EarthWalk – Fairbanks

at Matsinger Forest

EarthWalk learning is a fully immersive experience with the land (ALL outdoors!) and with a small community group of learners. Our year-round programs for children, teens, adults, and elders embrace these principles:

• Learning together with Nature

• Practicing outdoor living skills 

• Building caring communities, and…

• Nurturing land stewardship

EarthWalk has been inspiring and growing caring communities rooted in nature since 2005.

Some EarthWalk Learning Activities are: making crafts, foraging wild edibles, listening to birds, sharing gratitude, shelter-building, making a fire, carving a spoon, wading in the brook, nature journaling, basket-weaving, exploring wetlands, singing songs, cooking over the fire, making cordage, finding medicinal plants, wildlife tracking, sharing nature stories, bow-drill fire-making, helping others, stewardship projects, storytelling & more!

Youth Camps & Forest School

With Nature as the primary teacher, and with the support of skillful and caring mentors and elders, children can learn to feel comfortable, joyful and at home in the forest, meadows, and along the waterways. EarthWalk mentors honor each child as a unique learner and valued community member, meeting each individual where they are, so they feel excited to learn and make strong connections with each other and the land.

Summer Camps

Monday – Friday
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

All camps take place on the Fairbanks Museum Nature Preserve at Matisnger Forest in Danville, VT. Each session is limited to 12 campers.

• $300/child (members)
• $350/child (non-members)
• $20/child sibling discount

Matsinger Forest Location: Thaddeus Stevens Road at Danville-Peacham Town-line.
EarthWalk-Fairbanks Site: a short walk into the forest with a rustic shelter & amenities.

Explorers Camp (ages 6-8)
July 29 – Aug 2

Explorers tap into their innate curiosity and wonder. We’ll play lots of nature games, learn about plants and animals, make a shelter, cook over a fire, make crafts, share stories, sing songs, explore the land and make new friends!

How to register for camps

• Complete the online registration form.
• Print and send in emergency contact and liability forms.
• Pay online or by check.
• Questions? Contact Angella Gibbons for more information or to be placed on a waiting list.

Forest School

Thursdays
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Forest School is for students ages 8-12.
Each session is limited to 12 students.

• FALL Session 2024: Sept. 12, 19, 26 & Oct. 3, 10, 17, & 24
• WINTER Session 2025: Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & Feb. 6 & 13
• SPRING Session 2025: May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 & June 5 & 12

• $455/student (members)
• $490/student (non-members)
• $20/child sibling discount

Matsinger Forest Location: Thaddeus Stevens Road at Danville-Peacham town-line.
EarthWalk-Fairbanks Site: a short walk into the forest with a rustic shelter and amenities.

Forest School (ages 8-12)

Join us through the seasons for a weekly outdoor learning adventure in Matsinger Forest.

Let’s learn together with the land! Explore the wonders around us, learn new skills and crafts, play forest games, follow tracks, and discover nature mysteries. Let’s share stories & songs—sometimes while sipping hot tea made with gifts from the forest—-always learning what the land can teach us. We are going to have some fun together.

Fall application
Winter applications begin Oct. 24.
Spring applications begin Feb. 13. 

To apply, please fill out an online application for each student. We will review all applications and get back to you within a week.

The Forest School application includes important questions because we value nurturing and supportive relationships, and we believe in growing a caring community together. We want to take steps to make sure the Forest School is a good fit for your child. Thank you for your understanding!

Registration is complete once payment has been recieved or a payment plan has been approved. Full payment is required before the start of the program.

EarthWalk – Fairbanks

at Matsinger Forest

EarthWalk has been inspiring and growing caring communities rooted in nature since 2005. For more than 15 years, from the Plainfield location adjacent to Goddard College, EarthWalk Vermont, offered transformative education programs, annually serving over 300 families in Central Vermont. Since EarthWalk Vermont ended their programs in 2021, founder, Angella Gibbons, has continued EarthWalk’s vision of mentoring all ages, to care for one another and the earth, building strong resilient nature-connected communities in Central Vermont. In January 2024, Angella formed EarthWalk L3C, where she is excited to be offering nature and community programs through land partnerships with families, libraries, schools and now a new EarthWalk partnership with the Fairbanks Museum at Matsinger Forest.