Child and Youth Homeschool Programs that Stir the Imagination
Jason Allen has been offering child and youth programs to children as young as 5 and as old as 14 for over 15 years.
With his wealth of knowledge about the outdoors, nature and science, and outdoor skills, his programs are sure to educate, entertain and inspire your child.
Jason is a former Scouts Canada leader, is the founder of Woodcraft Canada, and is a program instructor for education programs at Conservation Halton.
Jason has a recent, valid Vulnerable Sector Check (available upon request), and experience working with neurodivergent and intellectually disabled youth.
Programs geared towards homeschooling families and are generally an hour in length (except hikes which are 90 minutes). Programs are offered at a cost of $12 per participant plus any supplies, and are designed for between four and 8 participants (this may vary for youth with exceptionalities). Some programs are only appropriate for youth aged 9 and up, but all programs will be tailored to the age of participants.
Email Jason to learn more about the following seasonal programs, and how they might work for your small group of young people.
jason @ jasonAallen.ca (please remove the spaces).
- Fall Guided Hikes
- Primitive Cordage Making (while supplies last)
- Introduction to Knife Safety and Whittling
- Winter Guided Snowshoe Hikes
- Matchless Fire Lighting (Conservation Area admission fees may apply)
- Knots and Lashing for Fort Building
- Spring Guided Wildflower/Amphibian Hike
- Introduction to Nalbinding (Viking Crochet)
Program Details:
Fall Guided Hikes – a 90 minute hike exploring nature and the outdoors. Will include searching for animals and invertebrates, identifying basic birds, trees and flowers, and learning how the ecosystem interacts with it’s various parts in a web of life.
Primitive Cordage: Participants will learn the foundation of making one and two ply cordage by hand, including harvesting, retting and twisting, and will practice using stripped willow bark.
Intro to Knife Safety and Whittling: Participants will learn the fundamentals of how to handle a knife safely, and then learn the stop, paring, and push cuts, and how to chamfer. Participants will practice making a tent peg, mushroom or “Green Man” figure depending on the age of the group. All materials and knives supplied. Workshop suitable for youth aged 9 and up.
Winter Guided Snowshoe Hike: Wearing snowshoes they supply themselves (most people know someone who can lend them a pair) participants will learn how to snowshoe safely, and then explore a wooded area looking for animal tracks and the unique features of the woods in winter. Sessions are weather dependant and are 90 minutes long.
Matchless Fire Lighting: Participants will explore the basics of tinder, kindling and fuel and how to prepare them using natural materials and tools such as knives and hatchets. Then they will light the fires using ferocerium rods and char cloth. Conservation Area admission may be required due to bans on backyard fires in most urban areas.
Knots and Lashing for Fort Building: Participants will meet in a wooded area and learn basic knots such as fisherman’s knot, clove hitch, and square knot, and the basics of lashing and frapping. They will then assemble forts, and then disassemble them to demonstrate responsibility for the natural world. This is a 90 minute session.
Spring Guided Wildlower/Amphibian Hike: Participants will hike in a wooded area with wetlands to explore and learn about spring ephemeral wildflowers, and search for amphibians such as salamanders and turtles. This session is 90 minutes, and conservation area fees may apply.
Introduction to Nalbinding: Nalbinding is the ancient craft of making fabric with yarn that predates knitting by 2000 years. It was popularized by the vikings, and is sometimes called viking crochet. It uses one needle and individual lengths of yarn. Participants will learn to make a chain, and then loop the chain into a tube to begin making an item. This workshop is suitable for youth aged 12 and up (unless younger youth have excellent fine motor skills), and all materials are supplied.
