Programs
Red Oak offers year-round programs for youth of all ages. Whether following deer trails through heavy snow, rounding up acorns in autumn, or making a salad from tender spring greens, our programs are tied together by a central thread: supporting youth to know and love the place they call home. Below is a general overview of our year-round and seasonal programs. Click on the links on each to learn more!
Year-round Programs:
Weekly programs (1 day/week)
Sparrow Song (ages 5-6)
Catkins (ages 7-11)
Kestrels (ages 11-13)
North Star (ages 13-14)
Squirrel Tales (ages 6-8)
Fox Tracks (ages 9-12)
Weekend programs (1 day/month)
Seasonal Programs:
Into the Woods Summer Camps
7 weeks for youth ages 5-12
HeartSong: Winter Series
Singing and connection for teen girls ages 13-16
Teen Wilderness Trips
Backcountry adventures for teens ages 13-16
WinterCamp
A four-day camp for ages 7-12
In these 12-week programs we venture out into forests and fields near Decorah to get to know the local inhabitants and learn through play, projects, and adventures. Where does the robin sleep at night? Is it possible for us to disappear into the bushes as quietly and completely as the coyote? Where is the best spot to build a rain shelter, and why? What do the oaks need to grow tall and strong? What do we need to grow tall and strong? What is it like to ask for what we need in a group of friends? What can we learn from willow stalks as we weave them? These are the sorts of questions that will guide our days together, as we follow our curiosity and creativity in conversation with the land.
Activities include sensory awareness games, adventures in bird language, edible and medicinal plant harvest, weaving and hand crafts, fire by friction, animal tracking, shelter building, story telling, singing, carving, improvisation and adventures in expression, land stewardship, and more!
Weekly Programs
Ages 5-6
Tuesdays September 16th -December 16th
and/or
Thursdays September 18th - December 18th
9am-12pm
**Sign up for Tuesdays, Thursdays, or both! Email admin@redoakoutdoorschool.com to learn about our 2-day discount.
Rooted in foundations of play and imagination, the children will build their sense of home in the outdoors. Joining the land in its daily rhythms, we will take up the invitation from the trees to climb, the squirrels to gather food, the beavers to build and the birds to sing, diving into the vital learning that comes with exploration.
Sparrow Song
Catkins
Ages 7-11
September 17th - December 17th
13 Wednesdays, 9am-3pm
Learning the basics of plant, bird, tree, and track identification, the children will be supported in forming their own unique relationships as both researchers and participants in the life of the forest. Expanding their ecological literacy and sensory awareness, the children will build confidence navigating the land they call home.
Kestrels
Ages 11-13
As they approach the changes and growing awareness of adolescence, youth are supported by building authentic connections with one another and finding allyship in the more-than-human world. Through skills such as fire tending and shelter building, they will build their sense of competence and growing leadership.
North Star
North Star is the final season for students completing their pre-teen years at Red Oak. In these ten weeks, participants will be supported to set personal goals for their completion and draw on the skills they have built over their years in Red Oak programs for a final solo overnight on the land followed by a group campout.
Age 13-14
Through exploring, stories, craft, and adventure, participants are supported to develop a stronger connection with themselves, the natural world and their community. Immersed in nature through the seasons, they will build their sense of competence and comfort in the land they call home. Activities include sensory awareness games, adventures in bird language, edible and medicinal plant harvest, weaving and hand crafts, fire by friction, maple sugaring, stories around the fire, winter animal tracking, singing, carving, and more.
Monthly Programs
Interested in teen programs?
We are too! Fill out our teen interest form where we are collecting information to help guide the vision for future Red Oak teen programs.
Ages 6-8
October 5th - May 3rd
8 Sundays, 9am-3pm
Squirrel Tales
Ages 9-12
October 4th-May 2nd
8 Saturdays, 9am-3pm
Fox Tracks
Winter Programs
Gathering around the hearth in the deep of winter we will sing, connect and speak our hearts in the coziness of the cold season. Singing together is an ancient form of human connection that helps us to remember on a cellular level that we are not alone and invigorates us with the beauty of our collective voice. Being together to share what is on our hearts and minds brings us fortitude and joy as we navigate life’s changes.
