Nature Science School

Our Nature Science School is designed to immerse your students in a hands-on Nature experience that incorporates your School’s Curriculum and specific needs.  We will work with you to Custom-Make a Program that will be an unforgettable Adventure and Learning Experience for your students.  From 1st grade through all levels of College, we are able to adapt most RAVENS-WAY WILD JOURNEYS offerings to the age and learning abilities of your students.

We can deliver many of our Programs at your School, including an introductory meeting with the students and specific skill sessions.   Best of all, you can come to RAVEN’S NEST, our 42-acre Nature Sanctuary near Patagonia Lake.  Here you will learn many new and wonderful things in our large Nature & Science Discovery Center, complete with many Natural History displays, Ecology classroom, Stone-age & Wilderness Survival classroom, Earth Stewardship classroom, Commons Area, and Organic Gardens.  Nearby you will camp amidst a beautiful Mesquite forest with access to several fire hearths, solar showers, incinerator toilets, and miles of engaging trails.  Furthermore,  your Students will enjoy their classes and hands-on projects at Our Stone-Age Village. Come and see for yourself, as we would love to give you a free tour!

We’ve organized our Nature Science School to help you choose the best options for your students.  Virtually any combination of topics is possible and we’ll help you come up with an incredible program.

OUTDOOR SKILLS & ART PROGRAM

Choose from any of our STONE-AGE & WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS offerings, including:

WILD EDIBLE PLANTS

Arizona contains an incredible array of delicious and nutritious native plants that formed the dietary basis for the progression of cultures that preceded our modern era.  Now you too can learn to supplement your existing diet with these tasty resources, as well as safeguard yourself and others in a survival situation.  For those who desire, you may wish to solely subsist from wild edible plants for several days.  Exploring among the area’s deserts streams, forests, and grasslands you’ll learn how to find, identify, harvest, process, eat, and store a plethora of wild taste treats.  We’ll also look at a hunter-gatherer diet for the area, cover a variety of stone-age cooking techniques, and discuss safely using wild edibles, and make several plant collecting/ processing tools.  By the end of the class you’ll count each plant as literally, a friend for life.

WILD MEDICINAL PLANTS

Using the diversity of environments at our disposal, we’ll delve into a wide variety of natural, plant-based medicines.  During the class we’ll address such ailments as: headaches, stomachaches, sore muscles, infections, bleeding, abrasions, eye infections, sore throat, colds, and more. You’ll also prepare your own herbal salve and wild teas to take home.  Learn how Nature heals all!

NATURAL SHELTERS

Take away our modern buildings, tents, plastic and other familiar materials and many would be at a loss as to how to shelter themselves from the elements.  Now you can learn first-hand how to construct, live-in, and maintain both ephemeral and semi - permanent stone-age shelters.  With the knowledge that you’ll gain in the class, you’ll soon be crafting your own wilderness shelters from earth, stone, plant, and other materials.  A night spent in a natural shelter can be the culmination of your Ravens-Way experience.

STONE-AGE TOOLS

Stone, bone, antler, wood, and clay are some of the materials you’ll work with in this class as you learn the ancient wisdom of stone-age tool-making.  While there are many projects to choose from, you may well make some of the following during you time with us - stone saw, stone knife, pecked bowl, burned bowl, digging stick, cactus brush, tongs, wedges, cordage (plant rope), and more.  Further, we’ll guide you in learning how to effectively use each of your creations.

FIRE-BY-FRICTION

What makes us human? Intelligence? Tool-use? Or is it Fire. No other species that we know of makes fire and employs it for a multitude of purposes. Here we’ll delve into some of the time-tested fire-making traditions of our ancestors from around the globe. You may choose to focus on any of the following techniques or to try your hand at all of them: hand-drill, bow-drill, fire-plow and fire-saw. Using the finest materials available in the U.S., you’ll learn how to gather your own materials and fashion them into a beautiful and efficient fire-making kit. We’ll also use fire as a tool to craft other objects and to provide us many of our needs.

