After School Campfire Classes Wednesdays and Fridays 3-5 pm
There are a few spots available in our after school classes! Please share a little information with us by filling out this form and we'll get right back to you.
After school campfire groups gather weekly to experience community in camp life through the seasons. Our days include storytelling, learning about safety in wild spaces, study of local plants and animals, outdoors skills, and games and activities to stretch sensory awareness.
Our classroom is the forest, fields, ponds and streams - all sessions will take place out of doors. Our instructors are versed in a variety of ancient and modern camp skills and experienced working with a broad age group. Class is structured to meet the interests of different ages and personalities.
Details
This class is for children ages 6-12. Class meets at Nature and Nurture Farm in Dexter, MI on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3-5 pm. Children bring their own snack.
Our classroom is the forest, fields, ponds and streams - all sessions will take place out of doors. Our instructors are versed in a variety of ancient and modern camp skills and experienced working with a broad age group. Class is structured to meet the interests of different ages and personalities.
Details
This class is for children ages 6-12. Class meets at Nature and Nurture Farm in Dexter, MI on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3-5 pm. Children bring their own snack.
Keeping it Safe in the Time of Covid
We've been paying close attention to emerging research around safety in the time of COVID. Current reports indicate that outdoors activities are safe within certain guidelines. Please check out our safety protocols.
We've been paying close attention to emerging research around safety in the time of COVID. Current reports indicate that outdoors activities are safe within certain guidelines. Please check out our safety protocols.
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Keeping Kids Comfortable in Winter
In a normal year we make use of indoor space on very cold days to keep kids comfortable. Because that isn't possible this year we've been hard at work devising new strategies. We have many ideas, including the use of wind breaks, hand warmers, extra fires and regular movement activities. Even so, we have some contingency plans for the coldest days:
Typically we'll be able to make these calls the day before, giving you a little time to re-organize your own plans. Winter temperature forecasts seem to be pretty reliable, so if you wish to plan further ahead you can always scan the weekly weather to see what might be coming. It will be essential that families signing up for Winter Session send kids to class warmly dressed with a full set of winter gear and extra clothing items on hand, including extra masks (we're learning that masks can become damp and non-breathable in wintery weather). |
Early Spring Session - Wednesdays
The Early Spring Session runs from March 3 through April 21 (no class on 3/31). The cost of the series is $161, or $147 for each additional sibling. Payment in full is required for enrollment (see payment and refund policies). Scholarships are available upon request.
The Early Spring Session runs from March 3 through April 21 (no class on 3/31). The cost of the series is $161, or $147 for each additional sibling. Payment in full is required for enrollment (see payment and refund policies). Scholarships are available upon request.
Early Spring Session - Fridays
The Early Spring Session runs from March 5 through April 23 (no class on 4/2). The cost of the series is $161, or $147 for each additional sibling. Payment in full is required for enrollment (see payment and refund policies). Scholarships are available upon request.
The Early Spring Session runs from March 5 through April 23 (no class on 4/2). The cost of the series is $161, or $147 for each additional sibling. Payment in full is required for enrollment (see payment and refund policies). Scholarships are available upon request.
If you're interested in registering, please share a little information with us by filling out this form and we'll get right back to you.
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Instructor
Catherine Fritz is a lifelong nature-enthusiast. She grew up playing and exploring in the sand dunes along Lake Michigan. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a dual degree in German and Arts and Ideas in the Humanities, she moved to Washington State where she worked for a number of years in Youth Advocacy and Arts Education. There, she deepened her nature connection by learning the plants and animals of a new bioregion. She returned to Michigan three years ago to be nearer family and to bring some of her magic back to the Midwest.
In addition to teaching with the Nature Learning Community, she is currently apprenticing with Rowena. She is a Music Together Teacher, sharing music with young children, and does youth theatre with the Ann Arbor-based Spinning Dot Theatre Company. She’s worked extensively with children and finds them to be an absolute delight!
Catherine Fritz is a lifelong nature-enthusiast. She grew up playing and exploring in the sand dunes along Lake Michigan. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a dual degree in German and Arts and Ideas in the Humanities, she moved to Washington State where she worked for a number of years in Youth Advocacy and Arts Education. There, she deepened her nature connection by learning the plants and animals of a new bioregion. She returned to Michigan three years ago to be nearer family and to bring some of her magic back to the Midwest.
