Outdoor Curriculum
In 2021/22, Wildwood will become completely mobile. We're shrinking our school size to 42 students and purchasing (2) additional 15 passenger vans so we can get up and come where we want and when we want.
Adventure Mondays: Half the school (approximately 21 students) will spend each Monday on adventures around The Gorge and into Portland. This may include learning wilderness survival skills; wilderness first aid; how to catch, gut, and fry a fish; xc skiing; sailing; orienteering; geode hunting; kayaking through Portland's canals; hiking the Wildwood trail; mural tours in Portland; sledding and igloo building, and anything else that gets the heart pumping and a bit of adrenaline flowing.
As Joe O'Neill is the author of the Red Hand Adventures (an award-winning historical fiction middle reader series packed with adventure), our adventures will take on a imaginative edge filled with history and cultural context.
Artisan Mondays: The other half of the school will work outside each Monday building; inventing; painting; playing; cooking; trail-building, and more. This Monday will be dedicated to working with their hands and minds by building catapults; soap box racers; rope courses; chicken coups; bee colonies; boat building; bird houses; tree forts, and almost anything the mind can dream up. Students will use manual and power tools! They'll also spend time cooking, playing games, swimming, running, hiking, and painting.
Outdoor Games and Leadership Thursday: Each Thursday, a student can choose between drama or outdoor games and leadership. These games will feature games such as lacrosse; rugby; soccer, basketball; cricket; football, and we'll even put on our own Olympic games and build an outdoor obstacle course. Along the way, the students will learn leadership, communication skills, and gamesmanship. Plan on getting muddy and sweaty!
Science (Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons): Our science program will be almost completely outdoors. It will be immersive and taught on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. We believe in a thematic trimester model that focuses on renewable energies and other sciences that will continue to become more prominent in the 21st century. Examples will include solar; wind; trees and forests; perma-culture; alternative medicine; water; plant based foods; electric energy, and other subjects that will will become more prevalent in our student's lives. We'll also include science in adventure and artisan Mondays and our art program.
Art and Humanities (Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons): Our art program will also be thematic and trimester based. Examples of themes may include water; birds; wind; tribal art; trail decoration; trees; urban art; fashion and sneaker art; insects, and other subjects that inspire our students. Most, but not all, art programs will take place outside and in nature and mix in a bit of history and science.
Cultural Excursions: Some of our Monday excursions will be more cultural in nature. This may include museum tours; theater outings; college tours; Portland mural tours; Greek Orthodox Festivals; food cart tastings, and even anything else that both educates and captivates their hearts and minds.
Overnight Excursions: We'll generally have an overnight, with the entire school, to begin and end the year. (we will also have smaller, impromptu overnight sessions throughout the year.) Destinations may include Ashland; the Oregon Coast; Mount Saint Helens; Bend; Baker City; the Painted Hills; Seattle; Pendleton; Mount Adams; Joseph, and even Portland.