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Natural classroom: Survivalist starts school to get kids outside


Chico resident Phillip Liebel survived the show “Alone: The Beast.”

Now, after seeing the fruits from his time literally living off the land in Canada, he’s starting a school for kids to get in touch with nature.

Planting the seed — Primitive Wilderness Survival is starting a home school program to connect youth with nature. Parents and kids interested in the program are invited to learn more Saturday from 10-2 p.m. at the hiking and biking trails at Northwest OHV Park in Bridgeport.

On Saturday, Primitive Wilderness Survival is hosting a free event to give a hands on preview to parents and kids for an outdoor home school program at the Bridgeport Endeavor OHV park hiking and biking trails.

The event is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

“Using nature as our classroom, we hope to help increase your child’s creativity, imagination and all-around cognitive abilities to further improve their academic performance,” Liebel said in the description of the program. “Nature is not only important for learning, but also to develop well-rounded individuals who have fewer behavioral issues and improved energy and focus.”

The program is meant to be utilized in conjunction with traditional home school curriculum. Math, science and reading is balanced with learning about nature, getting outdoors and exploring the landscape.

The inspiration for the program came from Liebel’s experience with primitive survival and his daughter’s ADHD diagnosis.

After arriving home from his time in Canada filming the show that’s now streaming on Hulu and Amazon, Liebel said he was struck by how much he changed from simply getting in touch with nature for an extended period of time. He also saw how getting outside helped his daughter’s focus.

After researching the benefits of time outside, and finding just a few hours a week can improve focus, anxiety and depression, Liebel wanted to share that opportunity with future generations.

“Since having kids, it’s become important to me to pass this on,” Liebel said. “It’s about sharing these skills and passing these skills on. There’s been a massive dying away of wilderness and primitive skills. Stuff that our grandparents could do without thinking about it, we’ve lost that. I think it’s important to pass that on.”

Liebel has been practicing primitive survival skills since he was 16. He has taught classes before, but now wants to focus on passing on skills and an appreciation and knowledge of nature to kids.

Phillip Liebel. Messenger photo by Austin Jackson

“The more I’ve researched, the more I’ve realized how it helped me and made me a better person,” Liebel said. “The more it helped, the more I wanted to share that aspect of it.”

The weekly home-school program is tailored to three age groups. “Tadpoles” for 5- and 6-year-olds, “Bobcats” for kids age 7 to 9, and “Wolves” for kids age 10 to 12.

The classes, which are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., three days a week, September through May cost $1,350 for the year or $150 a month.

Liebel said the lessons learned in an outdoor environment cannot be replicated in the classroom.

A typical outdoor home school day will include an unstructured hour of wilderness exploration under adult supervision. wilderness walks, scavenger hunts and various lessons about plants and wildlife in the area. Afterward, there’s lunch, games and arts and crafts, all tied together by a focus on nature.

“It really helps kids to connect with nature, and in turn, they connect better with themselves and others,” Liebel said. “And that helps build community.”

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