Chris works at Open Connections, our local homeschooling resource center. He is the property manager as well as facilitator for “Wood Shop” , “Survival Skills”, and also a wilderness based, earth science program called “My Side Of The Village” based on the book My Side of the Mountain. The Village program meets once a week and focuses on tasks such as primitive fire starting with flint and steel, wild foraging, shelter building, reading, and journaling. To celebrate the last day of program Chris camped out overnight with the young people in his Village program. They ended today with a celebratory meal of 3 sisters stew, nettle soup, weed salad, and gobo (burdock root) with carrots.We met Papa and his program this morning for a yummy breakfast of steel cut oats over the fire and biscuits. Hannah cannot wait until she can take this program. Right now she is in “Open Program” until she turns 8. Norah starts next year. It is a wonderful nurturing place. We feel so lucky to be a big part of the OC community. Sometimes I wish that I could go back in time and spend my childhood days as a life learner and be a part of something as special as Open Connections.