Testimonials

“Crow’s Path has encouraged my daughter’s love of the natural world and given her a place to be herself and explore, while being active, curious, creative, silly and happy. Being a part of this group has given her a close knit and supportive community of friends and mentors. She wouldn’t miss a day- not even when the rain pours or the wind chill dips!”

“Crow’s Path invites kids to learn about the world around them, teaches kids respectful ways of moving through that world, encourages kids to be their true selves, and prepares kids to be engaged and thoughtful ecological citizens. I am a parent who has had the great fortune of traveling through the portal on many occasions for both camp and Field School. While out on the land, I have seen eyes grow wider with wonder and hearts grow lighter as children share their gratitude for that which they hold most dear. My son returns home from Crow’s Path each day covered with dirt, pockets filled with pine cones, mind filled with stories, and eyes twinkling with joyful wonder. To me, these are the signs of the best possible kind of learning.”

“We’ve been part of the Crows Path family since our oldest son started in 2010. As a family that believes strongly in the importance of immersing young people in nature, we are deeply grateful that Crows Path has provided a way for our boys to do that once a week. Additionally, knowing that their time in the woods is spent with loving, trained nature mentors who allow the children to explore their curiosities and interests is a priceless gift.”

“When family and friends and neighbors ask about Crow’s Path and what goes on there, they usually want to know what concrete skills are being learned. And, of course, there are indeed things of that sort (wonderful things!) that we can tell them: pitching a tent and building a fire; identifying trees and animal tracks. But these things aren’t why we choose to send our daughter out into the woods one day per week, instead of to “regular” school. It is, rather, the more nebulous things about Crow’s Path – things like community and confidence and contemplation, for which there never seems to be enough time elsewhere – for which we are so grateful.”

“More than anything this course helped me develop a way of thinking about and discovering the stories of a place. Teage gave us so many tools – introducing us to possible sites for field trips, practicing rapid site evaluation and tree ids, but also group discovery process to build our capacity to recognize patterns and unearth what’s happened here.”

“Crows Path consistently creates and holds a container that fuels learning, adventure and creativity. My kids have benefited from the rich sense of cooperative learning, shared purpose, reflection and play that fills their days at Field School. Being part of a purpose driven community that reminds us how to (re)connect to self, wild and each other has been key in my family’s joy and growth.”

“This course is definitely in my top 3 courses of all time! I loved everything about it–the structure (lectures followed by most of the day outside in the field), then content, and the activities. It felt like summer camp for adults. It’s hard to pick one highlight. I really enjoyed learning more about sites around our community–most of which I have never been to. Going to the Lamoille Cave was probably the biggest highlight for me, although I truly enjoyed learning about each site. The food was incredible, too!”

“Our daughter has been with Crows Path since second grade, and has such a strong sense of connection to Rock Point, the animals and plants there, the mentors, and to imaginative play that engages with place. It isn’t always obvious that this is developing; kids keep some of this private in their hearts. But as I listen to her non-stop explanation of every stage of the overnight, watch her plan ahead for becoming a Middle School Apprentice, and hear here decide what programs she loves and which aren’t her preference, I see the impact — in her growing sense of what she loves, and how she wants to be herself.”

“This course gave me a huge content boost that I needed. While I may not get to the depth of this content with elementary students, it’s important to understand the bigger picture context and details. The hands-on exploration and analysis of field sites is a perfect model to use with students to enable them to apply their knowledge to construct a deeper understanding of landscapes. I can envision using these models with elementary students. I will also take and share the online activities (Where’s Waldo, image identification, etc.) to use with students in the event of continued remote learning. I know colleagues were struggling with ideas to keep kids engaged as time went on.”

“Crow’s Path programs have been invaluable to our 2 elementary school aged daughters. Field school is a welcome mid-week break and compliment to more traditional education in the classroom. The forest, field and lake offer a perfect setting to spend a day reflecting, playing and connecting with nature. This time allows them the space and freedom to be themselves, follow their senses and move at their own pace for a day, among a group of nurturing and supportive adults and children that value each other as peers.This experience empowers our children, cultivates leadership skills, teaches a love and respect for nature and allows for a unique bonding time in a beautiful setting. I wish all children had the opportunity to participate in a program like this.”

“It deepened my sense of place and understanding of the natural communities in which I teach. I will be able to help kids ask questions, look for evidence, and make their own guesses about what is going on in the natural communities around them, how things got that way, and what they might look like in the future.”