Field exploration at the beach
Farm Day 2025
Learning to build fires
DIY Radio Communicators Workshop
Solar 101 Workshop
Solar 101 - Motors and panels
DIY Bike Trailer

Journal

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Latest updates from Waterbear Field School

Designing a Supercapacitor Battery Model

Designing a Supercapacitor Battery Model

Designing a simple supercapacitor circuit that models battery charging and discharging on a fast, observable timescale — and doubles as a crank-powered flashlight for workshops.

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Workshops

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Our workshops are typically held outdoors, in most weather. Pricing, format, and location vary by workshop and by teacher. Click on a workshop below to find out more!

📡 Communication
Recurring
Greater Boston
Mesh Radio

Mesh Radio

Introduction to decentralized radio communication that works without cellular service or internet.

Recently

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Here are some workshops we've held in the past, and may offer again soon. Click through to see photos and details!

⚡ Energy
Workshop
October 2025
Belmont, MA
Solar 101 at Beaver Brook

Solar 101 at Beaver Brook

Introduction to off-grid solar power - experimenting with panels, batteries, and motors

Projects

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Ongoing projects and upcoming workshops. If you'd be interested to attend (or teach) any of them — or have ideas for other projects — please reach out!

info@waterbearfieldschool.org

🚲 Transport
Future Workshop
Bike Maintenance Basics

Bike Maintenance Basics

Learn essential bike maintenance and repair skills for keeping your bicycle in top condition
🔧 Fabrication
Future Workshop
Build & Repair Meetup

Build & Repair Meetup

A hands-on workshop developing repair and fabrication skills for small farms and small-scale food production
🌱 Food
Future Workshop
Building a Cob Oven

Building a Cob Oven

Build an outdoor clay oven for baking bread, pizza, and more using ancient techniques. (Image: Wikipedia)
🔧 Fabrication
Future Workshop
Cardboard Fabrication

Cardboard Fabrication

Build creative structures from cardboard using a solar-powered nibbler and kid-safe tools
🌬️ Air
Future Workshop
DIY Air Filtration

DIY Air Filtration

Learn how to build and assess simple, low-cost, effective DIY air purifiers.
🚲 Transport
Future Workshop
DIY Bike Trailers

DIY Bike Trailers

Build a low-cost cargo bike trailer from readily-available hardware store materials
🌬️ Air
Future Workshop
DIY CO2 Monitoring

DIY CO2 Monitoring

Building a low-cost DIY CO2 monitor with graphing and local storage
🌱 Food
Future Workshop
DIY Cold Frames

DIY Cold Frames

Build a cold frame from reclaimed windows for season extension gardening
🔧 Fabrication
Future Workshop
DIY Printing Press

DIY Printing Press

Create your own printing blocks and print custom designs on paper
🌡️ Heating/Cooling
Future Workshop
Heating Small Spaces Off-Grid

Heating Small Spaces Off-Grid

Learn to estimate energy needs for heating tiny homes, animal shelters, and off-grid spaces using hands-on experiments and basic heat transfer principles.
🔧 Fabrication
Future Workshop
Intro to Sandcasting

Intro to Sandcasting

Learn the ancient art of casting metal objects using sand molds. (Image: Wikipedia)
💧 Water
Future Workshop
Making Biochar Water Filters

Making Biochar Water Filters

Build a low-cost water filtration system using locally-produced biochar. (Image: Kearns et al, 2023)
🎨 Arts & Crafts
Future Workshop
Wire Sculpture

Wire Sculpture

Create 3D forms from wire using techniques inspired by artists like Ruth Asawa and Ariel Matisse. (Image: Wikipedia)

Foundations

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We're building a comprehensive curriculum for practical resilience - foundations covering the essential systems that sustain households and communities.

🌬️
Air
🎨
Arts & Crafts
📡
Communication
⚡
Energy
🔧
Fabrication
🌱
Food
🌡️
Heating/Cooling
🏠
Shelter
🚲
Transport
💧
Water