4 Elements Earth Education / Fox Walkers - Nevada City, California

Tracey Stirling

My son whom is now 19 attended and eventually interned at Fox Walkers pretty much from its’ inception for approximately 7or 8 years. My daughter who now interns has been attending off and on for over 5 years. This has by far been one of both my kid’s favorite things to do. In a culture that is sorely lacking in healthy risk taking and challenging but gentle boundary pushing activities for kids and especially teens, Fox Walkers has given my kids opportunities to grow in a myriad of ways. They have learned to know themselves beyond the doing thinking mind through awareness skills and sit spots. They have deepened their connection to and reverence for nature through spending long periods of time outdoors. They formed deep bonds with their instructors and peers through challenging their own boundaries as a group all the while being respected and given choice to sit out activities they didn’t feel ready for. My son at 19 has developed a deep confidence within himself due to his experiences at Fox Walkers that I could’ve never given to him alone. At 15 he did a 24 hour sit spot in a 4’ diameter circle with only a wool blanket and water. He has done many challenging survival treks since then and has the confidence to know he could survive in the wild with very little. As experienced teens they get the opportunity to intern and give back to the younger children and there is a beautiful interaction that happens between the younger and older children. I could go on and on about this program and really can’t say enough about what Fox Walkers has done for my children in helping them to become empowered, confident, reverent, self sufficient young adults.

Bea Fitz

If I could give it 0 stars, I would. The staff was absolutely scandalous and I felt extremely unsafe the whole time because of how absent-minded they were. When the children acted like savage beasts, the heedless staff egged them on and used their treacherous tomfoolery as entertainment. They had ill-advised children swimming in their hazardous pond that had menacing insects never seen before and
ludicrous amounts of trash in it. The staff gave the matured kids that had been going there for a while special advantages, and treated the rest like vermin. There were several nauseating schemes that the children and staff took part in, but perhaps the most horrifying was when the staff encouraged the children to embrace dirty animal rinds. Don’t send your child here unless you want them to become a bloodthirsty killer. I was sent here 3 years ago and it still haunts my nightmares. They even had the nerve to remove my educational review I wrote before.

natalie rishe

We love Fox Walkers! Our kids have been going year-round since they turned four and they are now 8 - and we don't see them ending their time with the program until they age out.

The program is NOT for everybody! You and your children have to really believe in the benefits of play, risk, and getting dirty on a child's development, confidence and health. In our family, these are our priorities and we're SO happy that we are a part of this community.

We send our kids with water, lunch, backpacks, good shoes and clothes for outdoor adventure and they go rain (or snow) or shine! They come home tired and filthy and confident, which is exactly how we like it 🙂

Jaclyn Evans

My kids as well as my husband and I have been taking classes here for three years. We have learned so much, met wonderful people and we love the land. Much thanks for 4eee

Ian Wolf

Truly a life changing program, foxwalkers cultivated a love for nature and the outdoors that I carry with me to this day.

Timothy Barfield