Offsite Activities

Wilderness/Survival (Offered in Western Mass - carpooling encouraged)   1-month program - $30 - $40/day

THIS PROGRAM IS NOT AT THE CENTER; FOR MORE INFO:  PLEASE CONTACT ALAN EMOND, 413-624-5115, alanemond@mtdata.net

Weasel Wizards:  Ages 9-12     Mondays   9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.        This kids' program is an intro to woodland skills, combining games and fun challenges along with insight into the workings of Mother Nature and our place in the whole scheme. Skills we will touch upon are:  natural shelter building, food collection and preparation (and of course munching), tracking, stalking, sensory awareness, recognizing the needs of plants and animals, tool-making, carving, fire safety, understanding direction in the woods, and always being prepared so not to panic.

Straight Arrows:  Ages 13-16     Thursdays  9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.      This is a young adult program with a greater focus on learning, but still having fun as we go. Focus will be on more complex shelters (including a small log cabin), tracking (sign and trailing), stalking, archery, carving, woodland photography, and understanding the balance in nature.   This group will be offered physical challenges pertaining to balance, endurance, self-discipline (sitting still for an extended period and creating a mental log of the experience), and coordination. The challenges for these skills will be in line with the current abilities and comfort levels of each student. Last day is an overnight, which will count as two days.    

Twentieth Century Warriors:  Ages 13-16     Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.      This program is for boys and/or girls who wish to learn the ancient skill of hunting for the purpose of obtaining food and other materials for self and one's community. A true hunter must have both knowledge and great respect for any prey they wish to harvest. They must also hone their skills to harvest as humanely as possible.  The taking of a life should never be done lightly or without some regret and understanding of its significance. The bounty of a harvest that as with the fox, coyote, and hawk ensures a better future for those that make good use of it, is reason for celebration. Since man's begnning, stories of the hunt have been a very important component of any hunt is and has been (since man's beginning) the stories. The stories that help us learn more about the integrity of all life.  There is another type of hunting besides that by which we gain meat. There is hunting for knowledge itself. This can be done with a camera or just pen and paper. You use all the same stalking and planning skills but use a different tool and have a different outcome.  Practical skills for this session are: reading signs and habitat, honing shooting or throwing skills, sharpening the use of your hearing and sight senses, learning to endure long days of tracking, or sitting in one spot until not visible to the animals, stalking, animal calls, and endless practice. This is the most important course anyone who contemplates becoming a hunter could take.

Alpha Wolves:  Adults    Sundays  9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.      This is a relaxed program aimed at getting adults back to feeling comfortable with nature. Participants will enjoy working on a natural shelter, study the requirements of plants and animals, evaluate habitats, harvest, store and cook food in the woods, carve wood forms, make tools and art, create a wilderness slide show and explore. The last day in this session will be an overnight and will count as two days.

Horseback Riding at Cornerstone Ranch, Princeton (Carpooling encouraged)   Year-round

Please let us know if you're interested in this program, and what day you're available - Cornerstone Programs are an ideal way to introduce children both experienced and with limited horse riding experience to the pleasures of horse riding, whilst being under the supervision of qualified instructors.   Students can look forward to learning the basics on how to catch, lead, tie up, brush, bridle, saddle, mount and how to care for a horse.