Outdoor education forms a key part of the New Zealand Curriculum. Values, key competencies and achievement objectives from specific learning areas, such as Health, Science and Physical Education, can be effectively learned and assessed through well-planned camping experiences. Improved social skills are one of the bonuses of attending a well run School Camp. Children need to interact with each other in a different setting and different environments to help improve their social skills. Spending 8 hours a day at school is one thing but eating meals together, travelling together and sharing accommodation together teaches children the worth of working together and treating others with respect.
There have many occasions in that time I have seen the students who excel at school actually find they are challenged and pushed into the stretch zone requiring resilience. Whilst on the flip side the student that has a hard time in the classroom thrives in the hands-on environment of camps and enabling them to earn a greater level of respect among their peers. School camps can help build self-esteem, especially for these students. Camps with a physical education component, such as bushwalking or kayaking, for example, can make students with ‘hands-on’ talents feel good about themselves and celebrate their own success. I got an opportunity to go with year 9&10 on camp at Hunua Falls. Hunua Falls Camp offers a remote forest park setting in a remarkably convenient location. The camp is designed to provide affordable accommodation and outdoor activities for a wide range of groups. We did a lot of activities of water such as the presence of nitrate and phosphorous in water, and the clarity of the water at Hunua Falls. Students participated really well and enjoyed the activities.
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