Sisters of the Forest and Mama Bear Circle
The Program
Sisters of the Forest is a year-long journey of nature-based communal learning and exploration for children ages 8-11 who identify as girls. (Older participants with permission of instructor). It is designed to facilitate wandering and exploration of inner and outer landscapes, and to deepen our connection to ourselves, each other, and the land within the container of a community.
The core routines of this program include:
- Gathering in circles
- Sharing observations, reflections, and gratitude
- Adventuring in and around the woods, meadows, and bodies of water
- Solo sit spots
- Journaling
- Fire building
- Singing
- Crafting
- Cooking
- …and other wilderness skills!
Our activities also include a wide variety of team-building games, which require girls to flex their decision-making muscles, voice their ideas, and cultivate a plethora of leadership capacities, including awareness and sensory acuteness, self-care and care of others, quiet mind and patience, cooperation, empathy and embracing differences, puzzle solving, detecting patterns and tracking changes, and healthy assertiveness.
This structure provides an environment where girls are able to express their full selves, share their gifts and be appreciated by a group of peers, mentors, and mothers who help them develop healthy, long standing, and continually growing relationships with one another.
The Mama Bear Circle is a gathering of mothers, aunties, and grandmothers that meets from 4pm-6pm on the same day, near the drop off/pick up spot for the sister’s program. We share in the connection with the land, enjoy each other’s company, and welcome the young women and their stories back from their adventures.
Herstory: Sisters of the Forest (previously known as Women of the Forest) began in 2003. Our graduates are all over the world doing wonderful things and many of them have kept in touch with friends that they made in this program. (and will be guest mentors during the program, throughout the year!) Many alumni have written Testimonials found at the bottom of this page.
Julie and LIz are so excited to continue this Earth Arts Girls Program this year!
Mentors
Lead Mentors will be Julie Nichols Kulik and Liz Jesch. Click here to learn more about Liz and Julie. A variety of other mentors will be joining us including alumni girls and Mama Bears.
Location
We will mostly be meeting in at Earth Art’s home base at Frosty Hollow in Slaterville Springs, approximately 20 minutes East of Ithaca, NY. Detailed directions will be provided upon registration. We may occasionally meet at other locations.
2022-2023 Dates
The following Saturdays, 12pm-6pm:
- October 1
- November 5
- December 3
- January 14
- February 4
- March 4
- April 1
- May 6
- June 3/4 (overnight)
Program Fee
The package: 9 sessions with 1 overnight
Early Bird price (before Sept 1): $475
Registrations postmarked after August 5: $500-$600 (sliding scale)
The Mama Bear program: Free if daughter is in program, otherwise $25/session.
Payment plans available, just ask.
Sign up with a sibling or a friend and each qualifies for 10% discount.
Payments made to paypal, julieinthewoods@gmail.com is ideal, or send check to:
Earth Arts, PO Box 596, Ithaca, NY 14851
Please go to the Registration Tab of the Earth Arts website and fill out the Registration Forms.
Note: Any payment made above the minimum payment goes directly into our scholarship fund.
A Note about COVID-19
This program will be limited to 12 children, with 2 instructors, and is mostly held outdoors, with some indoor studio time. Masks are optional as of August, 2022.