seriously.  Most importantly he learned how to get still, listen, observe, recognize his own strengths and take conscious action. The same skills he learned as a 13-year-old boy at summer camp will continue to serve him throughout his life.

Headwaters Outdoor School Instructor Dennis El Gouhoury and School Founder Tim Corcoran.

Headwaters Outdoor School connects students with the earth

In 1992, Tim Corcoran founded the Headwaters Outdoor School on land at the headwaters of the Klamath River. This wild land, nestled against the Eddy Range, offers a pristine site for kids to really step away from the busyness of their modern lives. The simple act of filling a water bottle from the flowing natural spring connects students with their dependance on the natural world. Campers sleep on the land, drink from the flowing waters and create food, shelter, tools and art all directly from the earth.

At the outdoor kitchen and fire, campers come together to share their experiences and creations with the guidance of teachers, Julie and Tim. Storytelling, philosophy, music, crafts, nature wisdom and earth skills are woven into a fun, team-oriented atmosphere and demonstrate how inextricably connected to the earth humans are for basic survival. Whether living in the city or country, when humans live in connection with nature, humans go beyond survival and thrive.

Earth caretakers

Tim says, “We are walking backwards into the future.”  Campers connect with nature, themselves and the community of students. The three tenets of the school are:  nature awareness, wilderness and earth living skills and earth philosophy. “The earth will save itself, but we have to wake up and remember we are earth caretakers to care for ourselves,” says Tim. Through the outdoor education kids are brought into physical and personal relationship with the earth. They witness the power of the natural world and are guided to take self-responsibility and develop a code of honor based on their own personal values.

Headwaters Outdoor School hosts school groups in spring and fall for outdoor emersion. Summer classes are designed for boys and girls 12 and older. Classes include, wild edibles, tracking and scouting, boys and girls rites of passage, bow making, wilderness skills and more.

Boys and girls as young as four learn to experience the natural world through fun and challenging nature play.

Earthbound Skills starts nature awareness for young kids

In Chico, another outdoor program, Earthbound Skills, gets kids as young as four started with their nature awareness. From Bidwell Park and other outdoor locations, kids learn to experience the natural world with appreciation, wonder and pure fun.  Matthew Knight and Joni Jahnia Mitchel Knight founded Earthbound Skills in 2012 to offer hands-on field trip programs for schools, groups, children and occasionally adults and families. Programs like the Forest Fox, Nature Ninjas and Woodland Scouts provide kids naturalist and survival skills through fun and challenging nature play and kids are encouraged to ask questions about their observations and think for themselves.

In nature, kids can directly learn how all of life — plants, animals and every living creature — works  together to create our world. Through these natural experiences they recognize that all humans too, have unique talents and ways of being, offering diversity and strength to our society.