Adventures in Preservation (AiP), a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the world’s architectural heritage, has developed its first project designed with homeschooled students and their families in mind. Children aged 11 and up, as well as younger children who would be able to participate and benefit from this unique educational opportunity, are invited, along with their parents or teachers, to participate in this hands-on building conservation workshop to be held in the historic mining town of Nevada City, Montana, June 20-26, 2010.
Less than 100 miles from Yellowstone National Park and a number of other natural and historic sites, Nevada City was once a thriving town, thanks to the gold rush of the 1860’s. By 1876, Nevada City was nearly a ghost town and, over the following decades, gold dredging and highway construction destroyed most of the town’s original buildings. What you see there today are the buildings Charles Bovey collected from around the state and moved to the site in order to save them from demolition. The site and buildings are now owned and maintained by the Montana Heritage Commission. Families now have a chance to leave their own mark on Montana history by volunteering with AiP.
The Nevada City workshop will be a weeklong heritage immersion experience. Activities include learning how to mix and apply the historic exterior finishes, including whitewash and linseed oil preservative, that help the buildings survive the harsh winter weather, as well as practicing chinking and daubing techniques that keep the wind from blowing through the log walls. (This is also known as “playing with mud”.)
Everyone will also work with an archaeologist and a blacksmith to learn about their trades, try a hand at gold panning, and cook meals over an open fire in Dutch ovens, the way it was done over 100 years ago. What a novel way to bring the homeschooling experience off-site and outdoors. It’s experiential learning at its best, an opportunity that neither student nor parent-teacher will forget, and just the kind of lesson that make homeschoolers choose this model of education from the very start!
Although this program is intended for children aged 11 and up, based on previous experience at history camps or other relevant experience, younger children will also be considered by AiP. The cost of the workshop is US$1650 per adult and US$950 per child. Workshop fees cover lodging, breakfast and lunch, one dinner, insurance, workshop materials, and instruction.
Daily activities take place Monday-Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with one or two evening activities also scheduled during the week. Additional details, including information on assistance making travel arrangements and registration information, can be found on AiP’s website, www.adventuresinpreservation.org/
