Adult Workshops

This program is not your run of the mill "Hunter's Education class" which primarily focuses on firearm safety. This program is designed for those who want to become proficient in the art of hunting with a bow, one of our oldest and most effective hunting tools. No prior hunting or archery experience is necessary. We will incorporate both modern and traditional tactics to provide a well rounded foundation for your hunts. Your time during this program will be spent working on these skills, along with field study and research. By the end of the program you will have the skills and knowledge to take what you have learned and adapt it to any environment and many other species.

This is the basic version of our most intense apprenticeship, taking you on a journey through the most essential parts of the hunt.

Ages:  13 & Older (under 18 must be accompanied by a parent)
When:  January - October, 2026
Where: Ancestral Knowledge Museum & Research Center
Registration Fee: $300-$700 Sliding Scale (pay what you're comfortable)

Here is a list of what you can expect to learn during this program:

The Wild Edible Plants & Mushrooms Foragers Series will take you through 9 Months of the year to better connect you with our local plant community. It will enroll you in each of our wild plant walks for every month from March through November, plus our salves and tinctures class and will give you a discount code for the fall Wild Foods Weekend or any other plant focused workshops we run for the year.

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 10am-1pm May 17th
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $25-$65 (pay what you are comfortable)

The Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering (MAPS Meet) is an ideal event to kick-start your summer. It provides an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of modern life, letting you reconnect with nature's healing powers. Regardless of your outdoor experience, our expert instructors are ready to impart their knowledge at various levels. The topics covered every year are diverse, ranging from Fire by Friction, Natural Fibers, Stone and Bone Tools, Brain Tanning Leather, Natural Basketry, Primitive Pottery, Foraging, to Bows and Arrows, and much more

MAPS Meet- May, 22-25 2026 Tentative Sessions Schedule

MAPS Meet is a intimate event with limited availability, accommodating a cozy 100 participants ages 13 and over. We generally reach full capacity very quickly, so please register early to guarantee your participation!

A bow is only as good as the arrows shot from it. Even the straightest stick you can find will still have wobbles and twists that need to be straightened before it is ready to be made into an arrow.

This two day workshop teaches the complete process of primitive arrow making. From harvesting the arrow shaft to taking the shot, you will learn all the steps it takes to make the most important piece of the bow hunting equation.  You will learn different sources of arrow shafts, two methods of arrow straightening, spine testing, and how to fletch and haft your own arrow. You will walk away from this class with a deeper respect and understanding of the primitive arrow and hunting.  If time permits there will be a flint knapping demonstration on how stone points are made.

Ages:  18 & Older
Where: Ancestral Knowledge Museum & Research Center - Riverdale, MD
When: June 20-21, 9am-5pm
Registration Fee: $125-$225 Sliding Scale (pay what you are comfortable)

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 9am-12pm June 13th
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $25-$65 (pay what you are comfortable)

In the Flint Knapping & Primitive Tool Workshop you will learn basic tool production. This workshop will guide you through all the stages of reducing a raw piece of stone in the way that has been proven to be the most  effective way to produce the sharpest edge possible on stones. You will also learn how to properly use antler, stone, and bone tools to reduce raw stone into usable tools. The stone will be your teacher and we will be your translator. You may find the lessons learned are beyond mere flake removal.

When:  July 18 & 19, 2026 - 9am- 5pm
Where: Ancestral Knowledge Museum & Research Center, Lanham MD
Ages: 18 and older
Registration Fee: $125-$225 Sliding Scale (pay what you're comfortable) (includes $25 tool use and materials fee)

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 9am-12pm July 18th
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $25-$65 (pay what you are comfortable)

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 9am-12pm August 22nd
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $25-$65 (pay what you are comfortable)

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 10am-1pmSeptember 19th
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $25-$65 (pay what you are comfortable)

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 10m-1pm October 17th
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $15-$55 (pay what you are comfortable)

Learning to identify and build relationships with plants is one of the most enriching ways we can deepen our personal nature connection journey. Come along to enjoy a walk in nature and meet a variety of edible, medicinal, and useful plants in all seasons. This class will weave through topics such as:
- Botany basics
- Foraging for food and fun
- Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge
- Intro to herbalism
- Species and landscape ecology
- Safe and honorable harvest principles
- Plant processing and preservation methods
- Honing awareness and connection to the natural world

Age: 10 & Older (under 16 must be accompanied by a parent)
When: 10m-1pm October 17th
Location: Lanham MD
Registration Fee: $25-$65 (pay what you are comfortable)