Roots Adult Programs
Birch and Leather Side Bag
January 17-18, 2026
Join Penny Hewitt to weave a double walled diagonally plaited birch bark basket/side bag combined with leather straps and closure flap, great as a small purse or tool pouch, they are durable and beautiful and practical for daily use. Learn More…
Winter Survival
February 21-22, 2026
A weekend of hands on learning winter shelter building, winter hunting and trapping, survival snow shoes, winter fire making techniques, navigation, and much more. . Learn More…
A Handcrafted Life
Starts February 28, 2026 One weekend a month.
A series of projects designed to get students working with a variety of tools and materials crafting objects to be used in your day-to-day life. Learn More…
Pruning and Grafting
March 28, 2026
Come join us for a day of hands-on practice pruning fruit trees and grafting yourself a few apple trees. Learn about the pollination needs and growth habits of common fruit and nut trees and shrubs.. Learn More…
The Gatherer's Program: Foraging, Herbal Medicine, & Basketry
Starts April 11th 2026 One weekend a month.
Willow gathering baskets, black ash pack baskets, fibers & dyes, seasonal foraging, herbalism and more! Spring to fall. Learn More…
The Way of the Woods: Land Knowledge and Traditional Hand Crafts
Starts April 11th, 2026, One weekend a month.
Naturalist skills meet applied traditional crafts. Get hands on and learn to see through the wall of green! Learn More…
WSIP: Wilderness Survival Immersion Program
Starts April 18th 2026 One weekend a month.
Eight months, one weekend a month, ends with a 4-day full survival trip. Build and sleep in shelters, become proficient at bow drill fire in all conditions, learn to purify water, find food through foraging edible plants, hunting, and trapping. Learn More…
Fire Making: From One Match to Bow Drill
April 4, 2025
Build your fire skills with all-weather one-match fires and bow drill friction fires. Learn More…
Wilderness Survival Basics
April 18-19th, 2026
Take a first step into learning wilderness survival with this course that covers the basics of shelter, water, fire and food. Learn More…
Bow and Arrow Making
May 2-7, 2026
Spend six days handcrafting your own Osage Orange longbow and arrow from all natural materials. Learn More…
Arrow Making
May 6-7, 2026
Combine a viburnum arrow shaft with a bone point and turkey feathers using animal sinew and tree resin to create your own arrow. Learn More…
Willow Basketry: Stake and Strand
May 2-3, 2026 SOLD OUT
Join the talented Sandra Kehoe for two days of willow weaving focused on stand and strand techniques. Learn More…
Build a Waxed Canvas Backpack
May 9-10, 2026
Build a durable, functional, waterproof daypack from start to finish. Learn about pack design, stitching heavy materials, and more! Learn More…
Wilderness Survival and Self Reliance
May 30- June 2, 2026
Dive into 4 days of survival skills focused on building shelters, making friction fire, water purification, foraging, survival hunting & trapping, stone tools, cordage, tracking & more! Learn More…
Land Navigation
May 30-31, 2026
One of the most important survival skills, staying found. Read maps and navigate using a compasss and the landscape. Learn More…
Waxed Canvas Journal Making
June 6, 2026
Make your own waxed canvas journal from all biodegradable materials. We will cover several binding options and stitches. Learn More…
Black Ash Basketry: Berry Baskets
June 13, 2026
Join Penny Hewitt for a day of black ash weaving making a durable, beautiful, and very useful berry gathering basket. Learn More…
Mead Brewing
June 13, 2026
Learn to brew mead using gathered fruits and herbs and trap some summer for later! Learn More…
Scout
August 9-15, 2026
Old skills that belong to everyone. Learn to defend yourself and loved ones through awareness, blending with the landscape, martial arts, and teamwork. Learn More…
Scout Tracker
August 16-22, 2026
A week of learning human tracking and trailing in teams against dangerous quarry! Learn More…
Roots Rendezvous
September 5-7, 2026
Our annual gathering where we come together to celebrate three days of skills with tons of instructors and classes to explore. Learn More…
Willow Basketry: Ribbed Baskets
October 10-11, 2026
Learn the ribbed willow basketry style with Sandra Kehoe. Learn More….
