The  schedule listed below is for ages 12 & older unless indicated otherwise.  We attempt to keep to the schedule but “camp time” is much different than “city time” and all the times listed below are “ISH”.  Please detach yourself from the clock and surrender to life without time constraints and embrace the present by immersing yourself into this community of amazing individuals and the space it holds for you.

Youth Programs At M.A.P.S. Meet- We have two youth programs; for kids ages 3-6 years their program runs concurrently with the morning sessions every day., ages 7 -11 runs during both sessions every day each breaking for lunch with their parents. The children hear stories, play games, learn new skills and explore the area. They also see old friends and make new ones! Parents of the 3-6 year olds are free to either join in the fun or take another morning class. The Instructors are experienced in both Early Childhood Education and Nature Education.

Schedule Subject to Change without Notice!

Thursday Night 8pm-8:45pm –Meet and Greet (informal bring snacks, drinks and things to share.) don’t be shy its a free form social around the fire pit at the yurts.

Friday
7:45am -8:45am -Breakfast
9:00am-9:30am – Morning Circle, Central Fire lighting, instructor intros and schedule announcements

9:30am-1:00pm Morning Session

  • Matt Bukowski – Fire Making– How to find collect, and properly build a fire from all natural materials, and light it with a bow drill coal or one match.
  • Joe Murray – Debris Huts- Learn the proper way to build the ultimate survival shelter
  •  Keith Grenoble- Clay and its many uses– Learn prehistoric pottery techniques
  • Denton Bragg- Non Returning Boomerang/Rabbit sticks (all day/two days $10-$55 Material fee 7 person max)
  • Matt Weatherholtz- Bow Making – Learn how to carve a hunting weight self bow (max participants 7 materials fee $25-$50 depending on stave)
  • Julie Martin – Introduction to Medicinal Plants
  • Eddie StarnaterPrimitive Lighting
  • Julie Biedrzycki/Rod McCracken-Herbal Mead Making and Bottling– the art of fermentation and making honey wine ($10 material fee 12 participants)
  • Wolf Bravo – Demystifying knives– sharpening techniques and more
  • Lorie McCroryWaterproof Wrapping of Food without plastic – learn how to make cotton cloth and bees wax food wraps. (informal class pop by if you missed signing up for something)
  • Baron Brown Basic Woodcraft -Wooden Spoon Carving- Learn the fine craft of woodworking as you carve yourself a hand made spoon.
  • David Browne – Tree Identification Walk (15 participant Max)

1pm-2pm Lunch

2pm–5:30pm Friday Afternoon Session

  • Keith Grenoble –Primitive Pottery–  Learn prehistoric pottery techniques
  • Denton Bragg-Non Returning Boomerang/Rabbit sticks (Continued)
  • Matt Weatherholtz- Self Bow Making (continued)(max participants 7 materials fee $25-$50 depending on stave)
  • Lance Gardner- Basic Jiu-Jitsu (6 max under 18 with parent)
  • Brad Salon- Flint Knapping Basics– Percussion  and Staging- (ages 15 & older, 5$ material fee, 12 people)
  • Nick Neddo – Pigments and Paint from Stones. Hunt and gather rocks and learn how to harvest their colors for painting anything you want. (10 participants)
  • Sabrina Squires- Animal butchering – learn how to humanly dispatch an animal, dress, and process the meat.  You can take it further and learn how to tan the hide to make leather in the afternoon. (material fee $2-$5 if you want to eat rabbit with Sabrina)
  • Ryan Grohsmeyer- Atlatl dart shaft materials overview and dart shaft heat straightening over a fire (bring knife max 12 participants, $5 material fee)
  • Brett Butler – Fire by Friction – The Bow drill Method
  • Noah Greene- Leather Knife Sheath Making ($15 material fee 5 people max)
  • Grant Adkisson- Blacksmithing Basics: Hooks and Pokers (4 participants $10-$20)
  • Sarah Corrigan-Birch Bark Diagonal Plaiting – Learn how to use birch bark to make a small plaited basket ($5 material fee 8 participants max)
  • Eric Lewis – The Yoga of Plants; A walk and talk in which we explore wild edibles, permaculture and herbal healing through the lens of yoga philosophy.
  • Josh Poplawski -Critical Camping Knots 101-Learn to tie knots for practical applications;  tarp shelters,  hammocks, hanging food from a tall tree, lashing for packs, ladders, and structures, and tightly securing loads. The following knots will be covered: Bowline, Slip Knot, Truckers hitch, Larks Head, Taut-line Hitch,  Sheet Bend, Half Hitch, Clove Hitch, Square Lashing, Diagonal Lashing.
  • Sara Henry – Needle Felting 3 dimensional forest creatures – ($5-10 materials fee, 7 participants)

