Schoolhouse of Wonder offers three-day residencies that occur onsite at participating schools during the winter months. These programs, known as CAPS programs, are sponsored by the Durham Arts Council. They allow students time for deeper connection and exploration of the historic lifeways of the Piedmont people. They are adaptable to the needs of teachers in grades K-12.
Current CAPS programs:
Three Day Residencies
Native Ways
Join Schoolhouse of Wonder in interactive demonstrations, Native American games, stories, songs and a sharing of tribal living skills (including friction fire-making!). This unique residency provides students with a deeper sense of the cultures indigenous to North America before European colonization, and presents insights into the ways the first peoples lived in close connection with the Earth. Your students will emerge from this residency with a first-hand understanding of Native American cultures, and a healthy attitude toward the Earth we all share. This residency works wonderfully with Schoolhouse of Wonder’s companion residency, “Early American Life.”
Early American Life
Journey to the past in this exciting participatory program. Together with a teacher from Schoolhouse of Wonder your class will blend hands-on activities, historical anecdotes, stories and songs to create an enthralling Living History. Butter-making (and eating!), flint and steel fire-making and old-time games are just a few of the pioneer experiences we will share. This residency works wonderfully with Schoolhouse of Wonder’s companion residency, “Native Ways.”
Piedmont Naturalists
Students will practice the art of nature awareness. Students will be amazed to discover the wealth of natural phenomena that they can find any time of year. Budding trees, hidden salamanders, flocking birds and burrowed insects are all just a few of the things we may find in your winter and early spring schoolyard. Highlights of this residency also include nature journaling, animal tracking, wild plant walk and hands-on fun with fur, feathers and bones. This residency will heighten students’ understanding of animal and plant life and will deepen their sense of wonder toward the natural world.
One Day Workshops
Animal Lore
For thousands of years, people have been watching animals and telling their stories. To this day, we have much to learn from the animal world! In this class, we will listen to stories about animals, examine skulls and other animal treasures, and we will play games that deepen our awareness of the experience of the animals that share our eastern forests. We will learn about animals’ many hidden talents, and we may discover some of our own!
Plant Lore
There was a time when all people used wild plants for food and medicine. Those ancestors knew the plants that grew around them as intimately as we know our neighbors and friends. These plants that our ancestors relied on still grow all around us! In this class, students will hear tales of plants and people. They will touch and smell and even taste some of the piedmont’s most incredible wild plants, and they will play games that get them searching for the unique plants that they can find themselves right in their very own schoolyard!
Nature Games
There’s something to celebrate and learn in every moment that we spend outdoors. We can learn about predators and their prey, animal adaptations, and more. We can learn to move silently through the landscape like a fox and watch the world carefully like an owl. We can run, jump, stalk and hide, all the while deepening our understanding of the processes that underlie the wild natural world. These games are so engaging the students won’t know they’re learning! This class is a perfect compliment to classroom science investigations and can be adapted to any grade level.
Other Options:
Our CAPS programs can be tailored to your needs. In addition to the two mentioned above, we can work with other natural or cultural history topics of your choice. Earth Art and Explorers of the Piedmont are just two of the topics we can bring alive for your students. Call Schoolhouse of Wonder at (919) 477-2116 to create your own residency or workshop.