Give your kids the gift of play and imagination using nature as inspiration.

Spend an afternoon reconnecting with Mother Nature through fun games designed to awake enthusiasm, focus attention and create conditions conducive to deeper insights. We will get our hands dirty playing in the earth, exploring creeks while looking for salamaders, tasting nature's foods and soaking up the fresh air and sounds of the woods. This course is the cure for Nature Deficit Disorder.

Turn that curiosity into knowledge with a one night trip into the woods. Learn everything about the exciting and challenging sport of backpacking while meeting other women. On this trip, you will learn all the steps needed to become a proficient backpacker, find out what to pack and not to pack, how to pack and how to wear your pack for the most comfort. You'll learn how to use the best gear and what to do in the event that things don't go as planned, if the weather changes or your gear doesn't work well. You'll learn how to identify wild plants, which ones are edible and poisonous, how to cure headaches and poison ivy, and how to survive in case of emergency. We'll start with a brief class on backpacking and apply it on the trail.

Remember when you had a cold or sore throat and grandma would make you a nice soothing cup of tea from wild herbs? Ever wonder what she used to make you feel better? Would you like to learn what grandma knew?

Make new friends while you spend a day in the Smokies with Erik and Vesna Plakanis from A Walk in the Woods. Learn how to identify wild edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms that you may find in your own yard, nearby meadows or neighborhood woods. A Walk in the Woods puts fun back into learning about nature! All of our classes are hands on and we use all of our senses to experience nature in a new way.Our day begins in an outdoor classroom setting learning how to identify plants and common mushrooms, than we'll go for a walk to explore various types of outdoor settings and what is found there. We'll discuss the nutritional values of wild plants, what the Native Americans and settlers used them for and what modern science has to say.

Bring: day pack, sack lunch, rain gear, good walking shoes, a quart of water, snacks, notebook and pen. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, by Lawrence Newcomb recommended.