Friday Evening Activities
6:30pm – Dinner
7:15PM – Wendy Nufer – Introduction to Shamanism (12 participants ages 11 & older)
7:30-9:30pm –Campfire – Informal Open Mic (bring instruments, a song, and stories)

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Saturday
7:45am -8:45am -Breakfast
9:00am-9:30am – Opening Circle instructor intros and schedule announcements

9:30am-1:00pm Morning Session

  • Matt Bukowski –Lost Proofing through aidless navigation and song lining
  • Joe Murray – Working with Bamboo– spoons, water bottles, chop sticks, & rice steamers
  • Keith Grenoble –Primitive Pottery-  Learn prehistoric pottery techniques
  • Denton Bragg-Non Returning Boomerang/Rabbit sticks (all day/two days $10-$55 Material fee 7 person max)
  • Matt Weatherholtz- Self Bow Making (continued) (max participants 7 materials fee $25-$50 depending on stave)
  • Matt ColomboFire by Friction Bow Drill –AM & PM sessions – Come and learn the ancient art of fire by friction, and connect with your ancestors! Create fire using only a knife, string, and natural materials. This full day workshop focuses on friction fire by the bow drill method, but will be a wholistic class that includes fire building and tending, knife use and safety, and fire history. No prior experience is necessary and we will focus on a few different methods to find the ones that work best for you. You will leave with your own hand-crafted bow drill kit! Knowing how to make a friction fire opens a vast world of possibilities – you may just end up finding yourself at the start of a lifelong learning journey! Please bring a sharp, fixed blade knife. (Note that this is an all day class 10 participants Ages 12 and up. )
  • Sabrina Squires – Sewing Leather Bags- We will learn the basic principles of patterning and sewing and make our own drawstring or pouch style leather bags. (Material Fee: $5-$10 Maximum #: 5 per session)
  • Julie Biedrzycki/Rod McCracken- Herbal Mead Making and Bottling– the art of fermentation and making honey wine ($10 material fee 12 participants)
  • Lori McCrory – Making Meat Jerky Drying meat is the oldest method of meat preservation. We will cover several different ways to achieve this: natural, salted, and seasoned.
  • Brett Butler – Open Fire Cooking- Learn several techniques for cooking over an open fire and enjoy lunch  (10 participants max $7 material fee)
  • Cheyenne Greene –Fire Making Basics- Proper Tinder, Material selection, structures with modern and primitive lighting techniques
  • Garrett Downey/Aaron Turney- Basic Herpetology – Do you want to know more about snakes? You will learn a lot about snakes!
  • Grant Adkisson-  Blacksmithing: Flint and Steel Strikers (4 participants $15-$20 material fee)
  • Sarah Corrigan-Twinned Baskets – using black ash splints as warpand fiberous materials such as cattails as wefts to weave small baskets.
  • Wendy NuferBeginning Flint knapping (Pressure Flaking) for Kids Ages 8 & Up (10 kids max)
  • Heather Cornelius-Intro to Natural Dye – Learn about the natural dye process and how to extract a broad spectrum of vibrant color from roots, leaves, bark, flowers, fungi, and insects!  I will provide a small selection of materials to dye; wool roving/yarn, silk handkerchief, silk scarf, cotton AK bandannas (Material fee 5-20 dollars, based on choice of material to dye. 12 participants.)
  • Eric Lewis – Introduction to permaculture; A beginner’s class for anyone interested in learning how to introduce permaculture into their lives and property.
  • Baron Brown- Net Making- Learn the Essential Knots and Weaving Techniques to Craft a Fishing Net.

