Aquatic Ecosystems – Each day of this intensive we will explore a different aquatic ecosystem. We will visit a bog, rivers, ocean, and streams. We will spend time outside hiking, collecting and analyzing water samples, and investigting each ecosystem. Be ready to spend time outside and learn more about how aquatic ecosystems are being impacted by climate change and human impact.

The Great Four Rivers Bake-Off – Have you always wanted to learn to bake? Do you want to spend four days covered in flour? Sign up for the Great Four Rivers Bake-Off! Learn to make breads, cakes, pastries, and more. Be prepared to work with partners, bake for long periods of time, clean up after yourself, and keep a positive attitude throughout. British accents optional.

Band Camp – Here’s an opportunity to play music that you love and even record in a studio. We’ll pick a small handfull of songs to perfect and spend our last day at Bear Swamp Studios in Ashfield to get a multitrack recording of ourselves. Absolutely all intruments are welcome.

Biking – Explore the excellent bicycling routes around Franklin County. We will embark each day from Four Rivers on a cycling ramble, mostly on roads with some gravel/dirt roads. We will pick a destination each day for lunch. We may also include a clinic on fixing a flat tire and other bike repair skills.

Book Writing, Making, and Illustrating – Do you dream of writing, illustrating, and making your very own book? Join us for a book writing intensive where we will visit the Eric Carle Museum, meet an author, draft our stories off campus in cafes, illustrate our ideas, and learn how to bind our own books. Choose your book’s genre: children’s book, allegory, short graphic novella, or pitch us your own short book idea. You don’t need to be an artist or writer – just willing to learn from experts and think creatively. We’ll supply the materials and workshops, you bring your inspiration!

Bridges and Ballistics – Engineering challenges. This is a great chance to build the next great device! We’ll be working with computerized design projects for a 1st day model bridge building contest. On the other 3 days, we’ll be designing, prototyping and constructing full sized pumpkin chuckers. Shopping trips to Home Depot and power tools will turn your prototype into a challenge-satisfying machine. Can you build a machine to throw a pumpkin at least 15 meters?

Disc Golf – We will spend our days playing disc golf at the various courses in the area. There will be time for lessons and to learn the game, but for most of our intensive we’ll be away from campus playing on courses. Discs will be provided, but feel free to bring any if you have them. Be ready to spend time outside regardless of the weather.

Ecoscapes – Water has been a way of life in the areas we live in for millenia. Our school’s name acknowledges this history and yet much of the way we carry out schooling in this country is done from a European and colonial approach. In this intensive we will travel to each of the four rivers of our school and engage with the natural history of our region from an Indigenous perspective, while learning and participating in local Indigenous cultures. We will work with local activist Rhonda Anderson who is Iñupiaq – Athabascan as well as Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Nipmuc, and artist-in-residence at the Ohketeau cultural center, as we hike, eat, play and shift our perspective on our relationship with the land and ourselves.

LARP (Live-Action Role Play) – Would you like to bask in a pristine waterfall of foam-padded glory? Have you ever dreamt of a staring down your foes with the Eye of the Liger before charging headlong into mock battle? Do you have some extra cardboard and duct tape sitting around your house? If you answered yes to any of these questions or giggled at the phrase “Eye of the Liger” you should probably be in the larping intensive. We will be bringing to life a carefully designed plot by some of Four Rivers’ own. Make sure you show up willing to play a part in this tale and improvise/act as your character to add to the sense of immersion.

Down for Anything – This intensive includes a variety of experiences in the area that MIGHT include art, food, music, service, adventure, nature, mindfulness…the list goes on! The one thing it won’t include is intense physical activity. Our goal is an accessible week filled with fun surprises in a variety of disciplines. You should be willing to go with the flow, collaborate with others, and be open to possibility.

Winter in the Whites – Head to the White Mountains for the winter experience of a lifetime! We’ll stay in the Highland Center in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire and spend our days hiking, exploring, reflecting, and playing team-building games, as well as eating a lot of food. You’ll learn the basics of Leave No Trace, map reading skills, and trail etiquette, as well as how to hike safely with a group. You’ll also learn how to layer appropriately for physical activity in all weather, since for this intensive, there’s no such thing as bad weather: only bad clothes. The Highland Center has a free L.L. Bean rental center where you can borrow some layers or hiking gear. This intensive involves being physically active but is open to all fitness levels. Focus will be on supporting each other and working together as a team.