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Howling homeschoolers in the north woods: fun, friends, and family at winter camp. (Ways of Learning).

Article Excerpt
Dogsledding, hunting for the biggest icicle, and howling like a wolf aren't your typical classroom activities. They are, however, part of a unique homeschool program offered at the YMCA Camp du Nord, in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Situated just north of Ely, Minnesota (home of North Pole explorer Will Steger), the nonprofit Camp du Nord gives homeschooling families an annual opportunity to supplement their learning in the rich and beautiful textbook of the northern wilderness.

The young campers may not recognize the lessons as physics or mathematics, but that's exactly what they're getting: Building a luge run out of packed snow and ice is physics disguised as fun, while estimating the volume of water a giant icicle will produce is mathematics masquerading as entertainment.

Established in 1960, Camp du Nord is adjacent to the million-acre BWCA wilderness. During the "Home-School du Nord" program, families stay for five days, bunking in log cabins and eating in a dining hall on the shore of Lake Burntside. The family center, a large log cabin with a fireplace built of unworked stone, is the site for the opening campfire gathering. It is here that Larry Houghton, one of the program's leaders, helps the group plan its schedule.

Dogsledding is a perennial favorite among the campers. "It's so different from anything they have ever done," says Houghton. He feels there is a kind...