Trackers Homeschool Outdoor Program

The Trackers Homeschool Outdoor Program is comprised of outdoor skills and artisan crafts for homeschooled and independent study students. You drop off your child and we guide them into a fantastic world of adventure and ancient skills.

Outdoor Learning Year-Round

Our courses are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of homeschool families. Trackers programs are conducted almost entirely outdoors, fostering active engagement with the lessons and the land. For some specific projects in Berkeley we may also utilize our historic Trackers Guild Hall for fine craftwork projects and more.

All students learn skills from all four Trackers guilds:

• Rangers Guild Outdoor Survival, Animal Tracking and The Curriculum of Shadows
• Wilders Guild Wild Plants, Homesteading and The Way of the Wilder: Regenerative Ecological Relationships
• Mariners Guild Fishing, Aquatic Plants and Water Ecology
• Artisans Guild Theater & Storytelling, Fine Craft Work and Leadership

Trackers Homeschool will not meet the following dates (not included in total tuition):

• Nov. 19 - Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Holiday
• Dec. 17 - Jan. 4: Winter Break
• Jan. 7 - Jan. 11: Trackers Staff Winter Break Holiday Week
• Berkeley Preschool Only: January 21: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Feb. 18 - 22: Feb. Break Camps
• April 1 - April 5: Spring Break Camps

Camps are available for Winter Break, February Break, Spring Break programs.

Potential Guild Activities

Rangers Guild – he Rangers Guild are the scouts of the forest. Students train in stealth, tracking, and wilderness survival skills. If you ever loved the books My Side of the Mountain or Lord of the Rings the Rangers Guild is where you want to be.

Rangers may build a shelter, learn to carve wood, safely make fire with no matches, craft simple bows, or play fun stealth games to build outdoor fitness. They can loose an arrow with keen aim and steady eye.

Rangers are also master naturalists. They know the language and sign of all birds, beasts, and plants that live in wild.

Wilders Guild – Named in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Wilders Guild offers homesteading activities. Students could make cheese from farm fresh goats milk to bring home or press apples in the cider press while dancing to fine fiddle music.

You may find a Wilder starting seedlings for planting in family gardens or even working on fiber arts projects.

They make pickles and preserves, help cook nourishing meals over a fire, weave baskets, spin, knit, use plant dyes and other natural materials for coloring fabric. Through their thoughtful care of the forests and the meadows, the Wilders bring balance cultivation and care of the natural world.

Mariners Guild – The Mariners Guild trains us in the skills of the water and sea. Mariners may study water ecology to learn about aquatic creatures. They could tie knots and even partake in artistic knot work.

In the Mariner's wood shop, we may build a canoe or other traditional skin on frame boat. Most importantly, the Mariners Guild goes fishing and kayaking! While they may not guarantee a catch, Mariners always have a good time sitting by the shore and casting. With the Mariners Guild, you can count coming home with a safe adventure on the water and a tall tale about the "big one that got away."

Artisans Guild – The Artisans Guild encompasses a diverse range of storytellers and craftspeople. Instructors trained in the dramatic arts teach theater improv games that build confidence, creativity, and teamwork.

Artisans also share their stories through craft and art: From safe and successful metal working projects for younger students to more challenging blacksmithing techniques for older students. The Artisans also express their own story through painting and other art media; they create beautiful and useful things with their leatherworking and woodcraft projects. Through their craft, stories, and incredible adventures, the Artisans will take you on an unforgettable journey.