2026 Buckeye Leadership Workshop Session Descriptions!
When you register for the workshop, you will choose one session for the morning and one session for the afternoon. You’ll attend the same two sessions for all four days of the workshop, giving you more than 7 hours of instruction in each of the topics you choose.
We try to balance the sessions among our five pillars: (1) Arts and Crafts; (2) Music, Song, and Dance; (3) Nature and Outdoor Education; (4) Experiential Education; and (5) Personal and Professional Development. Under the title of each session, you will see the pillar it falls under.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to attend a variety of participant-led sessions each afternoon between 4pm and 5pm each day. We call these mini sessions “4 to 5ers.”
Chris Cavert is the featured speaker at BLW 2026. Chris has been actively educating and team building with groups of all ages for more than 30 years. He is an author, speaker and professional trainer in the area of experiential adventure-based education focusing on how activities within this field help to develop and enhance pro-social behaviors and emotional intelligence – especially with youth populations. Currently he is working on being a full-time freelancer as the principal player and program developer of FUNdoing. Before embarking on his quest for a location-independent lifestyle as a freelance educator he was an assistant professor in the Health and Physical Education department at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.
2026 Morning Sessions
Experiential Education and Group Dynamics
Chris Cavert
Cost: $0 Limit: 20
Leading with Impact
Personal & Professional Development
Addie Weaver
Cost: $0 Limit: 20
This session is designed to help leaders elevate their impact by building stronger connections and navigating change with confidence. Participants will learn practical skills rooted in vulnerable leadership, emotional intelligence, and workplace love languages to better engage and support their teams. Through a relationship-first approach, leaders will explore how to manage themselves effectively while fostering trust and collaboration. Whether you're leading through transition or looking to inspire deeper engagement, this session will equip you with tools to lead with authenticity and purpose.
Dance Leadership
Music, Song, Dance
Tim Borton
Cost: $0 Limit: 24
Learn to dance in lines, circles, squares & pairs. Dances taught can easily be incorporated into your program with a few tips and tricks shared by the leader. Dancing has been a social recreational activity for countless years and is a great way to get people up and moving. You will want comfortable shoes as we will be up and dancing most of the time! If you want to learn to call a dance or two this is a great class to call your first dance.
Quilting 101
Arts and Crafts
Edie Dyke
Cost: $0 Limit 12
Quilting has been an art/crafts form for centuries but new methods and techniques have simplified our efforts.
In this class we will discuss all aspects involved in quilt making. You will become proficient with this easy- simple block so that you can duplicate to make the size quilt you desire.
Beaded Botanicals
Arts and Crafts
Ila Manderson
Cost: $15 Limit: 10
Get ready to craft the cutest plant that never needs watering! In this 4-day creative workshop, you’ll design and decorate your very own plant pot, then bead beautiful string plants that look like leafy vines, funky succulents, or wild jungle creations — all from colorful beads and string.
Each day, you’ll learn new skills like beading techniques, plant arrangement, and pot decoration, while bringing your own beaded botanical to life. Add your personal touch with mini decorations, plant tags, and plenty of creativity!
By the end of the week, you’ll take home a one-of-a-kind beaded plant that’s full of personality and perfect for display. No green thumb required — just imagination and a love for crafty fun!
Outdoor Cooking
Experiential Education and Group Dynamics
Christy Leeds and Gina Kolp
Cost: $25 Limit: 12
Open to novices and those with a bit of experience to share; we will learn techniques for Dutch Oven cooking, foil packs, and simple stick cooking. We’ll cook up recipes suitable for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts.
Melody Makers
Music, Song, and Dance
Larry Hall & Tim Reynolds
Cost: $0 Limit: 15
Do you find yourself tasked with getting a group going on songs. Have you lead groups in the past but are looking for new songs or ways to pull your program together? Larry Hall and Tim Reynolds are two Buckeye alumni who have learned in the song circles and taught how music can enhance your programs. Enjoy adopting various song leading styles, performance preparation and methods to inject music into your lives. We will look at setting the mood, sharing songs and gaining confidence in these skills.
Outdoor Potpourri
Nature and Outdoor Education
Aidan Stibora and Wylie Greeson
Cost: $25 Limit: 12
A Potpourri of Fun Outdoor Activities - nature based activities for your camps and outdoor programs.
2025 Afternoon Sessions
Experiential Education & Group Dynamics
Chris Cavert
Cost: $0 Limit: 20
Camp Counselor Toolkit
Personal and Professional Development
Amanda Raines, Molly Avers, and Katrina Nitz
Cost: $0 Limit: 20
This session will equip current and future camp counselors with a toolkit of engaging activities - ice breakers, crafts, STEM, dance, and more - that are fun, adaptable, and on-trend for today's campers. Each day will feature a TikTok Challenge, where teens will apply what they learned in the class to TikTok storytelling, DIY tutorials, and marketing pieces.
Handmade Journals
Arts & Crafts
Ashley Okel
Cost: $25 Limit: 12
We will make handmade paper by recycling discarded/used paper sources. Natural materials can also be added into our paper to personalize it even more. Once our sheets have been made, we will individually design and make our leather covers. Finally we will learn the sewing techniques needed and hand bind our paper and covers to complete a journal, ready to take home for newfound joyful uses!
Shut the Box Game
Arts & Crafts
Dave Kalkbrenner
Cost: $20 Limit: 10
Participants would make and take home their own Shut the Box game. This is a combination board/dice game suitable for all ages. Great game for kids to work with math skills, counting, etc.
Yarn Arts
Arts and Crafts
Amber Grundy
Cost: $5 Limit: 12
Yarn arts classes offer a variety of engaging projects using yarn, including loom knitting, finger knitting, crocheting, knitting, and pom-pom making. These classes can be fun for both youth and adults, and are a great way to explore different fiber art techniques. We will try different yarn crafts and talk about ways to bring these activities back to your programs.
Tabletop RPGs
Experiential Education & Group Dynamics
Katie Trout
Cost: $0 Limit: 8
Teaching tabletop roleplaying games, similar to Dungeons and Dragons, so they are quick and easy to implement in group dynamics. Would be great to bring back to camps, youth groups, friend or family game nights, school clubs, and more!
Melody Makers
Music, Song, and Dance
Larry Hall and Tim Reynolds
Cost: $0 Limit 15
Do you find yourself tasked with getting a group going on songs. Have you lead groups in the past but are looking for new songs or ways to pull your program together? Larry Hall and Tim Reynolds are two Buckeye alumni who love getting groups singing and creating community with music. Enjoy adopting various song leading styles, performance preparation and methods to inject music into your lives. We will look at setting the mood, sharing songs and gaining confidence in these skills.
Storybook Nature Class
Nature and Outdoor Education
Heather Quinones
Cost: $10 Limit: 25
Storybook nature class merges the idea of choosing your own adventure book with nature based tasks and team work. In this class you will run through 3 premade adventure books, deciding your own adventure and what tasks you choose to do. Each day we will process how it went, how you might incorporate this into your class, camp, or professional development. You will walk out with the 3 premade adventure books (at least one designed for the current site and 3 generic ones), and knowledge on how to create your own.