Written by BMS Director, Shelly Fox.

We realized right from the beginning of the Coyote Challenge that having a family of active teenagers who also have other homes meant that we would need to adapt some of the ideas about the Summer Coyote Challenge to our family's needs and abilities.

Making room for each other's schedules and important relationships outside our family means that we might not all be present when we try to do something from the Challenge, but we can still share the experience with whoever is there and then tell other family members about it later. There is no 'wrong' or 'right' way to do it; the simple idea of turning our attention to nature and spending time doing things together outside is enough.

What challenges has your family faced while working on the Coyote Challenge, and how did you work through them? Send text and photos to Carol or share on our Facebook Page with the hashtag #bmscoyotesummer. Families who share their experiences with us will be included in a drawing at the end of August for a family fun nature experience!

Inspired by our friends at the Living Earth School, we invite you to join us in the 2018 Blue Mountain School Coyote Family Summer Challenge!

We hope this challenge will inspire many wonderful moments of connection and awe for your family this summer. The natural world is full of wonder, and we want to celebrate it together! Click the poster to download your copy.

Getting Started

A family includes all the important people in a person's life. Consider including grandparents, cousins, and other extended family members as well as close friends. Kids who spend time in more than one family are encouraged to share this Challenge with each one.

Begin the Challenge by reading all the activities on the poster and talking about which ones you'd like to try. We encourage you to pick three activities from each of the quadrants. (Remember, you have all summer!) Next, hang your poster somewhere everyone can see it each day. Then get started!

Be sure to keep a record of your adventures! Some families may choose to create or puchase a journal in which to write and draw their thoughts and experiences. Others may want to glue photographs in an album or make videos together. Or maybe you have a totally different plan. It's up to you!

Share Your Experiences

Please share your family's experiences through social media by marking your posts, tweets, and instagram photos with #bmscoyotesummer. If you don't use social media, you can email photos and text to carol@bluemountainschool.net to have them posted on the school's Facebook Page. You are also welcome to send letters to BMS Coyote Summer, 470 Christiansburg Pike, Floyd VA 24091.

Win a Prize!

Families who share their experiences with us over the summer will be included in a drawing at the end of August for a family fun nature experience!

With Gratitude, We Thank...

Practicing gratitude is of special importance to us at BMS. Our emphasis on gratitude is not just about having good manners or being polite; we are believers in gratitude because we know that being grateful is linked to happiness and well being. In addition to the many "Thank Yous" we take the time to share each day at school, we have gratitude circles every Thursday and end every recess by saying, "Thank you for playing!" At BMS, modeling gratitude is serious business.

We give thanks to Living Earth School founders Hub and Kate Knott as well as Erin "Soupy" Campbell, who introduced us to the Coyote Challenge. Their program overlays broad concepts about natural daily and seasonal rhythms with detailed, nature-based activities and practices reflecting these rhythms. Our staff was deeply inspired by our weekend retreat earlier this year with Hub, Katie, and Soupy learning about Coyote Mentoring -- an approach to nature education that builds on the development of mentoring skills in adults. Our time with our Living Earth School mentors helpted to ignite our dedication to incoporating nature into nearly everything we do.

Coyote Mentoring was developed by a collaboration of several people: Jon Young, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGowan. It is inspired by and grounded in the mentoring tradition of Tom Brown, Jr., and many other elders. To learn more, check out the Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature.

Based on our popular Forest Kindergarten program, this camp welcomes our younger friends into a deeper inquiry of the world they live in.

Fields, Forests, and Fun - July 9-13 (Ages 3 to 7) [Only THREE spots left!]

From the wide-open field to the deep, dark forest, campers will be outside searching for creatures, exploring the mossy nooks and the ferny crannies, and celebrating their nature discoveries in art, stories, and songs. Even if your child joined us for Forest Forts Camp earlier this summer, they will find a whole new world in the BMS woods during this camp.Dress for adventure because we plan on being outdoors rain or shine!

Blue Mountain School Summer Camps are $156 per week for the first child in a family and $141 for each additional child in a family. Camps are from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday. To register, complete and return the registration form.