Youth Programs


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“Children today spend less time outdoors than any other generation, devoting only four to seven minutes to unstructured outdoor play per day while spending an average of seven and a half hours in front of electronic media.”


- National Recreation & Park Association
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Nature as Our Teacher

White Pine Wilderness Academy strives to keep our kids outside. Playful, meaningful connection with the great outdoors needs to be a fundamental ingredient of every childhood. We use nature as the primary teacher.

Our ancient ancestors’ children didn’t go to school.  School surrounded them.  Nature was a living teacher, as they lived off the land. There were many relatives for every child and every relative was a mentor.  Stories filled the air, games and laughter filled the days, and ceremonies of gratitude filled mundane lives.

White Pine Wilderness Academy passes on this method of “invisible schooling”, so that our children will connect with nature as a way of life. They’ll soak up the language of plants and animals as naturally as any of us learned our native language. The invisible school of nature proves to be more than just effective, it is also fun, healing, and empowering.

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Youth Programs at White Pine

White Pine’s Youth Programs are an introductory experience in our Shikari Wilderness System.

Our kids:

  • Get physical
  • Enjoy risky play
  • Overcome challenges
  • Be exposed to many different nature skills
  • Discover creative outlets for emotional health
  • Learn in a close-knit, multi-age setting
  • Make deep friendships
  • Find their place in community

Pick the program that best suits your kid and witness their positive transformation, as we have since 2014.

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Which Program is Best for Your Kid?

  • Ages 3-4
    • Our Woolly Bears Forest School class is an alternative to traditional preschool, and explores our Rocky Ripple campus and the surrounding forested areas, getting a very basic intro to our curriculum through stories, songs, crafting, guilds and lots of free play.
  • Ages 5-6
    • Our Tree Frogs Forest School class is an alternative to traditional kindergarten, and explores our Rocky Ripple campus and the surrounding forested areas while getting a fun intro to our curriculum through stories, songs, crafting, guilds and lots of free play.
  • Ages 7-9
    • Our Flying Squirrels Forest School is an excellent homeschool enrichment, and explores our Rocky Ripple campus and the surrounding forested areas.
    • Our Flying Squirrels After-School Shikari Sessions, held at our Rocky Ripple campus, are the perfect way to unwind from a long day, playing games, connecting with nature and learning skills in specific pathways of your interest.
  • Ages 10-12
    • Our Scouts Forest School is an excellent homeschool enrichment, and explores our Rocky Ripple campus and the surrounding forested areas.
    • Our Scouts After-School Shikari Sessions, held at our Rocky Ripple campus, are the perfect way to unwind from a long day, playing games, connecting with nature and learning skills in specific pathways of your interest.

Looking for Teens Programs? Check out our Teens page!