Ancestral Knowledge Youth & Teen Programs and Camps
Ancestral Knowledge (programs at various outdoor park locations in MD & VA), 40 Ridge Rd, Greenbelt, MD 20722
About
Ancestral Knowledge Youth & Teen Programs and Camps include animal tracking, plant and tree identification, forest exploration, games, and hands-on projects. Participants see primitive skills demonstrations such as fire by friction, basic stone tool making, animal tracking techniques, nature awareness, and basic survival skills. Some programs and camps also include basketry, soap stone carving, natural fiber technology, bow and arrow production, stone tools (flint knapping), hide tanning, pottery, wilderness survival, wild edible plants, bow hunting whitetails, brain tanning buckskin, self bow building, cob oven build and design, prehistoric pottery, arrow building, flint knapping and primitive tool making, and leather making. The 100% outdoor camps are described as being filled with forest exploration, games, and hands-on projects, and the overnight camps are described as a 100% outdoor camping adventure.
• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: Programs run from Sept–June, meeting once a week.
• Price: Demonstration Pricing: 1–3 hours $375 (30 students max). Field Day Pricing: 2–5 hours $375–$725 (up to 30 participants).
Ancestral Knowledge states that its youth programs are for all genders between the ages of 8–11 and 12–17, and that its camps are geared towards kids ages 7–13 and 13–17. The Homeschool Naturalist Program is a 100% outdoor program, and these are drop-off programs with age-appropriate activities. Forms needed to attend the overnight camps include a release waiver, Field Form, camper health history, and Medical Information Form. Summer Camp and Overnight Camp registration both open January 1st, and financial aid is available for those in need of assistance.
Ancestral Knowledge offers entry level and advanced programming in earth based living skills, nature awareness, primitive technology, and wilderness survival, as well as corporate retreats and presentations. It states that it was the first organization in the DC Metro Area to offer educational programs in this field of expertise. All programs intertwine Experiential Education (“learning by doing”) and Coyote Teaching (“guiding not giving”). Ancestral Knowledge is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization operated by a community of naturalists who specialize in native life skills and philosophies that support sustainable lifestyles, and it uses nature and the wilderness as its classroom through the study of tracking, awareness, and related philosophies.
The organization offers its outdoor education programs to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, public, private, and charter schools, homeschool groups, and universities, and will come to outside locations for hands-on demonstrations. It also hosts the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering, described as the premier Earthskills gathering in the region, which takes place annually over Memorial Day weekend, with the 2026 event scheduled for May 21–25. Additional offerings include Wolfpack family programs, which have been described as a “favorite way to connect with nature as a family,” and a Rock Creek Shed Hunt listed as a free community event. One homeschool parent reports that their child returned to Ancestral Knowledge after enjoying a previous semester and describes seeing their daughter grow intellectually, emotionally, and physically, and expresses appreciation for the knowledge, kindness, and care given by staff named Z and Eden. All donations to Ancestral Knowledge are described as 100% tax deductible.
Last updated January 21, 2026.
• Ages: 8–17 years old
• Schedule: Programs run from Sept–June, meeting once a week.
• Price: Demonstration Pricing: 1–3 hours $375 (30 students max). Field Day Pricing: 2–5 hours $375–$725 (up to 30 participants).
Ancestral Knowledge states that its youth programs are for all genders between the ages of 8–11 and 12–17, and that its camps are geared towards kids ages 7–13 and 13–17. The Homeschool Naturalist Program is a 100% outdoor program, and these are drop-off programs with age-appropriate activities. Forms needed to attend the overnight camps include a release waiver, Field Form, camper health history, and Medical Information Form. Summer Camp and Overnight Camp registration both open January 1st, and financial aid is available for those in need of assistance.
Ancestral Knowledge offers entry level and advanced programming in earth based living skills, nature awareness, primitive technology, and wilderness survival, as well as corporate retreats and presentations. It states that it was the first organization in the DC Metro Area to offer educational programs in this field of expertise. All programs intertwine Experiential Education (“learning by doing”) and Coyote Teaching (“guiding not giving”). Ancestral Knowledge is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization operated by a community of naturalists who specialize in native life skills and philosophies that support sustainable lifestyles, and it uses nature and the wilderness as its classroom through the study of tracking, awareness, and related philosophies.
The organization offers its outdoor education programs to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, public, private, and charter schools, homeschool groups, and universities, and will come to outside locations for hands-on demonstrations. It also hosts the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering, described as the premier Earthskills gathering in the region, which takes place annually over Memorial Day weekend, with the 2026 event scheduled for May 21–25. Additional offerings include Wolfpack family programs, which have been described as a “favorite way to connect with nature as a family,” and a Rock Creek Shed Hunt listed as a free community event. One homeschool parent reports that their child returned to Ancestral Knowledge after enjoying a previous semester and describes seeing their daughter grow intellectually, emotionally, and physically, and expresses appreciation for the knowledge, kindness, and care given by staff named Z and Eden. All donations to Ancestral Knowledge are described as 100% tax deductible.
Last updated January 21, 2026.
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