Natural Building Course & Kid's Camp in Costa Rica

This course focuses on building with Cob, Wattle and Daub, constructing Rocket Stoves and finishing with Earthen Plasters. Participants will experience a mixture of theoretical and hands-on learning from experienced facilitators.

Apply soon, positions are limited!!!

Our CREATIVE KID’S CAMP extension offers the opportunity for families to come and learn Natural Building, while vacationing in Costa Rica. The Creative Kid’s Camp is a guided interactive program that focuses on creative expression, nourishing foods, activities and games that support a connection with self, nature, and natural building.

Optional: We are offering an additional 2-week SUSTAINABLE BUILDING INTERNSHIP for students that may want to go deeper into their learning experience, continue to refine their techniques learned in the course and ground the lessons into an embodied understanding.

DATES

NATURAL BUILDING COURSE & CREATIVE KID’S CAMP

Jan. 9th-19th, 2014



NATURAL BUILDING INTERNSHIP

Jan 20th – Feb 2nd
(sundays off)

LOCATION
The Fruition Center for Holistic Ecology

Finca fruicion
600m north of the school in San Agustin, Peréz Zeledón, San José, Costa Rica


EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We believe that the most efficient way to learn is to “do”, especially when it comes to sculpting with earth. By offering hands-on learning opportunities, students are able to fully and comprehensively understand how to design and build using renewable and biodegradable local resources. Natural Building uses a blend of ancient wisdom and modern thought, to create beautiful, low impact, and strong structures. Students will experience working with different phases of construction, as well as, build a rocket stove. Through this, students gain an understanding of how to design and build a whole structure.



HANDS-ON-PROJECTS:

Rocket Stove: Sculpting a wood-burning stove for the community kitchen. This is a high-efficiency stove design that creates a secondary burn of the gases released by the wood, and releases little to no emissions.
Wattle and Daub Wall: Using sticks to form a lattice (grid), which is then filled using an earthen mix.
Cob Wall: Working with a mixture of sand, clay, and fiber to mold a wall with artistic accents of recycled glass bottles and other items.
Earthen Plasters: Interior & exterior earth and lime plasters.
Artistic Touches: Sculpting with cob, bottles, and textures to form graceful & functional works of art.



THEORY AND PRESENTATION:

Rocket Stove thermal dynamics
Making the appropriate earthen mixes for different uses and techniques
Natural Building as a tool for cultivating community


COURSE FACILITATORS

Eva Wimmer

Eva is originally from Austria, where she finished her Studies of International Development with focus on Latin America. Her student time took her to rural Oaxaca, Mexico, where she studied indigenous organization, learned about organic coffee and corn production. Then she found out about traditional adobe construction, dry toilets, and greywater systems in a region where water is a scarce resource. Eva sees Natural Building as a way of building community, working in a team, and creating something functional and beautiful out of simple materials. She has cultivated a lot of experience with Natural Building and Permaculture as a way of life.
http://buildconnections.org/author/evakefa/

Josh Roxendal

Josh started his permaculture journey by building a demonstration site, where he hosted volunteers, ​​grew veggies, farmed bees, designed and built infrastructure. Now he travels around the world building efficient stoves, consulting and teaching Permaculture and Natural Building. After having been an apprentice in Eco – Construction, Joshua has dedicated a lot of time to Rocket Stoves (efficient wood stoves) and Natural Building. He believes that Permaculture and the search for a healthy lifestyle in harmony with nature is the foundation for his work.

http://permakultur.ihop.nu & (youtube): http://www.youtube.com/user/joxrosh/videos


CREATIVE KID´S CAMP


This camp focuses on inspiring children to explore themselves and local ecosystems through observation, creative expression and cooperation. They too will be co-creators of their very own natural building project, in which they will design and build a fort, gaining playful hands-on experience in natural building. Fun activities such as Capoeira, Super Hero Yoga, planting, harvesting, and more will all be integrated in their overall experience.

We will begin the mornings with story walks that explore reading nature, exercise, and imagination. We will then focus on engaging educational activities, that builds through the 9 days, to cultivate a holistic perspective of interacting with each other and the environment.

After lunch, quiet time will calm the children and nourish self-awareness, which then leads into wisdom stories from around the world, arts & crafts, and follows into natural building activities.

TUITION INVESTMENT



Course: $750 (Local Price: 200.000 colones)
Course + Internship: $975 (Local Price: 300.000 colones)
Creative Kid´s Camp: $300/student

*** SPECIAL EARLY BIRD OFFER – for registrations before Dec 8th ***

Natural Building Course: $650

Course + Internship: $ 875



INCLUDED:
- A valuable and entertaining educational experience!
- Covered Camping (bring your own camping gear/ hammock)

* Some dormitory beds may be available on a first reservation basis.
- Nourishing meals
- Pick-up/drop-off at San Isidro del General on January 9th & 19th
Cancellation

The course requires a minimum of 8 students, so if this number is not met, and a student has put down a deposit, then they have the option of having their money returned or putting the deposit towards a Natural Building Internship during the same time.

CONTACT

Cristina Moreira

education@TheFruitionCenter.com