By Robert Lucke
Students in the Glacier Institute's upcoming "Stone Age Skills" adult field seminar won't get to meet the Flintstones, but they will earn how Fred and Wilma would have really lived if they had been humans instead of cartoon characters.
"Stone Age Skills" is scheduled for the weekend of May 5-6 at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center on the Flathead National Forest.
Primitive skills artist, Lynx Shephard, will take students back in time 20,000 years to explore how our ancestors survived as hunters and gatherers.
Students will spend the weekend gathering raw materials and learning how to use them to start fires, make rope, construct shelters and manufacture weapons and tools. Saturday night's dinner will be cooked over an open fire and students will start using the techniques learned earlier in the day with Shephard sharing tips for food preparation and cooking. Campfire stories, songs, discussions and crafts will round out the evening. Students may choose to spend the night in a tipi, the shelter they built earlier in the day, or inside the Big Creek Education Center.
The cost of the class is $100 and includes lodging at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center.
Then in June and July, the Glacier Institute is again offering their "Young Naturalist Series." There the institute invites kids to cast a fly, go for a hike, ride the rapids, talk with a biologist, think like a bear, howl like a wolf, and make new friends in and around Glacier National Park this summer. The Glacier Institute offers overnight camps for children ages seven to 13 at the Big Creek Education Center. All camps are taught by top-notch educators and natural resource specialists who enjoy exploring nature with children.
The "Young Naturalist" camp is for children ages nine to ten where campers develop the skills of a naturalist. This class is offered June 24-29 and July 15-20. Cost of that camp is $250.
Wildland Hiking and Rafting, for children ages 11 and 12, and Rivers Fish and Bugs, for children ages 12 and 13, will be offered July 22-27 and August 5-10. Cost of those camps is $300.
For children ages seven to eight, Wolf Pup Mini Camp is a three-day adventure. It is scheduled for July 1-3 and August 1-3. Cost of these camps is $70.
There are day programs for children ages six to 11 throughout the summer at the Glacier Park Field Camp. The cost of one program is $20 and $15 for each additional program.
For further information and registration forms, contact the Institute at (406) 755-1211.
