Classroom in the Woods DVD (Sample Clip)

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. Full movie: 50 minutes, plus 30 minutes of bonus features expanding on specific skills. ISBN: 978-1-892784-33-9. 2010.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• education
• experiential
• wilderness
• survival
• primitive skills
• Richard Louv
• Thomas Elpel