In addition to teaching with the Nature Learning Community, she is currently apprenticing with Rowena. She is a Music Together Teacher, sharing music with young children, and does youth theatre with the Ann Arbor-based Spinning Dot Theatre Company. She’s worked extensively with children and finds them to be an absolute delight!
Instructor
Syndallas Baughman grew up on the water and in the forests of Michigan and Florida and earned a B.S. in Biology at University of Michigan and M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Along the way she’s camped and studied plants and pollinators in the Siskiyous in S.W. Oregon, swamps, forests and fields of Michigan, Kauai, coastal and desert California, and the California Sierra Nevada. She taught at El Cerrito Preschool Cooperative, learning from wise and loving mentors to step back and follow and support kids’ ideas. At Wildcat Community Free School she followed kids through creeks and forests, set up experiments, supervised the use of power tools, knives and fire, facilitated democratic decision making and mediated a lot of arguments about Pokemon Card trades. She’s planted native gardens with preschoolers to high school students, and has homeschooled and camped all over the U.S.A. with her two teenage sons.
Syndallas spent much of the past decade at an automotive manufacturing plant where her responsibilities included developing accountable health and safety systems with teams of union leaders, production operators and supervision. She recently served on a Michigan State working group developing guidance for community centers and public events around COVID safety. She participates in consensus decision making with her neighbors at home at Great Oak Cohousing Community. The beautiful wild world is the place Syndallas wants to be! She loves sharing nature connection with people and other living things and you!
Syndallas Baughman grew up on the water and in the forests of Michigan and Florida and earned a B.S. in Biology at University of Michigan and M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Along the way she’s camped and studied plants and pollinators in the Siskiyous in S.W. Oregon, swamps, forests and fields of Michigan, Kauai, coastal and desert California, and the California Sierra Nevada. She taught at El Cerrito Preschool Cooperative, learning from wise and loving mentors to step back and follow and support kids’ ideas. At Wildcat Community Free School she followed kids through creeks and forests, set up experiments, supervised the use of power tools, knives and fire, facilitated democratic decision making and mediated a lot of arguments about Pokemon Card trades. She’s planted native gardens with preschoolers to high school students, and has homeschooled and camped all over the U.S.A. with her two teenage sons.
Syndallas spent much of the past decade at an automotive manufacturing plant where her responsibilities included developing accountable health and safety systems with teams of union leaders, production operators and supervision. She recently served on a Michigan State working group developing guidance for community centers and public events around COVID safety. She participates in consensus decision making with her neighbors at home at Great Oak Cohousing Community. The beautiful wild world is the place Syndallas wants to be! She loves sharing nature connection with people and other living things and you!
Instructor
Alex Toenniges is a nature connection mentor, somatics facilitator, community-builder, song-keeper, and social change-maker. She is most at home in the forest and loves teaching primitive skills, fire- and shelter-building, wild edible plants, and medicinal herbs. With a background in nature connection mentoring from the Stalking Wolf/Tom Brown Jr./Jon Young lineage, Alex is passionate about nature as a teacher to create connection and belonging leading to social transformation. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner and holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees in bassoon performance. For more about Alex and her work, visit alextoenniges.com.
Alex Toenniges is a nature connection mentor, somatics facilitator, community-builder, song-keeper, and social change-maker. She is most at home in the forest and loves teaching primitive skills, fire- and shelter-building, wild edible plants, and medicinal herbs. With a background in nature connection mentoring from the Stalking Wolf/Tom Brown Jr./Jon Young lineage, Alex is passionate about nature as a teacher to create connection and belonging leading to social transformation. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner and holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees in bassoon performance. For more about Alex and her work, visit alextoenniges.com.
Instructor
Courtney Klick is a re-wilding enthusiast with a passion for bringing nature connection, culture repair and the art of mentoring to our local community. Courtney is a homeschooling mother of three young children, a gardener, former Ayurvedic Practitioner and herbalist, and lover of sacred music. She loves wandering, encountering flora and fauna, and sharing those stories with others. Her daily goal is to spend as much time outdoors as possible, especially with children in the spirit of play and wonder.