Our primary focus in this 9-week program will be to learn a repertoire of songs that we will share with our families at the end of our time together. Vocal and personal expression, improv games, and council practice will support our singing to be strong, meaningful and connective. We will gather in a beautiful home with tea and snacks and the wood stove to warm us!
HeartSong
Singing, connection and embodiment for teen girls ages 13-16
January 4th- March 1st
9 Sundays, 3:00-5:30pm
Winter Camp
A four-day camp for ages 7-12
9am-3pm
Immersed in the magic of the cold season, campers will learn from the hearty teachers of the winter landscape while tracking, shelter-building, cooking over the fire, telling stories and playing games!
Keep your eyes out for our mid-autumn newsletter where WinterCamp dates will be announced.
Into the Woods Summer Camps
Into The Woods Summer Camps support youth to deepen their sense of place through earth-based skills, ecological awareness practices, and connection with one another on the land. Our days are centered around play and exploration, building relationships through games, adventures, and spacious time following our curiosity and creativity. Come join us!
Possible activities include: sensory awareness games, adventures in bird language, edible and medicinal plant harvest, weaving and hand crafts, fire by friction, animal tracking, shelter building, story telling, singing, carving, improvisation and adventures in expression, land stewardship, and more!
Chipmunks
Ages 5-6
August 4th-8th
9am-12pm M-F
Bobcats
Ages 7-9
Week 1:
July 7th-11th
9am-3pm M-F
Week 2:
July 14th-18th
9am-3pm M-F
Coyotes
Ages 9-12
Week 1:
July 21st-15th
9am-3pm M-F
Week 2:
July 28th-August 1st
9am-3pm M-F
Night Hawks
Ages 10-12
August 11th-15th
For campers returning for 3+ years or the equivalent in yearlong programs
This week of camp will be held from 9am-3pm Monday-Wednesday, with a campout from 9am Thursday morning until 3:00pm on Friday.
HeartSong Backpacking Trip
A backpacking and singing trip for teen girls 13-16 years old
June 22nd-29th
Singing is an ancient form of human connection that helps us to remember on a cellular level that we are not alone. Spending time outside brings our senses alive in ways for which they have been wired for millennia. As we lift our voices under the open sky and tune our ears to the subtle music of the land, we will build relationships with the more-than-human world, remembering that we are a part of the song of the wild.
Supporting participants to build confidence in their voices,
kinship with the land,
and connection with each other.
What We’ll Do:
Singing: Throughout the week we will rehearse a small selection of polyphonic folk/choral songs, and explore the range of our voices through warmups, playful exercises, and vocal games. As we listen and respond to the voices beside us, we will practice ways that our voices can blend and clash, be soft and loud, boisterous and tender. Upon completion of camp we will have the opportunity to share some of the songs and sounds that we’ve made together with our families and friends.
Backpacking & Earth Skills: Our days and nights will be immersed in nature, engaging in activities that invite us into our sense of interdependence with the land. Carrying what we need on our backs, we'll draw on our perseverance and resilience as we hike along rivers and through forests stopping by lakes to camp. We’ll cook over the fire, and learn the fundamentals of plant identification and honorable harvest practices. In the afternoons we’ll have time to relax before joining together around the fire for dinner and evenings of games, stories, sharing, and songs.
Location:
We will meet in Decorah IA where we'll load into a van and drive 6 hours North to the Porcupine Mountains, MI. We will arrive back in Decorah on Sunday the 29th where we'll share a potluck meal with families and friends and have a performance!
Please Note:
No formal vocal training or experience is required to attend this camp. However, it is necessary that you can match pitches and sing simple melodies.
Maximum number of participants: 10 // Minimum number of participants: 6