Camp – A Classroom Without Walls!

By Author: John Hawk
Total Articles: 2
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An outdoor education experience at camp provides students with a unique opportunity to live and learn together. Skill development and fun in a safe environment are incorporated into a curriculum based outdoor program. It's a chance for students to learn about nature, themselves and others, and gain knowledge unique to a hands-on classroom without walls. Camp is like a classroom without walls; it provides students with the exceptional opportunity to take the knowledge they gain in the classroom, and apply it in a hands-on, outdoor environment. A well developed outdoor education program can take students to the next level of learning and understanding! They develop confidence and leadership skills through curriculum-based activities that focus on team-building and environmental awareness. This hands-on learning experience is unique to a camp setting and not available in the traditional classroom.

In addition to curriculum based options, an outdoor education program includes the development of skills in various outdoor activities. These activities include: high ropes, canoeing, kayaking, low ropes challenges, astronomy, ...
... hiking trails, tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, archery, trampoline, wilderness skills, group initiative challenges, mountain biking and more. Not only do these activities provide opportunities to participate in outdoor physical activity, they are also designed to develop a student’s repertoire of life skills, such as independence, teamwork, co-operation and self-confidence.

Summer camp also fosters the development of leadership skills. Older campers are given the opportunity to mentor younger campers and carefully planned programs provide the chance for campers to further develop teamwork and communications skills. Each activity combines fun with the satisfaction of accomplishment.

Students who participate in an outdoor education program at camp gain skills to take back to their home communities. They are encouraged to take the lead, achieve their goals, and apply the knowledge acquired to projects at home. At camp anything is possible; they can conquer the climbing wall, stern the canoe or fly down the zip line! Some camps have a significant commitment to environmental sustainability in all aspects of facilities and program. They are mindful of the tremendous learning opportunity they have to educate students in respect for the natural world, understanding their impact upon it and taking action to use it wisely.

Outdoor education fosters and strengthens relationships between students at an accelerated rate, enriching their social experience for the entire school year. The safe and fun environment at camp allows students to create lasting memories while they learn to face new obstacles together, some of which they would never experience in a classroom. Workshops and activities teach students how to make positive choices for themselves, each other and the environment.

Author’s Bio-

Author is an expert in outdoor educational camp. he has over 55 years of educational summer camps experience and is currently the owner and director of a children’s summer camp and outdoor education center in Ontario . For more information about a quality outdoor education experience, visit www.gbcamp.com.