Courtney Klick is a re-wilding enthusiast with a passion for bringing nature connection, culture repair and the art of mentoring to our local community. Courtney is a homeschooling mother of three young children, a gardener, former Ayurvedic Practitioner and herbalist, and lover of sacred music. She loves wandering, encountering flora and fauna, and sharing those stories with others. Her daily goal is to spend as much time outdoors as possible, especially with children in the spirit of play and wonder.
Instructor
Lauren Hunt’s journey through Environmental Studies led her to biodynamic homesteading. For several years she raised big vegetable gardens, berries, medicinal herbs, chickens, honeybees, biodynamic vegetable seeds, and grass-fed beef. She hunted morels and harvest wild foods such as burdock, nettles, chickweed, violets, wild parsnips, dandelions, etc. She built community as a board member and volunteer with the Driftless Folk School in Wisconsin and learned about plant medicine with local herbalists. Parenting two teens eventually brought her family to Ann Arbor, where her children attend the Steiner School, and she has taught gardening. Along the way, she became a wellness coach and yoga leader (learn more at www.laurenmhunt.com). When we asked Lauren if she’d consider teaching with us, she mentioned a month-long course she took in aboriginal living skills. She made practical things like cattail sleeping mats, made fire with a bow drill and went backcountry camping with few supplies for several days. It sounded like a fit! When she mentioned she’s also a singer and song catcher, we just couldn’t wait to welcome her to class!
Lauren Hunt’s journey through Environmental Studies led her to biodynamic homesteading. For several years she raised big vegetable gardens, berries, medicinal herbs, chickens, honeybees, biodynamic vegetable seeds, and grass-fed beef. She hunted morels and harvest wild foods such as burdock, nettles, chickweed, violets, wild parsnips, dandelions, etc. She built community as a board member and volunteer with the Driftless Folk School in Wisconsin and learned about plant medicine with local herbalists. Parenting two teens eventually brought her family to Ann Arbor, where her children attend the Steiner School, and she has taught gardening. Along the way, she became a wellness coach and yoga leader (learn more at www.laurenmhunt.com). When we asked Lauren if she’d consider teaching with us, she mentioned a month-long course she took in aboriginal living skills. She made practical things like cattail sleeping mats, made fire with a bow drill and went backcountry camping with few supplies for several days. It sounded like a fit! When she mentioned she’s also a singer and song catcher, we just couldn’t wait to welcome her to class!
Instructor
Fonsea Bagchi (He/Him/His) grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mostly you can find him zooming school at Huron High, walking PawPaw Goldenheart (his dog), and running and walking in all weather - trail running, town running, cross country and track and mega-walks (a word he made up with friends). It only rains on the other guys! He loves wandering in the woods, by the river, in the UP, by Lake Michigan, in the desert, and also canoe camping, getting lost in the mountains, checking dumpsters for racoons and possums. He basically loves being anywhere outdoors unless there are swarms of vicious bitey flies!
Fonsea lives at Great Oak Cohousing sharing in community work, including childcare, cleaning, and grocery shopping for neighbors. He loves music and plays the French Horn in band and (kind of) the piano. He likes to create and share music and enjoys its connection to nature. He’s very excited to work as an assistant teacher at Nature Learning Community, he hopes to help kids find their own love and appreciation of nature. He’s been camping since he was very young. He loves nature and nature loves him!
Fonsea Bagchi (He/Him/His) grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mostly you can find him zooming school at Huron High, walking PawPaw Goldenheart (his dog), and running and walking in all weather - trail running, town running, cross country and track and mega-walks (a word he made up with friends). It only rains on the other guys! He loves wandering in the woods, by the river, in the UP, by Lake Michigan, in the desert, and also canoe camping, getting lost in the mountains, checking dumpsters for racoons and possums. He basically loves being anywhere outdoors unless there are swarms of vicious bitey flies!
Fonsea lives at Great Oak Cohousing sharing in community work, including childcare, cleaning, and grocery shopping for neighbors. He loves music and plays the French Horn in band and (kind of) the piano. He likes to create and share music and enjoys its connection to nature. He’s very excited to work as an assistant teacher at Nature Learning Community, he hopes to help kids find their own love and appreciation of nature. He’s been camping since he was very young. He loves nature and nature loves him!