Our Curriculum

Wondering what we actually do out there? Here's what one parent has to say:

"This program brings children to the labratory of learning and gives them new windows through which they can percieve themselves, their peers, and the world around them. They are challenged to engage in their natural environment not just as a pass throguh from one building or vehicle to the next, or just a venue for sports that can't be played inside, but rather as the ultimate sphere of existence and one that is credibly our only true 'container'." - C. Higgins

And so how do we do that?

Primitive Pursuits delivers an experience of connection with the natural world by teaching skills that have served our ancestors from the dawn of time and that are still of tremendous value today. Consider these skills:

Natural navigation - Knowing how to not get lost, how to feel at home, know where you are and know where you are going no matter where you are and whether or not you brought a compass - or if the sun is even shining.

Making fire - Mastering the art and science of making fire with raw materials gathered from the land. Building smokeless fires in all types of weather, and forming habits of fire safety. Beyond rubbing two sticks together, fire making provides an experiential learning platform for tree identification, resource extraction, ecology, physics, body mechanics and so much more...

Wildcrafting - Gathering foods from the wild, learning how to identify plants and the ecosystems where they are found, understanding  invasive species ecology and native species regeneration, plant taxonomy, and of course - wild food preparation; these are just a sample of concepts covered under the magical invisibilty cloak of F.U.N.

Wilderness Cooking - Where wilderness survival becomes a past time! Learning how to boil water and cook foods healthfully over the fire without cook pots or other modern amenities, and learning how to fashion containers and utensils provides endless surface area for learning about the world while nourshing the soul.

Tool crafting - The hallmark of all "primitive" technologies are the tools that define the cultures and landscapes where they are found. Whether for hunting, gathering or creating comfort in the wild, we will craft tools from raw materials with our own hands: bows, digging sticks, arrows and stone tools, baskets, cordage, hammers, spears and traps... the list goes on!

Hazard Identification - Perhaps one of the most overlooked survival skills! Knowing how to see and identify the things that can bring you harm and get you into real trouble is, in fact, where we often begin; not to frighten your kids, but to empower them to explorer their world safely . We cover poisonous plants, venomous critters, wildlife concerns, human hazards and TICKS, just to name a few.

Shelters  - Find one or build one for survival, concealment, wilderness living or just plain fun. Shelters are home base for any survival situation and are great containers for learning all the survival basics. For those of you that built forts as a child - you know how formative and empowering this experience can be.

Tracking - The first science ever practiced by humans remains one of our most valued endeavors! Today we call it market analysis, criminal investigation and search engine optimization but it all started by following the tracks of our animal neighbors. From finding the tracks of the elusive fisher and the scat of the uncommon porcupine to deciphering the movements of the brazen grey squirrel and common shrew we will discover the true potentials of our human minds and bodies.

Last Updated: January 20, 2012