WildCrafting

KLT EDUCATION: WildCrafting

A commitment to education is at the heart of our community conservation work. By inspiring more people in more places to value and protect the natural world, we are laying the foundation for future conservation. Our education programs inspire our youth to learn about and protect wildlife and the natural world.

KLT offers a number of educational programs, for both youth and adults.
To learn about our other educational programs or our summer camp, Camp Kaniksu, click here

WildCrafting

WildCrafting is Kaniksu Land Trust’s signature after-school program in which students learn to work with their hands on a variety of diverse traditional crafts. Each session of WildCrafting features different projects, including: bow-drill fire making kits, coal burned bowls, arrow making, salmon skin tanning, and soapstone carving.

WildCrafting is based in the principle that working with your hands is a valuable skill many of us have forgotten, and helps provide students with a safe place to explore their creativity. Studies have shown that using your hands to create things can actually improve your mental health, not to mention the fact that children need opportunities like this to develop their fine motor skills. By offering a program like WildCrafting, KLT is offering a chance for our community to receive the benefits of doing handiwork.

WildCrafting is offered in four-week sessions during the school year.
See session details and sign up form below.

Spring 2020 WildCrafting Registration

Our spring 2020 WildCrafting sessions will focus on the construction of a timber framed structure at Pine Street Woods. Sessions will be six weeks long and are open to children over the age of nine, because of the nature of this project, no exceptions will be made to the age restriction. Class will be held at Pine Street Woods from 3:00-4:30 on Monday and Tuesday from April 6 - May 12.

In response to the current stay-at-home order in effect, WildCrafting's start date has been moved back one week. Sessions will hopefully begin on April 13, but we will be updating information here as the situation evolves.

Spring WildCrafting:

Monday, April 13 - May 11, 3:00-4:30

Tuesday, April 14 - May 12, 3:00-4:30

Click here to register for either session.

To ensure you don't miss any of our education programs, sign up to recieve our e-news. Click here to join our mailing list.

If you're interested in WildCrafting, check out Camp Kaniksu, our nature-based summer camp program. Click here to learn more about Camp Kaniksu.

How It Started

By Dave Kretzschmar, Director of Education

The idea for KLT’s WildCrafting program began as a slow seed taking time to germinate and grow. While working at a boarding school, I began to see the value in getting teenagers to work with their hands creating things. Many times I had students look questioningly at me when I offered them a chance to make a basket or learn about tanning. I have watched kids’ self-confidence bloom as their abilities blossomed and pride in their work soared. A mom told me the other day that the class was part of her son’s therapy in dealing with the loss of a sibling and that she was so grateful for the enthusiasm he was showing in his life. Invariably pride would surface as their creations grew and transformed... Read more »