The Earth Skills School is an alternative education and nature-based homeschool program for students ages 10 – 12 in the Austin area. Students spend one day each week outside learning archery, scouting, and survival skills such as shelter and fire building, stone tool manufacturing, and much more. Through nature exploration, hands-on projects, field guide research and journaling, program participants begin to foster lasting relationships with the natural world around them. We believe that what you earn, you learn, so we won’t give answers, but rather guide individuals in a direction while encouraging them to seek out the solution on their own. Participants will also explore areas of:

• Water procurement
• Wild plant & animal foods
• Natural fibers & basket making
• Primitive hunting & fishing
• Primitive cooking
• Traditional archery

Our mentoring philosophy is derived from ancient and native ways of teaching children in a natural community. Focusing on awareness of self, family and the local environment was the day to day education. With this model we have created a fun, exciting, and motivated atmosphere of nature-based learning for teens to travel back into the world of the hunter-gatherer for a unique and inspirational experience in the outdoors.

Adventure and excitement are only the beginning. Students work together on scenario-based challenges in order to develop real world skills of hazard awareness, situation adaptability, group communication and teamwork for problem-solving while in the wilderness.