MEANINGFUL RESULTS

Whether it is building a fire by friction, learning to tie knots, cooking over a campfire, building a boat, or donning a life jacket and leaving the shore for the first time, kids get their hands dirty and experience the satisfaction of learning something new.

Boatbuilding

STEAM-BENDING | LASHING | CARVING | SKINNING

Our boatbuilding program allows students to construct a beautiful skin-on-frame canoe from start to finish. Students use a complete array of construction techniques: measuring, cutting, hand planing, sanding, steam-bending, lashing, riveting, lacing, and skinning to name some. Without realizing it, they are broadening their knowledge of math, chemistry and physics.

Our staff—trained by master craftsmen from the Minneapolis-based Urban Boatbuilders—ensures that each and every student has a hand in the process and can take pride in the finished product.

Camping Skills

CAMPFIRE COOKING | FIRE BY FRICTION | KNIFE & AX | KNOT TYING

Distilled from over 100 years of summer camp experience and inspired by naturalist and author Ernest Thompson Seton, kids learn to be comfortable in the outdoors via hands-on activities such as campfire cooking, fire by friction, knot tying, shelter making, wildlife identification, and knife and ax techniques.

Canoeing

PADDLING | PORTAGING | RIVER READING

Canoe trips have been a staple of our Northwoods summer programs, and our city-based canoeing program offers students a taste of this efficient means of wilderness travel. From paddling and portaging to river reading and rescue techniques, students are introduced to the foundational skills of canoe camping. Along the way, they learn the value of communication and teamwork.

Wilderness trips

PLANNING | NAVIGATION | CAMPING | COOKING

Wilderness canoe trips allow students to learn perseverance, cooperation, and risk management—without once opening a textbook. Whether it is a weekend adventure on a nearby river or a week-long program at Owakonze, our pristine wilderness outpost in Ontario, we offer students the chance to practice their skills and use the boat they’ve built on an outdoor adventure.