At Home in the Woods: Field Skills, Natural History, and Creative Observation (2-day class)

This class will open for registration during our Fall Festival on Saturday, September 19, 2026.

 

At Home in the Woods is a weekend workshop for people who want more than a checklist of outdoor skills. It is for those curious about what it means to feel at home in the wilderness—body, mind, and imagination.

 

Over two days, we’ll start at the Folk School and then explore parts of the St. Croix River Valley, using practical field skills, natural history, and simple creative practices as ways of entering into conversation with the woods and river. We'll read the landscape through map and compass, tracks and plants, and pencil or lens—pausing to notice light on snow, wind in the branches, and how wildlife thrives in the cold.

 

We’ll learn how to stay warm and dry and how to read terrain patterns and habitat signs. Just as importantly, we’ll practice looking and listening: to birdsong and animal calls, to textures of bark and stone, and to the small signs that tell us a place is alive and changing even below zero. Field journaling, sketching, and photography will serve not as assignments, but as invitations to notice, identify, and better understand.

 

Let's experience a way of being that is prepared, attuned, and present in the landscape.

 

About the Instructor: Charles Buchwald

Instructor will provide the following:

A variety of binoculars, monoculars, magnifying lenses, and other instruments; pens, pencils, brushes; cord; other supplies for exploring.

Students are asked to bring:

• A day pack or bag with essentials for a short hike
• Weather-appropriate clothing: we will start indoors at the Folk School, and then will be outdoors for a good part of the class.
• Note-taking tools, if you'd like to take notes
• Since your class runs over the lunch hour, we recommend you bring lunch or click HERE to learn about local eating opportunities available before or after your class. 

 

Skill Level 

No experience required. 

Age Recommendation 

Students ages 16 and older are welcome to attend this class. Students ages 16 and 17 may attend without a parent/guardian in attendance as long as MMFS is provided with written parental permission by email to info@marinemillsfolkschool.org.

Location Details 

Marine Mills Folk School

550 Pine Street

Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047

Cost Details

Tuition: $175

Materials Fee: $0

Total Cost: $175

NOTE: Be aware we may cancel class if a minimum number of registrations is not reached. We work to balance teachers’ need to plan for a class with students’ busy schedules — not an easy task. Please register as early as possible! If interested, you can find our cancellation policy HERE.