I just took down one of our trail cameras that had been out for nearly 10 months in the same spot. The intention was to get a moose on film. We got a bunch, and here are the best shots. Enjoy!

RAIN!

For the first time this season we had an entire day of wet, cold and wind – we were well prepared for it. With the roof of our fort in place, the boys put the last touches on their fire pit and spent the day baking bread, roasting apples and playing games in (relative) warmth and comfort.

Instructor Chickadee brought his wood burning kit for the boys and they took turns drawing the tracks associated with the animal names that they were given at the beginning of the program. Once completed, these will be made a permanent part of our quickly growing outdoor camp.

The Sunday group has also constructed a shelter of their own! More primitive in nature, the boys researched and decided upon a traditional tipi style home. We used saws and knives to fell small saplings while instructor Coyote revealed his background in forestry to teach the boys how to harvest trees in a way that wouldn’t damage the overall health of the forest. We have been sworn to secrecy not to tell you where our new scout camp is but from how soundly it was constructed, it is clearly going to be home to many generations of Wild Hearts to come.

Construction of atlatls (top picture), a type of primitive spear launcher, also begun last week but it was a little too chilly to finish the job. Near the end of the day, a few of the boys discovered how to harden clay around the fire which, when we saw how fantastically clay explodes after hitting a target, led to the inevitable conversation of slingshots. It seems fairly clear what the boys are going to want to do this weekend although we will try not to ‘project’ too much into what the day is going to look like.

-Coyote

A fellow educator out in Washington talks about his experience in the field of outdoor education.

Check it out his article here

This week’s adventure took us out to Lake Wyola where the boys were presented with a challenge. Upon arrival at the boat launch they were given their rafts – several piles of two by fours, boards, drills and screws. Breaking up into teams, the boys used their previously acquired skills in fort building to construct two pontoon-style water crafts that they would then captain across the lake.

After lunch on the water, the two rafts split off for separate adventures. One group went and explored the far side of the lake while the other stayed more local and checked out the marshy area. One boy reported seeing around eight turtles by the end of the day.

The boys also found a small island which hosted a fairly active river otter scent post. Otter island, as it was promptly named, was quickly claimed by the Wild Hearted Boys. From what the boys were saying, the island would currently have a flag on it had there been one available. It is unknown how the otters feel about this.

Throughout the day the boys sang songs, invented sea-faring battle chants, fished, got soaking wet trying to catch turtles, ambushed each other on the high seas and took turns captaining their respective rafts. Come the days end, we efficiently deconstructed our vessels the way we made them. Hopefully all the boys will have regained their land legs by the next time we meet.

-Coyote

Last session, the Wild Hearts enthusiastically continued work on their woodsy fortress. This week our carpenter friend, Tibor, helped us finish up the fort’s walls and prep the structure for a roof. What was most exciting about this session, in addition to the work we all put in to making this fort happen, but what has begun to spring up around the structure.

Immediately upon arriving at our work site, several boys began to clear out a small area of forest floor and demarcate it with standing sticks. As fort construction continued, the small fenced area began to fill up with all manner of edible plants – transplanted by boys who had learned about them from previous sessions.

The wild-crafted gardens didn’t stop there, once the first plot of land has been filled with blueberries and huckleberries a second plot of land was made for smaller, low crawling, medicinal plants. Small scout teams were assembled and equipped with  burlap bags and shovels to venture deeper into the woods with and retrieve a variety of less common specimens.

During their scouting missions, the boys also learned how to safely use bows and arrows, wandering through the woods and picking targets for each other along the way.

In many ways the  Wild Hearted Boys program has begun to take on a life of its own. As the boys have become more comfortable with being in the woods they have also started taking ownership for the spaces that they have made out there, the gardens being a great example of this.

Needless to say, as the summer approaches the Wild Hearted staff is looking forward to seeing what other roots the boys decide to put down on the land and within the group.

-Coyote

This iteration of the Wild Hearted Boys brought our long-awaited dreams of fort (or rather – fortress) building to fruition. With the help of professional carpenters and handymen, Jason and Tibor, the boys learned the importance of building a foundation, how to use a skill saw to cut wood and the safe and effective use of hand saws, power drills, hammers and other such tools.