SENSORY AWARENESS

Sensory awareness is the ultimate foundation for all other outdoor skills and knowledge.  At Ravens-Way we’ll welcome you to a new world - one where brilliant colors and dances of shadow and light grace each moment. Textures draw you near to touch and experience, while rich tastes and delicate aromas prove equally alluring.  The symphony of Nature accompanies these sensations as you relearn the art of sensory awareness.  Through a series of outdoor exercises and experiences you’ll once again feel “sensible”, as you join in the eternal dance of Life!

THE ART & SCIENCE OF TRACKING

It has been said that ignoring the tracks and signs of animals is akin to only reading the covers of books.  In other words, we are able to see the occasional animal, but far more often their presence can be detected (if we choose to “open the book”) through a track or other sign that they leave on the landscape.  We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to find the footprints, scat, feathers, lays, scrapes, trails, holes, tunnels, and other sign of local wildlife.  You’ll smile as you plainly see the senses of your students  open up to a whole new world of life and possibilities. 

Tracking is now recognized as one of the most important tools in the study of a wide range of wildlife species.  Accordingly, we’ll guide your students as they measure, draw, journal with, and investigate the tracks and signs that they discover in the wild.

ROPE-MAKING

The world is full of various fibers and after taking this class you’ll know just what to do with them.  Using you own hands, as well as simple stone-age tools you’ll learn the basics and beyond of cordage-making.  Along the way we’ll also craft a variety of projects that rely heavily on the rope that we’ve created.  While you may sometime feel “fit to be tied”, you’ll now learn what it means to be “tied to be fit”!

ABORIGINAL ART

Cultures all the world over have always melded art with function.  Here we follow these traditions, as you embark upon one or more personal projects that reflect your interests and your personality.  You may create a mini petroglyph, a rock bowl, a symbolic hunting bow, an elaborate necklace, a well-adorned backpack, or whatever your imagination envisions.

OSTRICH EGG & GOURD CANTEENS

One of the most challenging aspects of Stone-age & Wilderness Survival Skills is to be able to primitively contain and transport water.  Both Ostrich eggs and gourds can be transformed into useful and beautiful vessels that admirably perform this very task.  You will learn how to make each water container safe, create a carrying bag, and adorn your creation with stone-age artwork.  Follow in the footsteps of your ancestors in learning these ancient skills!

ETHNOBOTANY

Ethnobotany - the study of people use plants - is a vital foundation for becoming a well-rounded Naturalist.  You may well decide to explore the plant world in this catch-all class that covers the many uses that humans have for Wild Plants. You will locate, identify, and use a wide variety of Plants for food, medicine, shelter, tools, art, and more.  Several Stone-age take-home crafts will serve as a reminder of your new incredible wealth of plant wisdom.

STONE-AGE HUNTING & TRAPPING

During this class we will hearken back to a time when we sought the lives of our animal brothers for our daily sustenance. We will approach each tool and hunting weapon with an attitude of reverence and respect, seeking to honor the hunt. Hands, sticks, rocks, traps, snares, and bow/arrow gain new meaning when used properly and when crafted directly from Nature. You will also learn the art of transforming your quarry into a plethora of useful items. See how hides, bones, antlers, hooves, and sinew gain new life in a variety of stone-age projects.

FLINT-KNAPPING

One of the most vital and basic of stone-age and survival skills is to be able to transform rocks into useful and beautiful tools.  Starting with gathering, we will create a variety of stone tools and implements using stone-age ingenuity.  Rock saws, knives, scrapers, spoke-shaves, wedges, drills, etchers, arrowheads, and spear-points are some of the projects that we will make via this ancient art.

SOUTHWESTERN BASKETRY

Weaving constitutes one of the most vital skills in the stone-age world. Baskets are great for storage, food preparation, backpacks, hats, carrying devices, and many other uses. Plant identification will soon lead us down the path of gathering and weaving our own baskets using only what Nature provides.

WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS

What would you do if you found yourself lost in the desert? The woods? Would you know how to make the things that you need directly from the natural environment? What if you lost some or all of your modern gear - would you know what to do? Though countless people find themselves in survival situations each year, few are prepared. If you or your family enjoy time in the great outdoors, then you owe it to yourself to empower your mind with the knowledge that may someday save lives. Unlike many survival courses taught today, we focus exclusively on what Nature can provide, not fancy survival kits. We invite you to experience the old adage - “the more you know, the less you need!”.

SCIENCE & ECOLOGY PROGRAM

Given the inherent diversity of the natural world, we strive to reflect that abundance with our wide range of Science & Ecology topics.  You can choose from the following classes:

SOUTHWESTERN ECOLOGY

Explore any environment in the Southwest with us - from deserts up to Spruce-Fir forests in quest of both fun and knowledge.  We will guide your students as they explore the beautiful details of the environment, learning about the vital components and natural resources that make it work.  We will cover: food chains, ecosystems, natural cycles (water, nutrients...), predator-prey relationships, symbiotic relationships, plant succession, endangered species, human-ecosystem interactions, environmental challenges/solutions, historical perspectives and more.

We focus on the environment via hands-on activities, age-appropriate games, and through a variety of scientific studies.  Imagine your students in a real environment, learning not from a book but from butterflies, cacti, trees, the Sun, rocks, and countless other natural features.  We guarantee that they will never look at Nature the same way again. 

Our basic premise in this and other Science & Ecology classes is that through exploration we begin to experience Nature, which in turn helps us to understand it, which then compels us to love and, finally, protect it.  Now more than ever we need to embrace this philosophy of understanding, marveling at, and protecting the Earth.

POND ECOLOGY

Applying many of the same concepts covered under our “Southwestern Ecology” class, we here venture into the aquatic realm.  Water, especially clean water, is such a scarce and vital resource to not only humans but to most life found in the Southwest.  Your students will explore the plant and animal life of a small wildlife pond at Raven’s Nest, using dip nets and other equipment to collect their own scientific samples.  Some of their finds may be used to restock our aquarium, allowing us a closer look into this watery world.  Additionally, we’ll delve into the many threats to our local ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers, noting what each of us can do to conserve our precious natural resources. 

ORNITHOLOGY (Birds)

The Southwestern U.S. is famous for its diversity of bird species within a relatively small area.  Many Naturalists and conservationists, including Vince, can trace their initial interest in Nature to bird-watching.  It is only logical then to have a special class devoted to our feathered friends.  Using binoculars, field guides, scientific surveys, and our own senses, we’ll seek out the beauty and environmental teaching that birds have to offer us.  Birds often serve as environmental barometers, alerting us to small and large changes in their local environments, such as pollution, global warming, invasive species, and more.  Each student will begin their “life list” of bird species (using the list they receive for Raven’s Nest) which will serve as a reminder of their interactions with these fascinating creatures.

MAMMALOGY (Mammals)

The study of mammals is an integral part of any science curriculum and a fascinating window into Nature.  Using skulls, hides, field guides, live-traps, tracks, journals, photography, and other tools we will explore the realm of the coyote, whitetail deer, grey fox, pocket mice, gophers, bobcat, collared peccary (javelina), and other local mammals.  In the process your students will discover the unique role of each species and how they relate to humans, including various conservation issues.

HERPETOLOGY (Reptiles & Amphibians)

What is true of mammals and birds in the Southwest is also true of reptiles and amphibians - namely, we are blessed with a diversity of incredible species that are worthy of our detailed explorations. Starting with safety (i.e. venomous species) and progressing thru scientific study and appreciation your students will marvel at the adaptations of each species examined. We will set up simple, but effective, live traps seeking to discover the presence of local species. Field guides and our captive reptiles will aid in identification.

THE ART & SCIENCE OF TRACKING

It has been said that ignoring the tracks and signs of animals is akin to only reading the covers of books.  In other words, we are able to see the occasional animal, but far more often their presence can be detected (if we choose to “open the book”) through a track or other sign that they leave on the landscape.  We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to find the footprints, scat, feathers, lays, scrapes, trails, holes, tunnels, and other sign of local wildlife.  You’ll smile as you plainly see the senses of your students  open up to a whole new world of life and possibilities. 

