Outdoor School
A 6th Grade Adventure
Ask
just about any 7th grader what was their
favorite event of 6th grade, and they will
say “Outdoor school!”
Outdoor school is the big
event of the 6th grade, and everyone
approaches it with a bit or excitement and a bit of
trepidation.
For five days and four
nights, the students participate in a series of
educational and teambuilding activities away from home.
No homework. No home. No parents. For many students and
for many parents, this is the first time the children
have been away from home and away for so long.
The Big Week begins Monday
morning. A couple of hundred excited students along with
their baggage assemble at school for the bus ride to the
camp. After some amount of semi-controlled chaos, the
last good-byes are said, the buses fill up, and worried
parents wander away to the day’s activities.
The program is conducted by
“Exploring New Horizons” at the YMCA camp at Loma Mar in
the Santa Cruz Mountains (http://www.exploringnewhorizons.org/lm_prog.html).
More than 50 schools in six counties take advantage of
their program each year.
There is plenty of
supervision at the camp. ENL has its own permanent staff
who oversee the week and do the teaching. In addition,
the advisory teachers from Creekside and Canyon go with
the students and meet with them each day.
At the camp, boys and girls
live in separate “villages.” Each cabin of 8-10 students
and a high school student counselor eat, sleep, and
participate in the week’s activities together. Before
camp, each student is allowed to request five roommates
and is guaranteed one pick. So they will always have at
least one good friend with them.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
are eaten in the dining facility. Each cabin has its own
table, and platters of food are brought to the table and
served family style. In addition, two snacks are
provided during the day at the activity sites.
The students are busy. There
are activities all day and evening with a little free
time thrown in too. The educational component is built
around three distinct ecosystems, the old-growth redwood
forest, the oak woodlands, and the tidal zones and
marshes of the nearby coast. The students explore each
of these areas, listening to the instructors and
participating in the instruction themselves. Every day
the students get a chance to conduct a small part of the
teaching for their friends. There’s room for plain old
fun too. The mud slide is a winner at every camp. The
students are hosed off afterwards. Evening activities
include campfires, singing, skits, and a dance called
the barnyard boogie.
The week can be a bit of
challenge for students who have never been away from
home for long periods. But the camaraderie of friends
and the great activities help make it enjoyable for
everyone.
In some ways, it’s more of a
challenge for the parents at home. It may be the first
time many of us have no had our children at home for a
week. Last year, during one of the Creekside weeks, we
had some serious rainstorms and even some thunder. We
parents were left to wonder and worry, but the children
were safe and sound.
Be aware that the only
communication (except for emergencies) with the students
is by mail! So remember to put some letters in the mail
early for your student.
Friday comes quickly, and
it’s all over but the memories and a student who comes
home a little more mature for having lived without
parents for a week.
Outdoor school really is one
of the highlights of middle school, and we are fortunate
that Creekside and Canyon make such an investment in
this terrific program.
