Homeschool Nature Program for Youth

Twin Eagles Community School, our weekly homeschool nature program in Sandpoint, is a nature based outdoor program for homeschooled youth ages 6 - 13 that runs in three seasonal blocks Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Children spend one day a week outside with our instructors deepening connections with nature, community, family, and self. A deep and intimate relationship with the natural world is fostered through activities such as making fire by friction, storytelling, games, animal tracking, learning wild edible plants, animal forms, sensory awareness, and more.

The unique and innovative approaches we work with at our homeschool nature program blend ancient, native models of education used by our ancestors for thousands of generations with contemporary learning styles backed by modern day brain research - this is Nature Based Mentoring.

Where?

Twin Eagles Community School Sandpoint, our weekly homeschool nature program, is held at Camp Stidwell - located about 20 minutes south of Sandpoint, Idaho. This is a beautiful location on Mirror Lake in Sagle, Idaho. Camp Stidwell is a private camp owned and operated by Sandpoint Kiwanis. We are blessed with access to over 160 acres that includes lake frontage, mature diverse forests, meadows, as well as access to Mirror Creek. Other facilities include a large outdoor pavilion, outhouses, and a well-stocked first aid station.

How Many?

At our homeschool nature program we are committed to a high mentor to student ratio of at least one-to-six to ensure a high quality program. We enroll students ages 6 - 13. Maximum enrollment is 25 students at each program. There are ample opportunities for kids to work one-on-one with mentors.

When?

Twin Eagles Community School Sandpoint

Our Sandpoint homeschool nature program sessions run one day per week on Fridays from 9 am - 3 pm

Sandpoint Autumn Block 2024 Dates (8 Sessions)

• Friday, September 6
• Friday, September 13
• Friday, September 20
• Friday, September 27
• Friday, October 4
• Friday, October 11
• Friday, October 18
• Friday, October 25

Sandpoint Winter Block 2025 Dates (6 Sessions)

• Friday, January 17
• Friday, January 24
• Friday, January 31
• Friday, February 7
• Friday, February 14
• Friday, February 21

Sandpoint Spring Block 2025 Dates (9 Sessions)

• Friday, March 14
• Friday, March 21
• Friday, March 28
• Friday, April 4
• Friday, April 11
• Friday, April 18
• Friday, April 25
• NO SESSION - Friday, May 2
• Friday, May 9
• NO SESSION - Friday, May 16
• Friday, May 23

How Much?

Sandpoint Autumn Block (8 weekly sessions) · $630 · scholarships available

• 50% due upon registration (25% is non-refundable), with remaining 50% due August 16.

Sandpoint Winter Block (6 weekly sessions) · $470 · scholarships available

• 50% due upon registration (25% is non-refundable), with remaining 50% due December 29.

Sandpoint Spring Block (9 weekly sessions) · $710 · scholarships available

• 50% due upon registration (25% is non-refundable), with remaining 50% due February 21.

To Register

Registration is currently open for Twin Eagles Community School Sandpoint 2024-2025.

Complete the online registration process and pay by credit card by clicking the "Sign Up Now" button below.

Scholarships are available for this program - click here for more information.

Twin Eagles Community School 2024-2025

Questions? Contact us here.

Please Note: Our programs often fill to capacity with waiting lists, sometimes quickly. Your child's space in this program is not reserved until we have received both a completed application and a deposit, and you have heard from us that they have been accepted and registered. Thank you!

Nature Based Mentoring

At our homeschool nature program, our mentoring philosophy is grounded in the fact that human beings are multi-faceted and that personal growth and discovery is revealed gradually. For this reason we are committed to long-term mentoring relationships with whole families that support each student to unfold their natural gifts and potential over time.

Our homeschool nature program provides experiences for children to deeply immerse their senses in the landscapes of nature and give them adventure challenges that are fun, test their strengths and intimately connect them to the land and themselves. By taking this journey, children learn to be comfortable and confident outdoors, and a solid foundation of a love for our Earth is laid.

We inspire children to grow as life long learners by nurturing their natural curiosity for the world around them. We help them form these curiosities into a cohesive and intense passion for learning. Thus, children grow into themselves holistically and are set forth on a path to discover their own unique gifts that they will one day share with the world.

Ultimately, students learn to ask questions for themselves and seek answers in their world; the simple truth that all things are teachers is revealed.

Curriculum

Our homeschool nature program curriculum is a three-part balance:

Teachings of the Earth - Naturalist skills, wild edible and medicinal plants, building shelters, firemaking, outdoor cooking, native crafts, and more.

Teachings of Family and Community - Storytelling, music, movement, humor, thankfulness, communication skills, group adventures, respect for all things, and more.

Teachings of Awareness - The five senses, tracking, lost-proofing, self awareness, journaling, native scout skills, bird language, ceremonies, and more.

Why is this important?

We recognize that today's youth will be the true leaders of our future. We believe that through engaging the imagination and senses, nurturing their love for the earth, helping them develop their own unique gifts, being committed to passion-based learning and long-term mentoring, and helping children develop the fiber for adapting to natural challenge and change with resiliency, we hope to foster a larger community of naturalists, life-long learners and caretakers of our earth for the future generations. We invite you to come be a part of this exciting endeavor!