A bus full of excited and energetic military families emerges from the traffic and craziness of the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs into the wonder that is Colorado wilderness. Thanks to Sanborn Western Camps and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, these amazing families and their instructors learned not only about nature awareness and camping, but… Read more »
In mid-May, students from STRIVE Prep Sunnyside and Green Valley Ranch campuses enjoyed one of the first sunny and warm weekends of the spring. Students from both campuses came together for a fun-filled and adventurous overnight camping trip as part of their respective mini-CAP classes with Cottonwood Institute. Early on Saturday morning, they headed to… Read more »
New best friends were made and hiking trails were made usable once more after eleven girls from the Colorado Youth for Change (CYC) program went to Cal-Wood for two nights. In early June, Cottonwood Institute partnered with CYC, which works to help at-risk youth to stay in high school until they can graduate. They brought… Read more »
When the high school students of Colorado Academy signed up for the “Endangered Wolves” end of the year interim trip during the last few week of May, they weren’t completely sure what to expect. What they got was an adventure and learning experience that won’t soon be forgotten. After the long ride to Mission: Wolf,… Read more »
In early June, Cottonwood Institute led a group of students from STRIVE Preparatory Schools’ Excel campus to Mission: Wolf, a solar-powered wolf sanctuary in Westcliffe, Colorado. The group spent four days meeting wolves, playing, exploring, learning, and working hard to give back Mission: Wolf. Situated across the valley from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and… Read more »
From brilliant sunshine to whipping wind to glistening snowflakes, Littleton Academy 5th graders saw it all this spring at Mission: Wolf, a wolf and horse sanctuary in the remote Colorado mountains where volunteers work hard to educate visitors about wolves. The weather was no concern for this group; however, as the excitement of meeting the… Read more »
This spring, the Community Adventure Program (CAP) at New Vista High School had many amazing outdoor experiences! Each adventure built upon the last, as the students grew into competent and excited outdoor enthusiasts. On most Friday afternoons throughout their few months together, CAP class headed to the nearby trails at the base of the Flat… Read more »
From allergy symptoms to lost participants to severed fingers…sounds like an instructor’s worst nightmare, doesn’t it? No worries, these were just scenarios played out during our fall instructor training course to ensure that our instructors are prepared for the worst, but ready to deliver the best courses possible! On a cloudy and chilly morning, 13… Read more »
The Cottonwood Institute’s educational philosophy is based upon two major tenets: environmental education and service-learning. We wanted to take the opportunity to define these and other pedagogical approaches and techniques used to teach our educational programs. These definitions offer a very broad explanation to complex terms, but attempt to synthesize these key terms into understandable… Read more »
