Epic Outdoor Youth-Led Project-Based Workshops For Ages 13-17
Participants will design, build, craft, cultivate, laugh, lead, and learn while diving into inspiring projects that include: Bamboo Shelter Building, Earthen Cob Wall Construction; Bow and Arrow Making, Living Willow Structures, Farm Animal Intelligence Experiments, Mushroom Log Propagation, Biochar Creation, Woven Garden Structures, Bowl and Mask Making, Giant Tree Hang-Out Designing, and Much More.
The Youth Discovery Project at Parker Learning Gardens is designed to be an immersive hands-on experience for participants to discover ancient techniques, practical methods, and modern knowledge while developing skills in leadership and resiliency. Through interaction, collaboration, and design, our exciting curriculum seeds an awareness of important concepts (natural crafting, the soil food web, biodiverse ecosystems, organic agriculture, permaculture, sustainability, etc.) while instilling a lasting sense of awe and enjoyment for living systems. Learn more about our unique curriculum below.
HOW IT WORKS
Our Youth Discovery Project (for ages 13-17) is a weekly two-hour workshop every Tuesday (4-6pm). This is a drop-off-style series of workshops – drop off between 3:45-4:00pm. Registration for a single workshop is an option, but we encourage cumulative full-season (or full-year) participation. For 2023, our Youth Discovery Project starts March 21st and continues each week until November 14th. Registration and programming is designed around three seasons: Spring (14 weeks), Summer (10 weeks), and Fall (11 weeks) – with new, inspiring projects all year long. Full Season Discounts Available. Participating youth will be encouraged to help lead on a rotating basis to guide their team to design, create and discover together.
~ 2023 Youth Discovery Project ~
Spring Season (Starts: 3/21 – Ends: 6/20)
Summer Season (Starts: 6/27 – Ends: 8/5) (No Workshop on 4th of July)
Fall Season (Starts: 8/12 / Ends: 11/14)
Spring Curriculum:
Curriculum project dates as specified below are subject to change. We will do our very best to maintain the schedule and complete projects as needed.
Week 1: Orientation & Tour – (03/21/23) – Welcome! Join us while we explore the complex landscaping and natural spaces throughout our 33-acre farm. We will observe the layout of the land, see where future projects will take place, and plant the seeds of new project ideas. We will also meet the pigs and chickens.
Week 2: Huge Tree Recreation Space – (03/28/23) – Beneath the canopy of our huge spruce tree is an ideal space to create the ultimate hang-out area. Swings will be installed, footholds will be mounted, climbing platforms will be set, log rounds will be placed… We have a “upcycle” pile near this tree to inspire creative features and give this playscape some real functional flare!
Week 3: Living Willow Structures – (04/04/23) – The flexibility of willow cuttings, and their ability to root readily in wet ground, makes for wonderful life-sized weaving projects that live and grow into bushy land creatures. This week we will design, plant, twist, bend, and tie together some incredible living garden art.
Week 4: Mushroom Log Towers – (04/11/23) – Mmm… Mushrooms!?!? Yes, but not right away. By harvesting log rounds, utilizing edible mushroom spawn, and designing an appropriate fungal home micro-environment we will explore different methods on how to cultivate and grow mushrooms in logs outside.
Week 5: Carbon Capture – (04/18/23) – Today you lighten your carbon footprint! This week we will gather biomass (i.e. sticks and/or bamboo), fill our “Ring of Fire” biochar kiln, learn new things about fire and nature, and safely bask in the heat and discover how to create biochar, a phenomenal carbon negative soil amendment. Smores may be had…
Week 6: Wicked Woven Composter – (04/25/23) – This week we dive into the technique of “wattle” construction, an ancient Neolithic technology that we plan to visit again in Week 10. We will harvest, design, build and fill a woven apple and hazel wood compost bin as we explore some of the beneficial critters in the Soil Food Web that help us recycle organic materials.
Week 7: Animal Intelligence Experiments – (05/02/23) – Let’s learn something more about our barnyard friends! This week we will design chicken runs and/or mazes and find ways to test your theories of the fittest (wittiest?) bird in the flock. Will it be a race, a test of skill, or… you decide. How might you lure a pig around the farm? Hmm… Let’s see if that works!
Week 8: Bowl & Mask – (05/09/23) – Our farm-grown Corsican gourds are cured and awaiting a simple yet profound transformation. Once we cut and craft the base of our gourds into naturally unique bowls, the top is left for you to breathe life into it as a mask!
Week 9: Open Project Week – (05/16/23) – Youth-Led Project Day! We leave this week open to have the group design, implement and lead their own project on the farm. (We will plant the seed, discuss and strategize this week’s project in previous weeks.)
Week 10: Woven Raised Bed – (05/23/23) – Here we go again, weaving flexible branches around larger upright stakes to form a woven lattice – waddle! This time we will be weaving a new design, filling it with fertile soil, and planting some flora for others to enjoy.
Week 11: Bamboo Survival Fortress (Part 1) – (05/30/23) – Our 3-acre bamboo forest is an adventure in itself. This week we will explore the various types of bamboo we grow, harvest some choice pieces, learn certain tying and joining techniques, and dive into designing and constructing the skeleton of what’s to come.
Week 12: Bamboo Survival Fortress (Part 2) – (06/06/23) – Now we continue into Part 2 as we add to our design and strive to finish the details that have been simmering over the past week. Check that off your bucket list: “Yeah, I Helped Build a Bamboo Survival Fortress”.
Week 13: Wall of Earthen Wonder (Part 1) – (06/13/23) – Mud, straw and nimble feet mix together to form cob, a natural building material made from subsoil, water, and fibrous organic bits. Cob walls are intended to be monolithic, like one single giant flowing brick. Cool!
Week 14: Wall of Earthen Wonder (Part 2) – (06/20/23) – Now we continue into Part 2 by plopping on more layers and adding in more features. Today marks the end of the Spring Season as we seek to finish the final touches of our earthen wall of wonder!
Summer and Fall Curriculum Coming Soon!
Inclusion Statement:
Parker Learning Gardens is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all participants. We strive to support communities and individuals who have experienced the detriment of racism, inequality, and violence. Parker Learning Gardens is an organization that seeks to bring all members of the community together to create positive change. We acknowledge that we have room to grow to further diversify and serve our community better. As we continuously develop a plan for the future, Parker Learning Gardens is: actively educating our staff, interns and volunteers, having challenging discussions within our leadership team, and creating an strategic plan to identify and improve upon our deficiencies. We will continue to advocate for those who have faced inequality by creating a safe and inclusive community for all.
Anti-Discrimination Statement:
Parker Learning Gardens prohibits discrimination and harassment, and will take affirmative measures to ensure against them, especially if they are implemented on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, status as a veteran or disabled veteran, neurodiversity, personal appearance, genetic information, family responsibilities, matriculation or political affiliation. This policy applies to all employees or potential employees, interns, volunteers, participants, members of the Parker Learning Gardens’ Board of Directors, and anyone attending Parker Learning Gardens’ events, classes, workshops, garden clubs, youth programs, field trips, and tours. This policy extends to all aspects of employment and participation at Parker Learning Gardens, including hiring, promotion, training, working conditions, policies, compensation, evaluation, discipline and termination.