Wilderness Survival Basics
October 10-11, 2026
Take a first step into learning wilderness survival with this course that covers the basics of shelter, water, fire and food. Learn More…
Hide Tanning
October 16-18, 2026
Learn to tan hides the old-fashioned way using all natural resources and turn a fleshy deerskin into a beautiful piece of buckskin. Learn More…
Fire Making: From One Match to Bow Drill
October 24, 2025
Build your fire skills with all-weather one-match fires and bow drill friction fires. Learn More…
Courses To be Announced
Animal Processing
TBA
A hands-on education in skinning, field dressing, and butchering your own wild game or livestock. Learn More…
Tracking and Awareness
TBA
Learn clear print identification, gait interpretation, sign tracking, aging, trailing and methods for pushing your sensory and situational awareness. Learn More…
Wild Edible Foraging
TBA
Start off with a botany lesson then head to the field and forest to learn to identify, harvest, and prepare wild edibles. Learn More…
Black Ash Basketry: Workhorse Tote
TBA
Weave and incredibly useful, durable, and beautiful black ash basket with Penny Hewitt. Learn More…
Traditional Bow Hunting 8 Month Intensive
Back in 2027
Build your own wooden bow and arrows, tan hides, track game, process animals, and scout and hunt. Learn More…
Pelt Tanning
TBA
Furs and pelts introduce you to the principals and processes of hide tanning while being less intensive and more approachable than tanning a deer hide into buckskin.
Flint Knapping Stone Tools
TBA
Learn the oldest know humans skills set- turing rocks into useful tools such as knifes, scrapers, drills and projectile points.
Hat Felting
TBA
Make the warmest of hats, amazing camo or pick your own design!
Black Ash Basketry: Pack Baskets
TBA
Black ash pack baskets are iconic for a reason: they are durable, functional, and gorgeous. Weave your own! Learn More…
Diagonal Plaited Birch Bark
TBA
Take birch bark from fallen tree and weave it into beautiful containers using diagonal weaving.
Advanced Scout
TBA
The next level of scout training. A slower pace with more refined tactics and techniques and higher performance. Still type 2 fun.
Long Term Intensives
A Handcrafted Life
A series of projects designed to get students working with a variety of tools and materials crafting objects to be used in your day-to-day life. Learn More…
WSIP: Wilderness Survival Immersion Program
Nine months, one weekend a month, starts with a 4 day course and ends with a 4 day full survival trip. Learn to take care of your most basic needs with just your own two hands, your mind, and your motivation. Build and sleep in shelters, become proficient at bow drill fire in all conditions, learn to purify water, find food through foraging edible plants, hunting, and trapping.
The Gatherer's Program: Foraging, Herbal Medicine, & Basketry
Willow gathering baskets, black ash pack baskets, fibers & dyes, seasonal foraging, herbalism and more! Spring to fall. Learn More…
The Way of the Woods: Land Knowledge and Traditional Hand Crafts
Naturalist skills and natural history meets applied traditional crafts and wildcrafting. Get hands on and comfortable in the forest and learn to see through the wall of green! Learn More…
Traditional Bow Hunting 8 Month Intensive
Build your own wooden bow and arrows, tan hides, track game, process animals, and scout and hunt. Learn More…
Custom Programs
Roots is happy to help you design the course that works for your needs as an individual or to teach at your school or organization. Sky is the limit!
Youth Programs
Roots has a variety of programs for children year round. We have a couple Summer Day Camps, a school year one day a week homeschool program, and weekend classes such as Children’s Bow Making. We also have family events that are all ages such as the Family Survival Weekend and the Roots Rendezvous.
