Wild Child: A Family Primitive Skills Gathering

Wild Child is a three-day family camping gathering for families who want their children to step away from screens, take appropriate risks, and develop confidence through practical outdoor skills, shared responsibility, and community life.

This is a whole-family experience. Families camp together, learn together, and participate in the full rhythm of the weekend. It is not a drop-off program.

Wild Child exists in response to the strain many families feel from overscheduled, device-centered lives. This gathering offers a different pace. One where kids use their hands, build real skills, and experience what it feels like to belong to a functioning, intergenerational community, even if only for a weekend.

What the weekend is like

Families arrive Friday evening and set up camp. Tents are spread throughout the property in view of the central activity areas, creating a village-like layout where children feel safe moving between camps, sessions, and shared spaces.

Each day follows a clear rhythm with scheduled activities. All sessions are opt-in, though participation is strongly encouraged. At certain times, families and children may choose between two or three concurrent sessions. Shared spaces, including the ancestor fire, remain available throughout the day as places to rest, talk, and observe.

During the busiest parts of the day, small groups may be engaged in tool making, wilderness herbalism, or fire-based skills, while others sit nearby listening to informal storytelling from experienced mentors. Children move through the space with increasing confidence and independence. Parents may participate directly, observe from nearby, or support from the edges.

Everyone is outside. Everyone shares the same environment.

Skills and activities may include

• Survival and bushcraft fundamentals
• Primitive hunting skills and projectile use
• Animal processing and respectful use of resources
• Wood-fired and open-fire cooking
• Nature-based crafting and tool making
• Outdoor awareness, tracking, and self-reliance

All instruction is age-appropriate, consent-based, and led by instructors experienced in outdoor and living-skills education with children. Tools and fire are introduced with care and safety as central priorities.

Parents are expected to supervise their children when they are not in instructor-led sessions.

What’s included

• Three days and two nights of guided programming and shared community life
• Instructor-led sessions in primitive and living skills
• Access to shared learning spaces, including the ancestor fire
• Communal breakfasts and dinners throughout the weekend
• Experienced instructors and mentors trained in outdoor education and working with children
• A small, intentional group size capped at 50 total participants, including staff

What’s not included

• Camping gear, including tents, sleeping bags, and personal supplies
• Lunches. A taco stand will be available on site for purchase each day
• Childcare or drop-off supervision
• Transportation to and from the site
• Partial attendance. Families are expected to attend the full gathering

Cost and registration

Every person ages 6 and up who attends must be registered.

Early Bird Registration Fee: $250 per person before February 28th

Standard Registration Fee: $300 per person

Children ages 5 and under attend free

The registration fee supports:

• All guided programming and instructor-led sessions
• Shared learning spaces and communal infrastructure
• Communal breakfasts and dinners
• Use of the property for the duration of the gathering
• A small group size that allows for hands-on instruction and mentorship

Lunches are not included.

Registrations are limited and non-transferable.

Who this gathering is for

Wild Child is well suited for families who:

• Enjoy camping and want a deeper outdoor experience
• Want their children to build practical skills that support meaningful time outdoors
• Appreciate hands-on learning rooted in real responsibility
• Believe risk-taking, within limits, is an important developmental skill
• Feel overscheduled and want to step into a slower, more grounded rhythm
• Have children, especially boys, who benefit from positive masculine mentorship delivered through skill, responsibility, and presence

Who this gathering is not for

This gathering may not be a good fit for families who:

• Need clearly defined academic learning objectives for every activity
• Prefer clean, highly controlled environments
• Want a drop-off program rather than a whole-family experience
• Expect to arrive late, leave early, or miss large portions of the weekend

The shared rhythm of the gathering matters.

What families often notice afterward

After the weekend, many parents notice their children are:

• More interested in spending time outdoors
• Calmer and more present
• Less focused on screens
• Proud of what they can do
• More capable and independent
• Curious about tactile, offline hobbies
• More socially aware within a group

About the gathering

Wild Child is led by Kayan Cajudo, founder of Cypress River Outdoor Education. He believes that one of the biggest challenges facing children today is mental health in a fast-paced, device-driven world.

His work centers on helping children and families reconnect with physical competence, real-world skill, and a sense of belonging within community. This gathering is a brief opportunity to live inside those values and experience a different way of being together for a weekend.