OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Exploring worldthe Beyond the classroom

BY Laura Boudens

Elementary physical education and experimental education learning leader

The outdoors are experiential in nature. Just as every living organism grows in relation to its environment, the same is true of a child exploring the world beyond their classroom. The more our students and teachers learn about the outdoors, the more we all realize just how many vital lessons the beautiful and diverse landscape of the StrathconaTweedsmuir School (STS) campus has to offer. When COVID-19 created restrictions as to when, where, and how our outdoor schools could proceed, we took a moment to reflect both on those options immediately available to us and what outdoor experiential learning really means to our students. Rather than seek a camp in the distance, we chose the path less traveled — and found a new appreciation for the wilderness right on our doorstep. Students in all Elementary School grades had the incredible opportunity to learn outside as part of “outdoor school”. Outdoor school is about building a connection: to nature, to our studies, to each other, and to ourselves. From science to literacy to art, our outdoor activities are designed to complement what is learned in the classroom, and they provide a safe environment in which students can exercise their bodies, brains, and inquisitive spirit. Not only does outdoor school help to inspire an appreciation for nature, it also empowers each child to determine what personally motivates them to get outside. Do they enjoy being outdoors with social interaction? Are they visual learners? Perhaps they prefer solitude? Is it the challenge of reaching the summit that drives them, or the promise of the view they’ll enjoy at the top? The Grade 6 unit on Trees and Forests presented a perfect opportunity for students to discover a link between the words and images in their textbooks and the realities of the natural world. With input and guidance from Parks Canada and the Palisades Centre in Jasper, students were each given an aluminum tray in which they built a matchstick forest. Based on the density and positioning of their ‘trees’, the wind, and the contours of their constructed landscape, children were able to observe and analyze the outcome of a simulated lightning strike or human-caused fire on their plot of land. Questions are encouraged in every situation: ‘What sorts of things can we use wood for? Could deforestation become an issue? How do you feel about that?’ Reflection remains a core tenet of outdoor experiential learning. This year, in the spirit of reconciliation, we asked our Grade 4 students to describe those things that they feel best represent Canada. Hockey was immediately brought up, which allowed us to reflect on the First Nations origins of our national sport, as well as how Indigenous traditions and culture have helped shape our national identity as a whole. STS has been working to build meaningful connections with First Nations and Metis in our area, and we were most fortunate to have the opportunity to gain a new historical perspective from local Elders and Knowledge Keepers, who taught us the importance of official land acknowledgments and why our school includes them in our activities. Out of reflection comes appreciation, and our students have had many opportunities to learn what it truly means to be stewards of the land. The planet on which we live is a gift; one that we must preserve and protect for

Tfuture generations, much as First Nations did for millennia before our arrival to this continent. To further illustrate this lesson, we created a visual timeline along Buchan Boulevard with a scale of 50 years to every step. Students were amazed that the oldest evidence of Indigenous peoples in Canada stretched the length of the field, while European settlers and their descendants occupied only the last ten steps. It was an eye-opening experience for all. One of my favourite aspects of outdoor school is that it gives each child a chance to learn from and adapt to their surroundings at their own pace, especially as part of a nature solo. Students take their clipboards and find a quiet spot from which they can observe and ponder the world around them. Some choose to write, others to draw. Dandelion petals and mud from a rock are shaped into quill and ink when a pencil is forgotten in the classroom. It serves as one more reminder that nature has countless lessons to share — we just have to learn how to see and hear its wisdom.

“Not only does outdoor

school help to inspire an appreciation for nature, it also empowers each child to determine what personally motivates them to get outside, contributing to their overall well-being.

BY Bruce Hendricks FORMER dIRECTOR OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION

As we ‘celebrate our past’ and engage in ‘creating our future’ we inevitably do so from the present vantage point. It is important not to miss the value of where we are at the moment (place), who we are here with (people), and what we are engaged in (experience).A

When Sandy Heard envisioned the origins of the modern

STS outdoor program in 1971 (as contrasted with the outdoor activities that occurred at the various founding schools), he said, “I didn’t really have a plan all the way along. I wanted it to happen and I had these wonderful people around me — the teachers and the Board — and

I kept getting inspirational ideas from them… It became apparent that the OE program accomplished more than simply giving students confidence in their physical abilities, it carried over to their mental processes as well.”

Quality people, working toward a common vision, have always been the centerpiece of the Outdoor Education (OE) program at STS. In reading through trip reports from various 1970s excursions it is obvious how much things have changed, and yet how much they have stayed the same. Risk tolerance has definitely decreased, and the

importance of safety has increased, as I would say it has across the board in outdoor programs. But, the profound imprint on students from experiences shared with peers and teachers has remained very much the same.

The last three COVID-impacted years have definitely tested our ability to ‘adapt and adjust’. Our campus, the campsites, trails, and pond, have all been used to a greater extent than previously. We, the people of the outdoor program, from across all departments and levels (Elementary, Middle, and Senior School faculty and staff, parents, and students) have been able to create programs to address similar outcomes as in ‘normal’ years by leveraging locations closer to home. If modeling is the most effective form of teaching, then we have not only been adapting programs, but we have also been ‘teaching’ students one of the key life skills we’re trying to help them develop; adaptability.

Right here, in the now, people are tired, stretched and, I hope, a little proud of what we have been able to create and what we have persevered through (another life skill). The sense of gratitude I feel for these people, places, and experiences is overwhelming to the point of tears sometimes. We’ve been through a lot together. It is a fabulous crew I have had the privilege to work with.

As we look to the future we stand on a strong foundation and a rich history, but nothing is ever guaranteed. We can always improve, refine, and get better, but we also acknowledge that where and who we are is worthy of celebrating. As we continue on the path we take the lessons learned through some hard and challenging times and look to applying those experiences to create the future. The values and purpose remain the same, but methods, locations, people, and parameters change.

The outdoor world provides an awe-inspiring, engaging and exacting place to ‘be in the now’. The experiences we have there can yield learning and significance far beyond the particular place, time, and group of people; watching the clouds float slowly overhead on a warm summer afternoon, the endless, mesmerizing pattern of flames in a campfire, the first site of distant, snow-covered peaks as we crest the top of a backcountry pass, the intensity of focus while paddling a rapid or pulling the crux move on a climb. “Be here” they say, “part of this moment’s value and beauty is in the fact that it is fleeting, get preoccupied with the past or the future and you’ll miss it.”

““We have also been

‘teaching’ students one of the key life skills we’re trying to help them develop; adaptability.”

Ski Week 1992

Bruce Hendricks

As I look to retirement and transition out of the OE program after 15 years (I originally committed to three years; not quite sure what happened there!) I am gratified to hand leadership over to Mr. Dale Roth who has deep and rich history with outdoor programs at STS.