The Music Survival Project pilot project was a huge hit this summer and has new fan base in Colorado. The Cottonwood Institute, The Slam Movement, and Arapahoe/Douglas Works! Youth in the Works collaborated to bring a passionate group of students to the mountains for a week to practice survival skills, enjoy nature, create music and… Read more »
Produce was harvested, meals were cooked, rivers were explored, and fires were blazing! In fact, two of the students from this course were able to start a fire using the more difficult bow-drill friction fire method on their first try, a Cottonwood Institute record. Some even made bow drill sets from the native cottonwood and… Read more »
What is a day in the life of our Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking course like at Mission:Wolf? It is like nothing else you have experienced. It’s a day of making meals with strangers that have become fast friends. It often starts with feeding the wolves and ends with telling stories around a fire. It… Read more »
The Cesar Chavez Organic Gardening Project with the I Have A Dream Foundation “Dreamers” was a great success. Our group camped out for three gorgeous evenings at Sunrise Farm, just west of Loveland, CO on a secluded hillside above their organic farm and living community. The campsite was complete with ponderosa pines, prickly pear cacti,… Read more »
After braving the rain and thunderous skies this spring, the final phase of our Three Trees and a River Project was quite a ride. We collaborated with Front Range Earth Force, students from Gilpin E-8 Montessori School in Denver, CO, and the Garden Club of Denver to plant native trees at the Denver Botanic Gardens… Read more »
Amidst the bustling halls of Lakewood High School, 10 brave students stood outside waiting for a school bus dressed in their winter best: winter hats, coats, and snow pants. Their indoor classroom was a thing of the past as they headed out with the Cottonwood Institute for a day trip to Echo Lake on Mt…. Read more »
Several weeks have passed since we completed our annual Winter Staff Training for Cottonwood Institute instructors, but now it’s time to reflect on what we learned during that action-packed day. We covered a variety of skills, including: winter safety and risk management concerns, winter survival priorities, quinzhee snow shelters, emergency snow trench shelters, fire-making techniques… Read more »
The days were shorter and the nights were cooler, but New Vista High School’s 2nd quarter Community Adventure Program class was on fire as they prepared for their two overnight camping trips. While the first trip gave them beautiful fall days, the other made them endure freezing temperatures. However, both trips were enjoyed by all,… Read more »
Watch out, we’re going to do a little bragging to celebrate. The Community Adventure Program, or CAP, the Cottonwood Institute’s main educational program, is celebrating its sixth year at New Vista High School! If you don’t know…CAP aspires to inspire students to change the world through community involvement, an increased awareness of local environmental issues,… Read more »
Hebrew High in Denver and Boulder embarked on a new adventure this school year by working with the Cottonwood Institute to offer a new Eco-Judaism in Action class based on our successful Community Adventure Program curriculum. The Eco-Judaism in Action class is a unique after school experience designed for adventurous Jewish youth who want to… Read more »
