THREE OAKS OUTDOOR SCIENCE SCHOOL
Day & Night Activities
ON THE TRAIL
During the week, students will be participating in five easy to moderate hikes. The hikes will be lead by trained naturalists with assistance from cabin leaders. Since safety is a priority on the trail, hikers are lead in a safe manner with staff trained and outfitted to respond to any emergency. During the intro hike, students are evaluated on their hiking skills, ability to work as a team and prior knowledge of the forest environment. On the subsequent days’ hikes, botany, zoology/life science, geology, ecology, and physical science lessons will be taught, supplemented with outdoor games and activities to reinforce the learning.
EVENING ACTIVITIES
There are four evening activities planned during the week for the campers. During a five day program a “line” dance (not a boy/girl dance) is scheduled for the first or second night. A night hike is conducted on both Tuesday and Wednesday. One evening Astronomy will be taught, discussing the constellations and planets. On the second night, the students learn about nocturnal animals and participate in a sensory night walk. The last evening, Thursday, is the traditional skit night where the students present skits and songs.
CABIN TIME
The students have planned cabin time each day. The time is for writing letters home, making journal entries, creating a banner for their cabin, working on their skits, playing indoor games or simply resting.
ARROWHEAD NECKLACES
On the first day, we will give a presentation on the story of the ARROWHEAD – what the history is, how it pertains to us and how we find them in nature. We then give each student a leather arrowhead and a piece of yarn. They color their name on the arrowhead with a design if they wish. The kids wear them as identification all week. The kids earn beads as a source of positive reinforcement while at camp.
CAMP DINING
At Three Oaks Outdoor Science School, we have assigned seating in the dining hall. Each table has one adult, including teachers. We serve vegetarian options and will provide a substitute for kids with food allergies. The food is well balanced and tasty to the likes of elementary age. Our menu is geared for “all-you-can-eat”. We do not believe in wasting food and therefore we do a study on both solid and liquid waste called “OORTOLOGY”. If the entire dining group has minimal solid and liquid waste, they will earn an OORT bead. OORT stands for “Outstanding Organic, Recyclable Tidbits.”
SINGING
Students participate in group singing after every breakfast. Students learn camp songs that are sometimes remembered by parents. The staff leads the kids in about 15-20 minutes of songs. Singing is fun and builds a sense of unity among the campers.