WILDERNESS SKILLS for ages 9-12

Ages 9-12 • San Rafael (van based)

There was a time when wilderness skills were second nature to every 9-12 year old. Knowing where the animals hid, what plants to eat and what hazards to avoid was essential to our survival. Now these skills have become less common, but learning them allows us to feel a sense of belonging on the earth and empowers us to be at home in nature wherever we are. Perhaps for your child, this will mean wanting to spend more time outdoors or choosing to go camping with friends instead of playing yet another video game. At Vilda we hope to inspire this love and competency in nature in all children.

This program is meant for our slightly older participants. It is ideal for those who have already done a program with us, but will also accommodate first timers. It is an immersion into our core curriculum of wilderness skills and includes at least one overnight campout for the kids to get to test their new found skills and enjoy an evening together playing awareness games and roasting food on the fire.

In addition to our core curriculum this program may include:

  • Nature Awareness skills

  • Wilderness safety and knowledge of
    hazards

  • Local flora and fauna

  • Attainment of badges from our badge system

  • Natural dyes

  • Animal tracking

  • Fire by friction

  • Scout games and practices

  • Bird Language

  • Shelter Building and survival skills

  • Mapping

  • Wild edibles

  • and more…

Available sessions

Wilderness Skills for Ages 9-12 - San Rafael
This four day summer day-camp includes one overnight campout

Ages: 9-12
Location: Meets at San Rafael library for van pick up, then travels to open spaces and parks up to 30mins from central San Rafael.
Times: This four day camp starts with a 9am-3pm schedule Mon & Tue, then continues with an overnight campout 9am Wed - 3pm Thurs.

Tuition - EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: Register by Mar 20 and SAVE 10%
(Discount will apply at checkout)
Rate A: $770 $693
Rate B: $650 $585
Rate C: $550 $495

Click HERE for an explanation of our pricing tiers
With our very varied economical situations in the Bay Area, families have differing abilities to pay. We want our programs to serve as many children as possible regardless of financial situation.

Rate A - represents the actual cost of running a program in this area and is comparable with the rates of several local specialty camps. It funds our long-term goals and work.

Rate B - covers our basic costs for running this particular program, but it does not cover our organizational costs.

Rate C - does not cover the cost of program and is subsidized by Rate A and donations.

Scholarships are available.  Contact us for more information. Find answers to common questions.

If your child needs additional social or emotional attention, please contact us before registering for this program.

What if the session I want is full?: Join the waitlist! Sometimes we’re able to expand capacity (and sometimes people cancel). If your spot in the waitlist opens, you’ll receive an email and then have a limited time reserved to register.