The School of Magic
More summer camps >
10 kid limit for this camp Our policy for small class sizes.
A school to learn the wizardry of nature
Your invitations to the Trackers School of Magic should be arriving any day. It tells you where to go, what to bring and when you leave.*
At your arrival, the magic Sorting Otter sings his song to create our camp groups. You learn which guild you will join for the week. Your first task is to find your favorite tree, learn all about it and make your magic wand from its wood. Next you make your flying broom out of scotch broom and your robe out of ancient cloth.
Much of our wizards studies take place in the enchanted woods of Central Oregon and include the following electives...
Weather Divination Through cloud patterns and the language of the birds, you learn all about the tell tale signs of the weather. You learn what trees are saying about the storm a brewing or when the bugs tell the sun will come out from behind the clouds.
Ancient Runes Older wizards step back through time and into Bend's history.
Observations of Non-Wizards People without magic use their time strangely enough to us wizard folk. It pays to pay some attention to them. Our older wizards (ages 6-11) will practice what we call "people tracking", carefully watching and learning what drives these strange and muddled creatures.
Potions and Compounds This is the safe science of brilliant flashes of light through a few simple compounds. This is the eerily glowing rock that seems to draw power from nowhere, it is where we make our dyes to color everything and this is the jar of ectoplasmic goo and slime.
Herbalogy What plants heal what sickness? What plants are good to eat? We learn the answers to these question and more through the study of herbalogy.
Transfiguration Crawling on all four like a raccoon is not only fun but it keeps us in shape. When you get down at a raccoon's level, when you see what it sees, hear what it hears and smells in the same why it does, you empathize with the wild land around you, and truly become a master tracker
Cryptozoology There are strange creatures about. Learn their legends and lore and how in many of the ancient stories, they are truly protectors of the forest.
Camouflage and Invisibility How do big deer and fat bears disappear in the woods? How are weasels there one moment and gone the next. Learn their secrets of stealth and evasion. Become a master of invisibility.
*for a mailed parchment invitation you must register a minimum of 1 month before camp begins
Please read every word on this page together with your child. Especially "A Good Fit?"
Register for The School of Magic
| Reg Closed Contact Us |
Ages 6-8
$285
July 12-16, 2010 8:30am-3:30pm Pioneer Park, Bend, Oregon |
| Reg Closed Contact Us |
Ages 9-11
$285
July 12-16, 2010 8:30pm-3:30pm Pioneer Park, Bend, Oregon |
A Good Fit?
Before you register PLEASE READ the critical information below to help you decide if your program is the right match for you or you child. TrackersNW invests in families and students dedicated to maturity and accountability as a team. The experience of your child is heightened as these filters insure a safe, supportive and competent collaboration with both our instructors and all other team members (including students).
This program is a good fit for the child and parent who...
• trust one another
• are interested in and empathetic to the natural world
• crave a different way of experiencing and seeing both natural and modern world
• want to have fun
• possess a sense of adventure
• make intelligent choices
• display competent autonomy when needed
• can make and keep clear agreements concerning safety
• can help insure the safety of their peers and collaborators
• works diligently toward adult accountability, consequences and responsibility
• will come dressed appropriately to stay warm, dry and healthy
• is okay with being muddy, cold and wet at times
• can be a real kid
• shares well with others
This program is NOT a good fit for children who...
• are not interested in nature & scout awareness
• are not empathetic for the natural world
• are being forced to come to camp
• cannot display competent autonomy when needed
• cannot make and keep clear agreements and choices concerning safety
• is kept inside all the time so may be uncomfortable
• will not dress appropriately to stay warm, dry and healthy
• is not okay with being muddy, cold and wet at times
• has trouble working with others and respecting the needs of other participants
Please note that if your child is positively working on behavior, we are willing to work with them and you with clear agreements
We help children to feel like that group of kids wandering country backyards 50 years ago: independent, tired, muddy, wet and happy from the woods and wild. We are acutely aware of full and real hazards of the out of doors after years of working in environmental education. We try to move away from the highly structured and limiting tolerances of conventional environmental education while keeping kids truly safe but not encapsulated from, or phobic of nature. We are deep patriots to the value of offering guided yet very free and transparent experiences for kids. We believe it is okay to be thirsty at times, cold at times, and wet at times. It builds empathy and care for the gifts of life. It fosters adventure and sincere accomplishment. We also believe it is critical to feel supported and cared for as they truly explore their passion and responsibility. And through a healthy life immersed in nature, they test the limits and great potential of the often untapped physical and emotional resiliency they possess
Follow us