Tracking is now recognized as one of the most important tools in the study of a wide range of wildlife species.  Accordingly, we’ll guide your students as they measure, draw, journal with, and investigate the tracks and signs that they discover in the wild.

BOTANY (Plants)

The study of plants, botany, is a fun and necessary foundation for understanding Nature.  Unlike animals the movements of plants are minimal, rendering them admirable research subjects.  Thus, clad with journal, hand lenses, plant press, field guides, and other tools we will delve into the sylvan world of plants.  Students will document the presence and abundance of a variety of plants, learn about plant conservation, and help to remove non-native (invasive) plants from a study area.  Each student will receive our local plant list as a reminder of the diversity and beauty of our plant relatives.

ETHNOBOTANY (People using Plants)

The study how people use plants for a wide variety of purposes is perhaps the oldest field of human study.  Anthropological evidence suggests that humans have always had a plant component to their diet and have used tools (many plant-based) since prehistoric times.  It is a rich field indeed, then, to mine how we can use various native plant species today.  Your students will learn which species can be used for food, shelter, tools, hunting, basketry, fire-making, art, medicine, and other purposes.  In the process of exploring a wealth of useful plant species, they will keep journal records and make a take-home craft or tool involving a native plant.

GEOLOGY

The study of the Earth and its myriad of seen and unseen forces is indeed a humbling enterprise.  The scale and magnitude of changes to both the forms and physical environments of the Earth over the course of its existence are profound.  Thus, instead of mere words, we will use a field trip to the land itself to demonstrate some basic concepts of geology, such as erosion, earthquakes, deposition, igneous/metamorphic/sedimentary rocks, hardness scale, mountains and valleys, human-induced landform changes (e.g. excessive erosion due to overgrazing  and urbanization), and more.  Along the way we will visit some of the extinct animals and plants that used to inhabit Arizona and seek to understand the geologic history and possible future(s) of our region.

THORNS, STINGERS, & FANGS

Black Widows, Rattlesnakes, Poison Ivy, spiny cacti, Centipedes, Kissing bugs, Africanized Bees, Ants, Gila Monsters, Scorpions and more - welcome to the Southwest!  How in the world can we enjoy the wilds with these species as neighbors?  In this class you learn to tell the difference between truly dangerous animals and plants versus those that we unjustly fear.  Further, we delve deeply into the identification, natural history, and first aid involved with each species covered.  Not only will you increase you knowledge and safety with each species, you may also discover that you’ve made a few unconventional friends along the way - just give them a wide berth at times!

AMAZING ARIZONA ASTRONOMY

The night skies of Southeastern AZ include some of the best celestial viewing sites in North America. Year-round you can explore the mystery of the night skies, including a constellation tour, planetary views, and a multitude of deep sky objects. With the aid of cutting edge technology as well as the ancient sky stories you’ll rediscover the joy of gazing at the night sky. [note: this class can be combined with a dusk Wildlife Safari if you desire]

EARTH STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS

Perhaps there is no more vital concept that we can pass on to your students than to take better care of our precious natural resources.  Viewing the Earth as a living system with limited resources will lead to better stewardship of all of its components.  Thus, we will not only teach but also practice Earth-friendly activities with your class.  Water conservation, composting, reduce-reuse-recycle, treading lightly on the land, energy conservation, water-harvesting, wildlife habitat restoration, and non-native plant removal are some of the concepts that we teach, practice, and embody during your stay with us at Raven’s Nest.  Additionally, we can guide your students through the basics of organic gardening, helping them to create an abundance of healthy food.   

TEAM BUILDING

Many of our topics can incorporate a team-building element that can be of tremendous value in helping your students work together.  For example, as your students are learning how to create fire without matches, we can split them into teams that compete against each other in order to complete the task.  If one or several students tend to dominate the group, then we can temporarily “take away” their ability to speak, blindfold them, or otherwise allow other students to come into the fore.  By providing a task that the students clearly cannot accomplish on their own, we allow them to see the value of teamwork.  Many other Stone-age and Survival Skills can likewise be transformed into opportunities for team growth.