Wednesday Homeschool Program
"B-squad"

'B-squad' is a homeschool, earth living skills youth program that takes place on Wednesdays in Van Etten, NY. We have access to nearly 200 acres of private land with range of different ecosystems -- a swamp, wetlands, fields, orchards, hardwood mixed forests, white pine groves, a gorge, a deep creek, maple sugarbush, hawthorn grove, and creek floodplains. Earth's cyclical rhythms and childhood passions, create the structure of flow of our days. 

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The participant age range is 9-15 years old, with a maximum capacity of 12 participants with 2 mentors. With the majority of the kids coming Fall, Winter and Spring session.

Over the duration of the program we've focused on wild edibles, fire building in all seasons, bird language & ID, wildlife tracking, creek & wetland and forest ecology, wild plant ID, tree ID with bark, leaves & twigs, processing rabbit hides cooking over the fire w/ different seasonal foods, primitive pottery & clay processing, improv games, running games & team building games/challenges, oral storytelling, imaginative/creative play daily, sewing, carving spoons and outdoor cooking utensils, basket weaving, loads of wandering, projectiles (throw sticks), songwriting and group singing, pine bark baskets, knots, tarp set ups, tapping sugar maples, and basic raft building. 

In addition to focusing on earth living skills we role model and prioritize emotional and social development, through incorporating peacemaking principles to resolve any friction or conflict within the group. Emotional capacity and intelligence goes hand-in-hand with a curriculum of earth-based skills.