1pm-2pm Lunch

2pm–5:30pm Saturday Afternoon Session

  • Denton Bragg-Non Returning Boomerang/Rabbit sticks (Continued)
  • Lance Gardner- Basic Jiu-Jitsu (6 max under 18 with parent)
  • Brad Salon- Flint Knapping Basics– Pressure Flaking-(ages 15 & older, 5$ material fee, 12 people)
  • Wolf Bravo – Leather Knife Sheath Making ($5-$10 material fee)
  • Matt ColomboFire by Friction Bow Drill Continued – a wholistic class covering fire building, fire history, knife use and carving, friction fire method, and finding materials walking through the local ecosystem. Each participant will leave with a kit
  • Nick Neddo- Rawhide containers: boxes, pouches, sheathes and bottles. (Materials fee: $10-$20 per sq/ft. 15 participants max)
  • Matt Weatherholtz- Self Bow Making continued (max participants 7, materials fee $25-$50 depending on stave)
  • Ryan GrohsmeyerRadial and tangential fletching and hafting foreshafts for atlatl- these techniques can be used for arrows too; conical socket, scarf joint, and split joint (bring knife max 12 participants, $10 material fee)
  • Ruth Ann Colby MartinDemystifying Herbal Remedies – hands-on learning in making herbal remedies for participants to take home. We will discuss the process of choosing and creating remedies, then delve into understanding the creation of various forms of remedies including: infusions, decoctions, oils, liniments, salves, tinctures, poultices, suppositories & capsules. Participants will have the option of taking home a tincture, oil, salve or capsules and to sample infusions & decoctions.  (Materials fee: $10. Maximum participants: 20)
  • Julie Martin & Eddie Starnater – Acorn Processing – learn how to process and prepare acorns to make the sweetest flour
  • Grant Adkisson- Blacksmithing: Viking Knives (4 participants $20 material fee)
  • Eric Lewis – Wild Foods and Foraging Walkabout– In this walk and talk we focus entirely on wild edibles, although we may address questions on medicinal benefits here and there, food will be the focus. Each month of the growing season in the mid Atlantic is so diverse in plants and fungi, we will definitely include fungal foods when they pop!
  • Sara Henry – Coil Basketry – Learn how to coil pine needles and other natural materials into beautiful baskets. (10 participants $10 material fee)
  • Wendy NuferAwareness Games 101 for Adults
  • Josh Poplawski -Critical Camping Knots 101-Learn to tie knots for practical applications;  tarp shelters,  hammocks, hanging food from a tall tree, lashing for packs, ladders, and structures, and tightly securing loads. The following knots will be covered: Bowline, Slip Knot, Truckers hitch, Larks Head, Taut-line Hitch,  Sheet Bend, Half Hitch, Clove Hitch, Square Lashing, Diagonal Lashing.
  • Sabrina Squires- Animal butchering – learn how to humanly dispatch an animal, dress, and process the meat.  You can take it further and learn how to tan the hide to make leather in the afternoon. (material fee $2-$5 if you want to eat rabbit with Sabrina)
  • Phyllis Weeks -Teaching methods and designing lessons for outdoor education – Come learn about different strategies you can use to engage students in the great outdoors! Everything from designing meaningful lessons to group management in a wilderness setting. (15 participants max)

Saturday Evening Activities
6:30pm – Dinner
7:30 pm Mead Tasting Fundraiser
7:30-9:30pm –Campfire

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Sunday
7:45am -8:45am -Breakfast
9:00am-9:30am – Opening Circle instructor intros and schedule announcements

