Howling Homeschoolers in the North Woods: Fun, Friends, and Family at Winter Camp

By Gretchen Glenny Damon
Issue 117, March-April 2003

Dogsledding, finding the biggest icicle, and howling like a wolf are not 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 1999, Camp du Nord is adjacent to the million-acre wilderness of the 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've ever done," says Houghton. He feels there is a kind of mystique to the event, and the dogs have a lot to do with it - once hooked up to a sled, they become frenetic, jumping straight up in the air, howling and whining until given permission to run. At that point they go silent, focused on their job of pulling the sled. This is a form of transportation that requires no motor but relies heavily on trust between a team of dogs and their musher.

The second most requested activity, says Houghton, is the sauna. In a tiny wooden building at the top of a ramp extending into the lake is a traditional Finnish sauna, complete with a wood-burning stove that heats a room to more than 150 degrees F. Clad in bathing suits, families scrunch together, chatting, singing, and sweating. Waiting outside for them is a hole in the ice covering the lake. A brave participant exits the sauna and - steam wafting from his or her body - sprints down the ramp to the hole, where two strong staff members each grab an arm and quickly dip their charge in and out of the chilly water. You can imagine the gasps and squeals echoing across the tundra.

Anne Gregory-Bjorklund, who homeschools her son, Willy, appreciates the camaraderie she feels during the week at Camp du Nord. "It's nice to have the support of people doing the same thing I am," she says. "The fellowship is quite wonderful." Robyn Cook, who has participated with her husband and two children since 1999, also enjoys the affirmation she finds at camp. "Our friendships grow each year. We get more open with each other and more comfortable. Besides homeschooling issues, it's nice to talk about ordinary parenting stuff, like what to look for in the teenage years." A week at the camp also provides these families with a break from routine. Gregory-Bjorklund, who is responsible for the bulk of Willy's instruction, appreciates the chance her husband gets to be more involved. "During the year, it's mostly moms and kids. Here, it's nice for dads to have a different dimension."