Student Workshops

Coil basket weaving is a great way to develop perseverance and produce something beautiful from nature. In this hands-on workshop, students will learn the basics of coil weaving and begin to start the base of a basket. Students will inquire into the history and culture of basket weaving around the world.

Note: 1 hour is not enough time to complete a small basket and students will require additional time to finish a basket with the classroom teacher. This workshop is dependent on availability of fallen ponderosa pine needles and is best as a fall or spring workshop.

Free food grows wild all around us! During this workshop students will learn about the most common wild edible plants growing around us and practice identifying them by going on an edible scavenger hunt. Students will inquire into historical and current uses of wild edibles and may get the opportunity to sample some of the wild edibles. Read why foraging skills are important.

Did you know that nature makes no waste? During this hands-on workshop students will learn all about red wigglers and how these wonderful worms consume our food waste and turn it into black gold for the garden. Students will get to make their own classroom worm bin for continued learning and use.

Is your worm bin starting to look like black gold soil? Yes? Then it’s time to harvest! Together we will review the vermicomposting cycle and learn how to quickly separate red wiggler worms from their castings. We will inquire into all the great benefits of worm poop and different ways to use it to regenerate and accelerate plant growth. 

Note: This workshop should be booked 3-5 months following worm bin set up

Nature solves problems every single day and by copying nature, we can solve problems too! Looking to nature for solutions is called biomimicry and during this workshop students will learn all about biomimicry and inquire into different examples of successful biomimicry innovations. Students will observe nature and have the opportunity to ideate their own biomimicry creations based on questions we will cultivate during the workshop.

What is the circular economy and how is it connected to sustainability? What are circular design principles? How can we apply these principles in design and construction? In this workshop students will learn about the 5 circular design principles and explore products and services that use one or more of the circular design principles. Together we will use systems thinking tools to evaluate the social, economical and environmental impacts of products designed for the circular economy vs products designed for the dump.

During this hands-on & minds-on workshop, students will be given a sustainable design challenge. We will engage with the ADST design cycle or the Engineering Cycle to design and build a structure. Students will be given specific design constraints and a budget to stick to for their client. Students will learn to work within a budget and calculate their material costs. We will review the value of our natural resources and reflect on sustainable practices during STEM/ADST.

Did you know that a cotton T-shirt has a life cycle? In this workshop students will learn about the five stages of product life cycles and practice identifying the social, economical and environmental impacts of a product at each stage of its life cycle. Together we will dive deeper into one of the stages and discuss leverage points for change within that particular stage of a product’s life cycle. Students will come away with a greater appreciation and understanding of Earth’s natural resources and the energy required to turn a cotton seed into a cotton t-shirt.

Let’s get muddy and learn all about cob. In this workshop students will inquire into the social, economical and environmental benefits of building houses out of cob (a mix of straw, clay, sand and water). Together we will roll up our sleeves and pant legs and learn to mix cob with our feet and hands. After mixing up a batch of cob, students can explore using cob to make mini structures.

Clay graciously donated by Deirdre & Larry from Larry Arguilar Pottery

In this workshop students will inquire into the social, economical and environmental benefits of building houses out of cob (a mix of straw, clay, sand and water). We will learn about the types of foundations required for a cob house and make mini rock foundations. After building mini foundations, we will roll up our sleeves and pant legs and learn to mix cob with our feet and hands. After mixing up a batch of cob, students will practice building a cob structure on their rock foundations. We will inquire into different roof structures for mini cob huts and sketch our ideas to apply at a later date when the cob is dry.

Clay graciously donated by Deirdre & Larry from Larry Arguilar Pottery

In this follow up workshop, students will inquire into roof structures and design elements for their mini structures. Together we will learn about different roof structures and the pros and cons of different roofs such as metal, wood, and living roofs. Using found materials and more cob, students will then add a roof to their structure. Students may also have time to start sketching their exterior design ideas. 

Note: Students must have completed part 1 in this series of workshops

Clay graciously donated by Deirdre & Larry from Larry Arguilar Pottery

Fairy hut, gnome dome, hideout cave? In this workshop students will explore their creativity as they add color and design elements to their cob “mud huts.” We will inquire into natural plasters, learn how to mix them and apply them to the mini cob structures. We will learn about the social, economical and environmental benefits of natural plasters. 

Note: Students must have completed part 1 & 2 in this series of workshops

Clay graciously donated by Deirdre & Larry from Larry Arguilar Pottery

Would your school community benefit from a hand sculpted cob oven to cook wood fired pizzas and other baked goods in? A cob oven is a great feature and place for the community to gather, celebrate, share stories and build connections. Building a cob oven can be done by students, and creating a permanent space for the oven is best done as a community initiative. Building a cob oven is a great cumulative learning engagement following a unit of inquiry on natural building techniques which can be facilitated by Teach Sustainability or unit plan can be provided for teachers to fulfill prior to building the cob oven. 

Note: Cost determined based on required hours to complete project and materials needed (weather & site readiness permitting)

Clay graciously donated by Deirdre & Larry from Larry Arguilar Pottery