Roll up your sleeves and get dirty during this hands-on week of real ranch life. Ranch hands are involved in all aspects of the ranch including animal care, gardening and plenty of fun! This week will be filled with awesome field trips to other local agriculture producers and will culminate with a ranch sleepover. Your group will cook delicious meals, sleep under the stars, and assist ranch staff with evening and morning chores.
Schedule for the week:Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
The forest ecosystems affected by the 2018 Lake Christine Fire have many stories to tell. We will focus on the ecological and regeneration/recovery stories of the now burned forest ecosystems as well as the underlying climate-related history we have in this valley. Based out of Rock Bottom Ranch, participants will spend time investigating the burn zones in order to collect footage and reveal stories of the forest four years after the fire. Students will share their discoveries through digital storytelling and artistic representation.
*To properly prepare for the class, participants must bring their own iPad, iPhone, tablet, or smartphone with a working camera. We expect that participants are familiar with their own device and bring it in a sturdy, protective case along with a charger.Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Join us for a week of immersion into the world of discovery and storytelling! Dive into the stories our landscapes are telling us and the role humans and animals play in those stories. From geologic mysteries to forest adventures, participants will explore the relationships between humans and landscapes through observation, adventure, games, and storytelling. Everything is interconnected! Through stories, participants will try to answer the question, "How can we be the best stewards of our land?"
Schedule for the week:
Monday-Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Rock Bottom Ranch
Thursday: Meet at Rock Bottom Ranch at 9:30 a.m. ready with all overnight gear
Friday: Pick-up is at Rock Bottom Ranch at 12 p.m.
Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Are you ready to face the challenges you'll find outside? Come learn lifelong naturalist and survival living skills like how to make friction fire, identify edible and medicinal plants, build a fishing rod, and acquire basic survival techniques of shelter, water, fire, and food! You’ll test your skills on expeditions during this week of adventuring around and beyond Rock Bottom Ranch, and will culminate with an overnight camping adventure of your own at the ranch!
Schedule for the week:
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Rock Bottom Ranch
Thursday: Meet at Rock Bottom Ranch at 9:30 a.m. ready with all overnight gear
Friday: Pick-up is at Rock Bottom Ranch at 12 p.m.
Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Nature is its own living breathing organism with lots of stories to tell if we are listening. Come for a week at Rock Bottom Ranch to tune into our senses and open our hearts to nature’s wonders. By exploring poetry and short story writing, students will engage with nature in a new way. The week will include writing workshops, reading poetry, observing nature closely, and drawing/sketching the outdoors. All levels of expertise are welcomed for this beginner level course.
Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Join us for a week of culinary and photographic adventures! Use the livestock and vegetables at Rock Bottom Ranch as your models and the nearby flower gardens, streams, trees, and plants as a spectacular backdrop. Learn what makes a good photograph, and examine photography's ability to capture and tell stories about the world around you. Meet local farmers and gain experience with all aspects of regenerative agriculture and ranch life. Using photography editing apps and professional printing services, you'll choose feature images and create your own book. Be the artistic director, artist and editor all-in-one while telling the story of regenerative agriculture at the ranch - from farm to table. This exciting week will culminate with the opportunity for budding cooks and photographers to sleep over at the ranch on Thursday night, prepare a healthy, seasonal dish in the RBR kitchen or over the fire, and take photos of the night sky!
Schedule for the week:
Monday-Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Rock Bottom Ranch
Thursday: Meet at Rock Bottom Ranch at 9:30 a.m. ready with all overnight gear
Friday: Pick-up is at Rock Bottom Ranch at 12 p.m.
Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Birds, bees, butterflies, bats and beetles—what do they all have in common? All of these creatures are powerful pollinators. Without them, wildflowers wouldn't bloom, and fruits and veggies wouldn't find their way from our farms to our tables. Find out why these creatures have such a special relationship with the plants they pollinate and explore the important connections between pollinators and our food through a variety of art projects. Field trips, guest appearances and plenty of exploration will add zest to this exciting week of science and art!
Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Make new discoveries this summer at ACES! You and your fellow adventurers will investigate biomimicry, nature’s architects, natural materials, and more during this week-long class. Uncover mysteries of the natural world through investigations, field exploration, and expert knowledge. We will start the week by constructing our own Research Toolkit with the goal of becoming an expert research team, ready to take on any challenge! Get ready to observe, document, discover, and interpret the world around you by gathering data to increase your knowledge of nature.
Schedule for the week:
Monday-Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at Rock Bottom Ranch
Thursday: Meet at Rock Bottom Ranch at 9:30 a.m. ready with all overnight gear
Friday: Pick-up is at Rock Bottom Ranch at 12 p.m.
Participants must be entering grades 5 to 8.
Our middle school week-long day camps or overnight trips seek to inspire young adults to gain confidence in the outdoors, instill curiosity, develop leadership styles and explore their interests, while making new friends and creating their own adventures in the Roaring Fork Valley. ACES' environmental educators will be your guides for hands-on learning experiences at our sites and beyond!
Please contact Aspen Center for Environmental Studies if you have any questions.