This fall, our Tuesday Making and Exploring program is digging into the book My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. My Side of the Mountain is an exciting novel about a fifteen year old boy who leaves New York City to live off the land in the wild. In this twelve week class, participants will study the book and participate in wilderness survival and nature studies activities, such as: Foraging, Study of Falcons, Pouch Making, Plant Identification, Cooking with Wild Ingredients, Mapping, and more.
The novel will be divided into sections, one for each week, that participants read before the next class session. To accommodate all reading levels, any method of consuming literature is encouraged. The participants can read it to themselves, it can be read aloud to them, or they may listen to an audiobook. At the beginning of each session we will review what happened in that part of the book. The rest of each class will be an experiential activity based on the reading.
My Side of the Mountain Class
Ages 8-10
Tuesdays 1 PM - 3 PM
12 weeks from SEP 19 - DEC 5
Garden Classroom
Tuition $180
To register please email [email protected]
More about the book:
“My Side of the Mountain, written by Jean Craighead George in 1959, is a survivalist story about a boy who runs away from home to live in the Catskill Mountains, and he not only survives but thrives in the wilderness. The story begins with Sam Gribley already in the mountains preparing his humble tree abode for the first snowstorm. He discusses in detail some of the challenges he's faced so far and his fear of the storm and not knowing what will happen after. Then gradually, he talks about his life in New York, his family, and how he came to the Catskills." from a goodreads.com review.
“Sam heads up to his great-grandfather’s property, and there begins his life in the wild. He burns out a cave in a massive Hemlock tree in which to live, and begins to gather and store food, from plants and wild vegetables to apples and small game. Sam also manages to take a baby peregrine hawk from her nest, and raises her as a pet, naming her Frightful. Despite the mountain’s isolation, many tourists and local residents end up passing by. Sam avoids most of them, speaking to only a few, such as Bando, the English professor, who ends up at Sam’s place by accident, having lost his way. Sam spends the autumn continuing to collect food and supplies for the winter. The first snow storm passes, and at Christmas, Bando returns. Sam’s dad also appears for a visit and is incredibly proud of his son.” from bookrags.com
