One of the hallmarks of a Community Adventure Program (CAP) classroom with Cottonwood Institute is the use of attunements. What is an attunement? It’s any activity that helps students transition from their outside life to being able to focus in the classroom. Attunements also help students get to know each other and build camaraderie, setting the… Read more »
If you have ever wondered what happens when you disconnect teenagers from their technology… Once upon a time, eight brave adventurers set out to explore the wilderness of the mysterious woods of Calwood Camp in Jamestown, Colorado. They had packed all they would need and met sharply at eight am as the talking eagle required. The great… Read more »
A full day of adventure at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was a spectacular way to launch Cottonwood Institute’s newest CAP Program, at AXL Academy in Aurora! A group of 13 middle schoolers and 3 Cottonwood instructors jumped at the opportunity to escape the daily grind at school to adventure off into an… Read more »
Do you realize how much of modern human life depends on tiny buzzing insects? Without bees many of our favorite foods would be gone or vastly more expensive. And it’s not even just fruit we’d be missing: even *gasp* chocolate and coffee would be at risk. And bee populations are declining at an alarming rate…. Read more »
This spring Denver Green School CAP classes had an awesome and exciting semester! We explored the world around us; Learned new skills and wilderness survival; Educated ourselves about environmental issues that affect our communities; And designed and implemented community action projects to affect real change in our worlds! We began the semester by exploring our connection to nature,… Read more »
Every year, Cottonwood Institute CAP students explore environmental challenges and tackle issues of local importance in student-directed “Action Projects.” It’s one of the best parts of the program because it’s up to the students to decide. At STRIVE Prep – Westwood, CAP students Mauricio, Yadira, Armando, Adrian, Sara and Elizabeth spent the month of March… Read more »
As summer heats the blocks of Boulder, Colorado, many flock to clothing stores and online shops for the newest summer trends. However, this constant closet revamping comes at an environmental cost. Living consciously is something ingrained in most citizens of Boulder. While most establishments contain recycling and composting bins, and the car of choice is… Read more »
There is a lot of construction in Green Valley Ranch: new houses, new shopping centers and new schools. All that construction creates an unsettled feeling in people and leaves wildlife scrambling for food and shelter. The Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy (KIPP NDLA) looked at the neighborhood on an… Read more »
The Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at STRIVE Prep –RISE had a lofty goal: to have their new school building reflect their values and environmental ethics. These students are the first Freshman class at STRIVE RISE and realize that their actions set the course for the school’s sustainable future. This semester they envisioned and designed a solar… Read more »
New Vista High School, a changemaker school in Boulder, Colorado is known for doing things unconventionally, out-of-the box, and in a style all its own. The CAP Spring 2017 class was no exception. Instead of the usual two overnights that tend to be standard in the the Cottonwood Institute CAP curriculum, we completed one overnight and… Read more »
