Primitive Skills Weekend Extravaganza Workshop

Learn the skills of ancient people while exploring the Ozark wilderness in this weekend workshop at Ozark Natural Science Center with guests Bo Brown from First Earth and Eric Fuselier from Ozark Primitive Skills. The weekend will include guided hikes, discovering edible plants, shelter building, fire-starting, animal tracks and signs, and pine pitch glue.

Participants must be at least 12 years old. All children under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by an adult (no more than 2 children per adult). 

All participants need to bring their own pocketknife, appropriate clothing for the weather (rain or shine), and closed-toe shoes.

The workshop begins on Saturday morning, but there will be optional early check-in, dinner, and a night hike on Friday. Lodges and campsites are available on Friday.

Saturday night will be spent in the shelters that you build in the forest. Alternately, you may choose an optional room in a lodge or a campsite (ticket options below).

If you register for a room in a lodge, please note that rooms can sleep between 1 and 4 people. When you are checking out, please complete the form to indicate how many people will be in your room so we can assign you to the correct size room.

Workshop schedule: 

Friday, April 8, 2022

5pm - Optional early arrival

6pm -  Dinner

7:30pm -  Night Hike with ONSC Teacher Naturalist

9:30pm -  Overnight in ONSC lodges or campsites

Saturday, April 9, 2022

8:30am - Participant  Arrival

9am - Foraging Class – Bo Brown and Eric Fuselier

11am - Clean Up

11:30am - Lunch

12:30pm - Dutch Oven Class - ONSC's Program Manager, Renee Valentine,  and Teacher Naturalists

2:00pm - Shelter Building - Bo Brown and Eric Fuselier

4pm - Friction Fire Building - Bo Brown, Eric Fuselier, and/or ONSC Teacher Naturalists

5:30pm - Clean Up

6pm - Dinner

7pm - Campfire and more fire building if needed

8pm - Night Hike and/or Free time

9:30pm - Sleep in shelters that you created, or optional overnight in ONSC lodges or campsites

Sunday, April 10, 2022

8am - Breakfast

9am - Cordage from plant fibers

11am - Clean up

11:30am - Lunch

12:30pm - Animal Tracks and Signs (hike)

3:00pm - Pine pitch glue

5:00pm - Clean up and check out

About the Instructors:

Bo Brown: First Earth's Founder and Director, Bo Brown, has been teaching primitive skills since 1992, has worked as a wildlife/avian field biologist since 1985, was Associate Director with Ozark Center for Wildlife Research, a naturalist for MO Dept. of Conservation in Branson MO, and is still active in contract fieldwork. His career has taken him all over the U.S./Central America and has provided a wealth of natural history knowledge. 

Eric Fuselier: Eric is an environmental scientist who works to ensure that development projects are built with minimal impact to the environment. Eric loves botany, teaching wilderness skills, and spending time in nature. He lives with his family in a cabin that he and his wife built with help from friends and family. His passions include native plants, wetlands, and facilitating a connection with nature in others

Covid-19 Statement:

ONSC is committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of our staff and visitors. Please find ONSC's Covid policy here: www.onsc.us