Earthkeepers Level 1

EarthkeepersTM – Four Keys for Helping Young People Live in Harmony with the Earth.

Accompany Outdoors provides EarthkeepersTM programs which are already underway at both resident and non-resident outdoor centres in several countries.

A mysterious, unseen character known only as E.M. permeates the EarthkeepersTM program. As the keeper of the keys, E.M. is everyone's dream of the wizard of the woods, a secretive recluse who lives alone but loves to share the marvels and mysteries of the
natural world with others in special ways.

Becoming an EarthkeeperTM like E.M. is an important task, and each learner is rewarded after each step with a special key. These keys open real locks on boxes that contain secret meanings about the true nature of E.M. As the learners earn four keys for their keyrings, they not only discover how life functions ecologically on the earth, they find out how they are both a part of our environmental problems and their solutions.

“As I sit in my magic spot, I think of all the fantastic things I have experienced at Earthkeepers Camp. Today we read some of your diary entries and found your walking stick, feather and a message in a bottle. Some parts were hard, like crossing the log bridge over the creek. Perhaps tonight we will earn our E keys? Thank you for sharing this natural treasure with us. Earthkeepers is a great cause and the Earth needs our help. Thank you for teaching me a lesson. That lesson was that I can make a difference.”

Year 5 student, Adelaide, Australia

If you have learners who are 9-11 years old and you can spend two and a half to three days during any season in a natural setting, then working with Accompany Outdoors you will be able to help your learners become Earthkeepers.

But remember, half of the program must take place back at home or school. Here are some of the highlights of this exciting learning adventure:

• Four Conceptual EncountersTM activities -- focusing on the ecological concepts of energy flow, cycles, interrelationships, and change
• "E.M.'s Diary" -- an adventuresome Discovery Party that promotes a sense of wonder and place
• An EarthwalkTM for sharpening senses and perceptions and encouraging firsthand contact with the natural world in new and exciting ways
• The "Seasons" Immersing Experience -- focusing on changing perspective and breaking personal barriers to the natural world
• And much more -- including a Student Training Manual and Diary, "Magic Spots," and the "E.M.'s Lab" opening and closing ceremonies

The goal of the Earthkeepers program is to turn out youngsters who possess some basic ecological understandings and good feelings about the earth and its life, and will undertake not only to live more lightly themselves, but to share their insights and
behaviors with others. Earthkeepers:

• understand how energy and materials tie all life together
• experience good feelings when they're in touch with nature
• undertake personal lifestyle changes in order to begin living more in harmony with the natural world
• help others increase their understanding of, feeling for, and harmony with the earth and its life

Obviously, in two and a half days we can only begin this task; much of it will have to be carried out back at school with the guidance and support of the classroom teacher.

Earthkeepers is for those teachers who genuinely want a learning adventure that will captivate and motivate their students, setting them off on a quest that must be completed later. It will not suffice for those looking for a brief, unrelated respite from the confines of the classroom or a primarily social, recreational outing. It's an intense, highly stimulating experience that must continue for some time back at school.