Our Top 10 Photos of 2018

Thanks to everyone who has made Off Grid Kids a success in 2018. Two years ago, this project began as a humble way to share my outdoor adventures with kids. Today, we're reaching over 10,000 people and launching a new book - How to Tell Stories to Children. If you've been touched by our work, please consider supporting this project. You'll be helping two teachers bring education out of the classroom and back to the earth.

Now, onto the photos...

That tiny spot of color is our kindergarten class in Bone Canyon, a small side canyon off the Rio Grande Gorge.

A view from inside Bone Canyon. These kids are shouting into the distance from Echo Rock. The cliffs in the distance provide an amazing 5-second delay crystal clear echo.

In the gorge, the Rio Grande below.

Along the Rio Grande.

In the Hondo Valley.

At Farmer Ron’s.

One of the things that makes outdoor education so rich is that it provides opportunities for the children to socialize, learn games and crafts, and sit quietly by oneself - all in the stretch of a day. There’s so much room in Mother Nature.

I love how this image captures the enormity and the intimacy of our days.

There are a number of curious holes in these boulders, some of which hold water for long periods of time when the earth is dry and bare. We sometimes find tadpoles inside. Look close and you will see petroglyphs on the rocks.

Bone Canyon in winter.

It’s time to admit that there are more than ten photos here. They’re just too good.

This is the most popular photo on Off Grid Kids.

Caroling in town before the winter break.

Chickens have been an enormous part of the school year, all the way from raising chicks, “chicken school”, collecting eggs, making chicken houses, and burying chickens killed by predators. All very real. Here, the kids rest with them during story time.

Carving has become a big part of our school days.

We sometimes lack for pencil sharpeners though.

On a windswept mesa, one tree makes all the difference.

Boys.

Spring!

What I love about this photo isn’t so much the tenderness with which these hands are holding two creatures, but the tenderness with which they are holding each other.

It’s a rope swing.

One of the most interesting moments of the year was when we discovered this ant carrying a tiny piece of selenite crystal back to it’s home.

This is also real.

This guy too.

Mother Nature.

The hay hanging in midair is mesmerizing.

Thanks to everyone who has supported Off Grid Kids in 2018!