By the end of the day the group had collectively constructed the fort’s foundation and four walls using a creative assortment of lumber and pallets. Our volunteer handymen were excited to work with the boys and will be joining us again to help us put a proper roof on our new home away from home – after which we can breathe some life into our new structure with a fire pit and whatever other additions the boys choose to contribute.

One of the benefits of our new fort location is that we are surrounded by an abundance of wild edible plants. Our older participants, Deer and Raccoon, spent a portion of their afternoon gathering fresh wintergreen berries. Our end of day count was purportedly 128 berries! There was even talk this week about starting our own wild edible garden out in the woods.

Looking back on the last ten weeks it is hard to imagine that the spring session is already half over. From the staff’s perspective the group has really come together as the boys have added new traditions to the program, discovered new friendships and really worked to make this a safe and spirited space for everyone involved. The boys have built a solid foundation for each other over the last five sessions leaving the staff excited and optimistic about what the rest of spring has to offer.

-Coyote

As the weather gets warmer it is important to watch out for these diminutive arachnids. Ticks carry a whole host of life changing diseases, including the Connecticut Valley originating Lymes disease, that can be easily prevented. Below is a link to the CDC’s website on ticks and Lymes disease where you learn some useful information about protecting yourself during your outdoor adventures this summer.

http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/

So… we went out, strapped a camera to the director’s head and sent him down a very – very big hill.

Enjoy!

This week’s iteration of Wild Hearted boys brought new (and unexpected adventure) to our motley crew. After traveling through the back woods of Leveret, racing stick boats off waterfalls and learning how to navigate with the assistance of a topographic map, the boys reached their destination – the Rattlesnake Gutter Caves!

Although you are unlikely to find the “Rattlesnake Gutter” cave’s namesake animal, we did have the surprise of meetinga live porcupine and enough discarded quills to fill up a small tupperware.

After lunch, with helmets and headlamps, the boys delved deep into these local caves, home to our previously met porcupine friend. Crawling through the ice and mud they wound their way underground and even discovered a new section of cave previously unknown to either Coyote or Chickadee!

Here are some highlights from last Saturday’s adventure:

There is a growing body of research indicating a connection between time spent in nature and the management or mitigation of ADD and ADHD symptoms.

We happened to run across an abstract on Pub Med of a paper that indicates just this. Although this is not the full paper it does, in brief, outline the conclusions of the study in question.

Check it out: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18725656

As an outdoor professional, I see the effects first hand of time outside in the children I work with. Almost universally the children that come to my programs with attention deficit labels demonstrate an incredible capacity to engage with and learn about the natural world. Being outside seems to calm and focus children who have trouble staying put in the classroom and give them the opportunity to receive the high volume and variety of environmental input that they are predisposed to processing well. For these reasons, I perceive these “disorders” as strengths out of context.

If you are interested in reading more about the relationship between our children’s development and contact with the natural world, check out Richard Louv’s book: Last Child in the Woods http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child/

The third Wild Hearted Boys session has come and gone! This week the boys came together to construct their “Code of honor”- a group generated document outlining their agreements about how they want to treat each other and be treated by others within the program. Every participant at one point during this process had the opportunity to present their ideas, stand behind their opinions and be heard by the group. Instructors Coyote and Chickadee were left proud by how articulate focused and mindful the group was throughout the whole process.

After lunch the boys set off into the woods where they were met with their first one-match-fire challenge. Participants brought forward all levels of experience to share with their teams from knowledge of right kinds of tinder to the skill and practice using matches. Squirrel, one of our older boys, brought forth an incredible amount of leadership in assisting his peers in successfully making their fire and Red Tailed Hawk modeled incredible patience and commitment as he struck his first-ever matches in preparation for his role as fire-lighter.

During the last part of the afternoon the boys tied in to a safety rope and were able to climb over thirty feet up into one of our old beech trees. The day ended with our customary appreciation circle and an impromptu table, chair, bottle, drumming session.

Food for thought for you animal tracking geeks. Enjoy!