9:30am-1:00pm Morning Session

  • Matt Bukowski – Animal Tracking 101 – How to find and identify animal tracks and sign.
  • Keith Grenoble – Primitive Pottery-  Learn prehistoric pottery techniques and proper open fire kiln
  • Denton Bragg- White Ash Splint Baskets (all day $5-$15 material fee 10 participants)
  • Matt ColomboFire by Friction Bow Drill –AM & PM sessions – Come and learn the ancient art of fire by friction, and connect with your ancestors! Create fire using only a knife, string, and natural materials. This full day workshop focuses on friction fire by the bow drill method, but will be a holistic class that includes fire building and tending, knife use and safety, and fire history. No prior experience is necessary and we will focus on a few different methods to find the ones that work best for you. You will leave with your own hand-crafted bow drill kit! Knowing how to make a friction fire opens a vast world of possibilities – you may just end up finding yourself at the start of a lifelong learning journey! Please bring a sharp, fixed blade knife. Ages 12 and up. Note that this is an all day class (10 participants)
  • Matt Weatherholtz-Pecking and Grinding -Greenstone Axes and Adzes (max participants 7 materials fee $10 )
  • Sabrina Squires – Basic Needle Felting: We will make some lovely little creations using the ancient and very fun art of needle felting to compress and agitate wool fibers into shapes. All materials provided and I’ll have some examples with me of what you can create (although really with needle and wool, the options are endless!) (Material fee: $5 Maximum participants 5 per session)
  • Julie Biedrzycki/Rod McCracken- Herbal Mead Making and Bottling– the art of fermentation and making honey wine ($10 material fee 12 participants)
  • Lori McCrory – Making Meat Jerky Drying meat is the oldest method of meat preservation. We will cover several different ways to achieve this: natural, salted, and seasoned.
  • Brett Butler – Open Fire Cooking– Learn several techniques for cooking over an open fire and enjoy lunch  (10 participants max $7 material fee)
  • Cheyenne Greene –Fire Making Basics- Proper Tinder, Material selection, structures with modern and primitive lighting techniques
  •  Garrett Downey/Aaron Turney- Basic Herpetology – Do you want to know more about snakes? You will learn a lot about snakes!
  • Julie Martin – Flint knapping for Women (Max participants: 8 Material fee: $5)
  • Grant Adkisson-  Blacksmithing: Awls and fine carvers (4 participants $20 material fee)
  • Sarah Corrigan- Birch Bark Diagonal Plaiting – Learn how to use birch bark to make a small plaited basket ($5 material fee 8 participants max)
  • Sara Henry –Felted Acorn Necklaces($5-10 materials fee, 7 participants)
  • Eric Lewis- Beginners mushroom identification walk This walk will be an introduction to wild mushrooms. We will cover the basics and focus on how to safely and sustainable, identify, harvest, and eat wild edible and medicinal mushrooms. We will cover a lot of detailed information so please bring note-taking materials if they help you to learn. Audio and video recording is always welcome and encouraged, but please check in with other members in the group before filming them.

1pm-2pm Lunch – Group Photo with Skills Projects

2pm–5:30pm Sunday Afternoon Session

  • Denton Bragg- White Ash Splint Baskets (continued)
  • Wolf Bravo – Leather Knife Sheath Making ($5-$10 material fee)
  • Lance Gardner- Basic Jiu-Jitsu (6 max under 18 with parent)
  • Brad Salon- Flint Knapping Basics– Simple Flake Tools- Saw, Scrapers, Drills-(ages 15 & older, 5$ material fee, 12 people)
  • David Browne- Harvesting and preparing a meal from the landscape (10 participant max)
  • Matt ColomboFire by Friction Bow Drill – Continued – a wholistic class covering fire building, fire history, knife use and carving, friction fire method, and finding materials walking through the local ecosystem. Each participant will leave with a kit(10 participants)
  • Nick Neddo – Rawhide containers: boxes, pouches, sheathes and bottles. (Materials fee: $10-$20 per sq/ft. 15  participants max)
  • Matt Weatherholtz-Pecking and Grinding -Greenstone Axes and Adzes (max participants 7 materials fee $10 )
  • Ryan Grohsmeyer- Making atlatls (bring knife max 12 participants, $5 material fee)
  • Ruth Ann Colby Martin – Herbs for Self Care – We will examine how stress affect our bodies and how we can take better care of ourselves, specifically utilizing herbal remedies. We will define how stress impacts our bodies, explaining impacts on health and physiologic processes, specifically targeting body systems that are affected. We will explore a series of action steps for supporting one’s health, including endocrine & nervous systems and gut health and discuss a materia metica of herbs specific to supporting health.  Materials fee: none. Maximum participants: no limit
  • Eddie StarnaterSoap Making – learn how to make natural soaps. 10 participants max $5 material fee
  • Lorie McCroryWaterproof Wrapping of Food without plastic – learn how to make cotton cloth and bees wax food wraps. (informal class pop by if you missed signing up for something)
  • Brennan SmithEmotional Resilience in the Face of Climate Anxiety – According to the data, many people in our community are experiencing either intense or chronic anxiety as the reality of the climate crisis becomes clear. This class, originally designed for government leaders who are required to stay calm & focused in the face of unknown circumstances and crises, focuses on body-based strategies for increasing mental and emotional resilience. Great for being more present as a parent, more creative as an activist, and more grateful as a human. (max 20)
  • Baron Brown Basic Woodcraft -Wooden Spoon Carving- Learn the fine craft of woodworking as you carve yourself a hand made spoon.
  • Wendy Nufer- Awareness 301 – Using Awareness, Martial Arts Principles, & Communications Strategies in Today’s Social, Political, & Economic Climate (ages 14 – adult) (Note: This is intended as a neutral, politically non-biased workshop on carefully negotiating your way through socially & politically toxic situations & environments)  
  • Sara Henry – Coil Basketry – Learn how to coil pine needles and other natural materials into beautiful baskets. (10 participants $10 material fee)
  • Heather Cornelius-Intro to Natural Dye – Learn about the natural dye process and how to extract a broad spectrum of vibrant color from roots, leaves, bark, flowers, fungi, and insects!  I will provide a small selection of materials to dye (wool roving/yarn, silk handkerchief, silk scarf) Material fee 5-20 dollars, based on choice of material to dye. 12 participants.
  • Jeff GottliebCordage College-everything you ever wanted to know about making string and rope from natural fibers.  Examine the cordage museum, learn basic and advanced techniques and try traditional tools. (Limit 12 years and older, class size max 14)
  • Joe Murray – Debris Huts– Learn the proper way to build the ultimate survival shelter
  • Phyllis Weeks -Teaching methods and designing lessons for outdoor education – Come learn about different strategies you can use to engage students in the great outdoors! Everything from designing meaningful lessons to group management in a wilderness setting. (15 participants max)

