Classroom in the Woods
Primitive Skills for Public Schools
DVD with Thomas J. Elpel and the Harrison Junior High Kids
Amid a growing awareness of the need to reconnect kids with nature, Classroom in the Woods vividly demonstrates the power and promise of hands-on, immersive experiences to put kids in touch with the real world. In this enlightening video, author and educator Thomas J. Elpel brings a class of junior high students out into the woods for three days and two nights of hands-on wilderness survival and primitive skills experience.
Leaving textbooks behind, the kids revel at the opportunity for hands-on learning, as they build a shelter, forage for wild edible plants, make a bow and drill fire set, stalk and observe wildlife, and bake bread in a stone oven. The students create fire from wood, and then use that fire to shape bowls and spoons and cook their food. In the process, they learn about themselves building self-confidence, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and attunement to their surroundings.
More than just survival skills, these experiences help give kids a better grasp of the world around them. Pursuing similar goals as author Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods, Elpel provides a model demonstration of the kind of whole-person education that every kid should be entitled to. Run time: 50 minutes, plus 30 minutes of bonus features expanding on specific skills. ISBN: 978-1-892784-33-9. 2010.
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"In addition to following the journey of the students, [Classroom in the Woods] is filled with interviews with students, classroom teachers and the Hollowtop team where they discuss not just the how, but also the why of outdoor education and how primitve skills can add a tangible connection to the natural world.
This dvd is inspiring for both classroom teachers and outdoor educators. I can say this because I watched it with my wife who is a classroom teacher, and she was impressed by both what they covered and how they covered it. Watching the kids transition from experiencing the natural world as something that's foreign and scary to somewhere to call home is amazing to watch."
Tim Smith
Jack Mountain Bushcraft School
Ashland, Maine
Hi Tom,
Your DVD, Classroom in the Woods was very moving. It was inspiring to see youth that were so motivated to work with their hands out on the land with lessons that were direct and filled with meaning. The work that you are doing, helping to reconnect the lives of young people to the natural world, is invaluable in this era of computer dependency and obsession with "reality-TV." This is the way humans have always learned, with full sensory participation and it was great to see that you are spearheading this movement in your community and in the bigger picture within the educational system. Thanks Tom!
--Tony Nester,
Ancient Pathways
Flaggstaff, Arizona
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Also be sure to see:
A Brain in a Box on a Shelf
The Need to Reconnect Kids with Nature
Outdoor Classroom
(Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 2011)
Comments from Students
The Power of Experiential Education
See also: Participating in Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills
