Summer Short Courses

Tutor: Stephen Faris

Suggested Grade Level: Level A (Grades 9/10) and Level B (Grades 11/12)

Time: Saturday Mornings July 3, 10, 17, 24, (31 as a rain date) | 9am-12pm / Weekly 30-min check in call via Zoom

Location: Farmland and wooded areas within 30 minutes of the 401. Exact locations TBD.

Cost: $120

Grading: This hands-on practicum course is graded by the tutor on a pass/fail basis at no additional cost. Students are expected to complete at-home assignments, attend classes, and fully participate in all hands-on activities. Parents may choose to grade at-home assignments at their discretion.

Maximum: 12 Students

Description

This course is designed to give a basic introduction to practical wilderness survival skills including navigation, fire building, cooking, purifying water, making shelters, crafting weapons, tying knots, etc. All four Saturday morning classes will take place outdoors, so please come dressed for the weather.

Aside from outdoor class projects, weekly assignments will include reading “Survive!”, watching survival shows, writing about survival techniques, discussing survival skills, and evaluating survival tools.

Required Materials

Textbook: Survive! by Les Stroud, HarperCollins, any edition, any year. The paperback edition is $15.41 and the Kindle edition is $11.99 on Amazon.

Critical Supplies: Students will need the following items at various points in the course: a pocket knife or survival knife for cutting and sharpening branches, matches, and 100+ feet of string/twine/rope, yarn (any thickness but must be natural/biodegradable)

For your child to cook and eat: Marshmallows (handful), Hotdog(s), 2 (metal) cans of food will be required on various weeks. Please bring a water bottle weekly.

Optional: The following items will also be helpful to bring (when requested by the tutor): Magnifying glass, compass, fire rod and other fire starters, plastic bottle, large plastic sheet/tarp.