Seven students from STRIVE Prep-Federal joined two of their teachers and two Cottonwood Instructors for a backpacking overnight at White Ranch Open Space in Golden. Before the group even left the parking lot, a student urged leaders to extend the Wednesday/Thursday trip into Friday! After dividing personal and group gear into packs, the students began the… Read more »
If you have ever wondered what happens when you disconnect teenagers from their technology… Once upon a time, eight brave adventurers set out to explore the wilderness of the mysterious woods of Calwood Camp in Jamestown, Colorado. They had packed all they would need and met sharply at eight am as the talking eagle required. The great… Read more »
A full day of adventure at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was a spectacular way to launch Cottonwood Institute’s newest CAP Program, at AXL Academy in Aurora! A group of 13 middle schoolers and 3 Cottonwood instructors jumped at the opportunity to escape the daily grind at school to adventure off into an… Read more »
On a scorching weekend in July, Cottonwood Institute and a group of military families from Colorado Army National Guard headed to the mountains to momentarily trade the summer heat and the stresses of city living for whispering leaves and gentle breezes of camping amidst the aspen groves at Sanborn Western Camps. Located just west of… Read more »
Colorado Youth for Change and Cottonwood Institute teamed up to create an impactful experience for ten very lucky high school students from Prairie View and Brighton high schools this summer. We loaded up the vans and were off on an adventure to Mission: Wolf! Students didn’t really know what they had signed up for, although… Read more »
This spring Denver Green School CAP classes had an awesome and exciting semester! We explored the world around us; Learned new skills and wilderness survival; Educated ourselves about environmental issues that affect our communities; And designed and implemented community action projects to affect real change in our worlds! We began the semester by exploring our connection to nature,… Read more »
For many years Cottonwood Institute (CI) has partnered with military programs to provide outings for kids and families serving in the US Military. This year, CI is offering 3 programs as part of a series of engagements with the Colorado Army National Guard. On Wednesday July 12th, three CI instructors took a long drive to… Read more »
As summer heats the blocks of Boulder, Colorado, many flock to clothing stores and online shops for the newest summer trends. However, this constant closet revamping comes at an environmental cost. Living consciously is something ingrained in most citizens of Boulder. While most establishments contain recycling and composting bins, and the car of choice is… Read more »
There is a lot of construction in Green Valley Ranch: new houses, new shopping centers and new schools. All that construction creates an unsettled feeling in people and leaves wildlife scrambling for food and shelter. The Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy (KIPP NDLA) looked at the neighborhood on an… Read more »
Rushing creeks and energetic boys from Longmont’s Casa De La Esperanza housing community (Casa) crisscrossed the property of Beaver Ponds Environmental Education Center this summer. As part of CI’s Community Adventure Program (CAP), the boys explored the high-altitude evergreen forests, captured bugs, fed barnyard animals, spotted beavers, and made medicinal balms. At first glance, the swift… Read more »
