Wilderness Classroom
On September 23rd, 2015 explorers Amy and Dave Freeman set off into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to embark on a year-long adventure. Their main goal of the year in the Wilderness was to raise awareness and help educate others about the threat of a proposed sulfide-ore copper mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters. Their trip helped elevate the fight to protect the Boundary Waters to a national level.
The Freemans remained in the Nation’s most popular Wilderness Area for a full year (366 days), camping at approximately 120 different sites during their Year in the Wilderness and traveling over 2,000 miles by canoe, foot, ski, snowshoe, and dog team. They emerged from the Wilderness with many important lessons learned about conservation, advocacy, the importance of Wilderness, as well as how a year in the Boundary Waters changed their priorities and understanding of what really matters. They put pen to paper and decided to write a book about their experience, called A Year in the Wilderness: Bearing Witness in the Boundary Waters. They also created a curriculum to relate their experiences to lessons students may be learning in school. Check out Wilderness Classroom to see field notes, lessons, and worksheets for students.
Examples of field notes & worksheets:
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Seasonal Changes and the Fall Equinox: https://wildernessclassroom.org/seasonal-changes-fall-equinox/
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Harvesting Wild Rice: https://wildernessclassroom.org/harvesting-wild-rice/
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Settling into Life in the Boundary Waters: https://wildernessclassroom.org/settling-into-life-in-the-boundary-waters/
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Tank "wrote" some of the Notes from the Trail entries too: https://wildernessclassroom.org/tanks-thoughts-im-canoe-dog-now/
Looking for a way to make your virtual school more exciting? Have the Freemans host a Virtual assembly for your school through Zoom!
Want to implement Wilderness Classroom into your classroom? You can contact Wilderness Classroom here.