Sunday Evening Activities
5:00pm – Trade Blanket (ages 16 & up)
6:30pm- Dinner
7:30-9:30pm –Campfire

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Monday
7:45am -8:45am -Breakfast
9:00am-9:30am – Opening Circle instructor intros and schedule announcements

9:30am-1:00pm Morning Session

  • Matt Bukowski – Animal Tracking 101 – How to find and identify animal tracks and sign.
  • Joe Murray – Caretaking a Human Responsibility – Reading the forest landscape to aid in healing and restoration
  • Keith Grenoble –Primitive Pottery – The final product pick up
  • Denton Bragg- Completing Splint Baskets/Rabbit sticks
  • Lance Gardner- Basic Jiu-Jitsu (6 max under 18 with parent)
  • Wolf Bravo – Demystifying knives- sharpening techniques and more
  • Brad Salon- Flint Knapping Next Steps- For folks who have knapped before at least once, advanced concepts and techniques. (ages 15 & older, 5$ material fee, 12 people)
  • Nick Neddo- Hand drill friction fire- Learn to find, make and use the hand drill as a viable fire option. Develop form and technique that leads to a greater level of mastery of this ancient and simple technology. (15-20 students.)
  • Matt Weatherholtz-Greenstone Axes and Adzes– Hafting and Handles (max participants 7 )
  • Ryan Grohsmeyer- Atlatl Throwing techniques (max 20 participants, no material fee)
  • Brett Butler- Pine Pitch Adhesives
  • Julie Martin – Women’s Fire by Friction (max 8 participants)
  • Eddie StarnaterFiber Sandal Making (max 8 participants)
  • Noah Greene- Leather Knife Sheath Making ($15 material fee 5 people max)
  • Sarah Corrigan- Drop Spindle Cordage- We will be utilizing the age old and globally practiced art of spinning wool fibers from a drop spindle.  Come learn to prepare wool fibers, draft, and spin into a beautiful and functional yarn.
  • Baron Brown Basic Woodcraft/Net Making – Finishing you projects
  • Wendy Nufer – Carving & Coal-burning Wilderness Spoons & Containers ($2 – 4 Materials Fee; 12 participants max; ages 11 – adult)
  • Jeff GottliebWood Carving and Knife Skills – Learn knife safety, knife designs and uses, carving wood choices and 6 carving techniques. Make three useful and clever projects! ( 12 years and older, class size max 10)

1: 30 – 2pm Closing Circle – Raffle Winners, Future events, Group Photo with Skills

The instructors teach at this event for the love of teaching and sharing the skills.  Please respect the instructors and honor their material fees and age limits. Traveling to the event, collecting, processing, & storing materials is a very time consuming process for them.

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Instructors

Our event has a small budget and we can only offer a stipend to these amazing instructors. Please donate to help support our much valued and needed instructors. Most of our instructors travel many miles to attend and spend countless hours harvesting, transporting, preparing, and storing materials for this event. Your donation is greatly appreciated and 100% tax deductible.

2019 MAPS Meet Schedule