The week was a busy one, as we we madly prepared for the ‘Learn to Camp – Gulf Islands’ program that took place on Saturday. It is through a partnership with MEC, and the purpose is to have a fun, informative workshop about camping, some tips and tricks, as well as promoting Parks Canada. This year, they did something new and exciting – “A taste of camping”. The workshop was focused on the variety of food that one could cook in a campsite. We made everything from berry crisp, bannock, burritos, smores, ice cream, coffee, and cornbread in orange peels. The information that we provided, other than culinary, ranged from the services that Parks Canada provides, fire safety, keeping your campsite clean, packing a camping backpack and an invasive species scavenger hunt.
There was a lot of cool camping information that I was able to learn, which was exciting as I was able to build my own personal schema. However, the rich learning experience came from the flexibility of the program, and how that affected my planning. My station was preparing crisp and hand painting. This was an interesting learning curve, as the program was entirely drop in. I realized that in school, although you are able to do stations, often your activities are much more scheduled, and the students don’t have the option to leave a craft abandoned halfway through! I had to ensure that my explanations were short enough that the participants were able to catch on, yet long enough to fully explain the activity.
I was able to really experience the full range of comfortability in the woods, and this bit of information is something that I will be bringing back to my classroom. As I am an advocate of taking students outdoors, understanding that every student will have different comfortability level within the woods, as well as how to deal with the different levels, is definitely key to bringing your students outdoors. As well, I learned about the different styles of activities that would engage students.
I am looking forward to the adventures of this week and weekend of CFE!
What a fun experience. Who were the families that came to the program? I used to take it for granted that everyone camped, and it wasn’t until I was a teacher that I realized many of my students had really never spent any time in nature other than neighbourhood parks. For the most part they were fine until they had to use a pit toilet – that put some of them over the edge. Reading about yours, Cheryl’s, Sacha’s, Darrien’s and Megan’s experiences with experiential, outdoor learning, it has reemphasized how powerful getting outside is for both the students and teachers. Finding the balance between directed and undirected experiences is also a common theme. I wonder too how teachers in very urban areas can take their students outside and offer outdoor experiences on a regular basis.