Heartwood: Oaks

Spring 2025: February 24- May 23 with a break the week of April 14 for Rivercane Rendezvous, 12 programs day total

Heartwood is the core of our nature-connection curriculum, the trunk from which our other programs branch out. Heartwood has been carefully crafted since 2011 to provide a progressive learning journey and comprehensive foundation in deeply relating to the natural world.  Through games, stories and exploration children learn:

• Outdoor Safety and Awareness
• Animal Tracking
• Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants
• Wilderness Survival Skills
• Bird Language
• Ancient Crafts
• Ecology, Community, Self-Discovery, and much more

Heartwood: Oaks

Ages 11-14*

Heartwood is divided into three distinct groups:  the Acorns, Saplings, and Oaks.  The Oaks group is designed to provide an opportunity for long-time students to continue challenging themselves in a group of peers who share their level of ability and passion for learning, and entry is based upon student application.

Oaks Application Process:

NOTE: Returning Oaks DO NOT need to fill out an application.

If your child is interested in joining the Oaks, first go ahead register for the program to save your spot. Then, after registering, have your child complete this short online application. If the applicant is not accepted into the Oaks program they will be offered a spot in a different program or a full refund including the deposit will be provided.

What makes an Oak an Oak?

This is a great question, and one we take very seriously.  One of the primary distinctions between Oaks and other groups is the children's ability to be self-directed in their learning. 

There is an expectation that Oaks both stay engaged in the group process while simultaneously having the freedom to pursue their individual interests. Oaks have a baseline level of proficiency in the outdoor skills we teach (fire-making, shelter building, moving silently, etc.), a solid foundation of the naturalist knowledge we impart (wild edible & medicinal plant ID, animal track & sign, bird language, etc.) and an enthusiasm for the cultural elements we embody (singing, story-telling, listening intently, etc.). In addition to possessing these baseline proficiencies, Oaks are both capable and excited to teach younger students some of these fundamental skills.

Underlining all these qualities is an eagerness and curiosity that compels them into greater learning. By restricting access to Oaks for only those students exhibiting these qualities, we foster a unique learning environment in which those children committed to their nature-connection journey are granted the opportunity to truly excel.