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OUTDOOR EDUCATION:
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When families aren't here on vacation, Earthshine Mountain Lodge hosts school and scout field trips. Schools and Scout Troops bring their students to Earthshine to experience our outdoor education program. We have designed our programs for maximum impact and inspiration. An outing here will give your students an unforgettable focal point to your whole school year. Hundreds of outings with tens of thousands of students prove this to be
the case.
Information
for Teachers
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Our Programs include:
(CLICK EACH SUBJECT TO VIEW)
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DESTINATION 1840!
Sawing logs like the Pioneers!
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For grades 4 and up, Destination:1840! propels students and adults onto the stage of a dramatic, historical fiction "living play."
Our time-traveling destination is carefully chosen. Here on the Appalachian frontier "The Removal" of the Cherokee has been declared a success, yet pockets of resistance remain. Enter a group of greenhorn, time-warping students half posing as Cherokee and half as settlers. They've come to learn the lessons of the past but get more than they bargained for as the "cold peace" of the mountain top erupts into ethnic and cultural brinkmanship. Our strong characters ensure that fun is paramount, but the sobering situation that unfolds is straight out of the Middle East, Northern Ireland, and "Any City, USA". It is surely the central question of our time:
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Can two cultures - one "the haves" and one "the have nots" rise above their racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and economic differences and live together in peace?
We offer no world-saving magic solution. Insights may well lead more to confusion than clarity. Only one clear "evil" emerges ...ignorance. Understanding and empathy rise as the primary agents of hope. As each "play" takes on a life of its own, we often find ourselves humbled by the power of Destination:1840!
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CHEROKEE FISH CLEANING |
EARTHSHINE LOOMS |
THE FESTIVAL DANCE |
CANDLEMAKING |
DIPPING CANDLES! |
SPINNING WOOL |
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Activities:
Cherokee Life - Students experience life as Cherokee Indians in the post "Trail of Tears" era. As apprentices, they will contribute to the ongoing construction of the secret Cherokee village. They will learn to grind corn using a traditional mortar and pestle, build and tend fires, clean fish, and cook their meals over the fire. As Cherokee they'll discover that work such as fleshing and tanning animal hides, sculpting a dug-out canoe, making pottery and stringing bead necklaces are all part of daily life. Native Americans knew that much could be learned through games and dances. This rich heritage provides wonderful opportunities for fun and knowledge.
Pioneer Life - Students experience life as pioneer settlers in the new lands opened up by "The Removal." As apprentices they will be a part of a working homestead. They will take wool, recently shorn from our sheep, and prepare it for use through washing, dyeing, carding, spinning and weaving. Students will learn about caring for our farm animals which include goats, sheep, donkeys, chickens, and ducks. They will learn the old ways of cooking in dutch ovens, make drip candles, and press cider with apples straight from our trees. Blacksmithing and traditional carpentry will work up a sweat for all, as real projects make lasting contributions to the farm.
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Earthshine has served more than 46,300 children in our Outdoor Education Programs since 1992. Forty seven percent of our field trips are our Destination 1840 program. What a lesson of the past those kids are learning! Since we opened our doors, Earthshine has lived in the year 1840 for 960 days (about 2 1/2 years)!
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We can gladly send references at your request. Give us a call to come up for a scouting mission or to get on our calendar while the gettin' is good! You're gonna love it!
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