We asked the students of the Centaurus CAP Outdoor Class a classic icebreaker question when we circled up at 8am in the school parking lot before our winter field dau to Caribou Ranch Open Space near Nederland: What superpower do you want to have? Volar (flying) was a popular choice. Invisibility, mind control (mwahaha) and… Read more »
This semester’s Angevine Middle School Students are all about creativity. On their winter snowshoe trip to Caribou Ranch they built an unconventional, two-entrance quinzhee. They built a Climate Protest Swimming Snowman. And they even made visual artworks or creative poetry video blog entries to reflect on the day. Enjoy the poetry froomo this creative group!… Read more »
Students from Aurora Experiential Learning (AXL) Academy’s CAP class took Thursday and Friday off from their regularly scheduled school activities to spend an overnight in a cabin and get in touch with nature and their peers in Allenspark, CO. During the overnight adventure, students stayed in the Horse Lodge at Highlands Presbyterian Camp. Upon their… Read more »
Last Saturday, CAP students from KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (KSPA) headed out for an exciting winter field day filled with games, laughter, and lots of playtime in the snow! After ensuring everyone had the all necessary gear and a delicious packed lunch, the crew loaded up in the Cottonwood van and made their way up… Read more »
It has been a whirlwind since accepting my new position as Cottonwood Institute’s Program Director. Not only did I get to learn about our CI programming and meet the incredible staff, but I was able to attend educational sessions at Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2020. As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the cherry on top… Read more »
2020 has gotten off to a good start for Cottonwood Institute with the start of our trip season, the addition of our new Program Director, and now two features on CI from local news outlets! Check out these stories, get inspired, and please share with your community! Communing with Nature with the Cottonwood Institute –… Read more »
Before Cottonwood Institute takes students out for winter field days, they have to practice what they preach and teach. An eager group of CI veterans and newcomers met up early on a Saturday morning, packed lunches, and then packed themselves into CI’s shiny new van and drove to Caribou Ranch Open Space in Nederland for… Read more »
One of the quintessential Cottonwood Institute experiences is learning to build a quinzhee, a simple snow shelter that can be useful in winter survival scenarios. It’s a technique Executive Director Ford Church brings from his survival school days, and one that endures as a winter field day staple (see pictures from our recent Instructor Training… Read more »
Fossil fuels are a big problem. They are non-renewable, unsustainable, create air pollution, and their production and consumption create greenhouse gases that are making our planet a perilous place to live. On the other hand, we love to use electricity! We love to use cell phones, play video games, watch movies and listen to music,… Read more »
The Angevine Middle School CAP class recognizes that one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases is food waste, and they decided to do something about it. From giving out recipes and ingredients to low-income families, to turning tired Thanksgiving leftovers into delicious meals, to performing a rap and making a mural to educate their… Read more »
