A science class brings students into a wetland to study an invasive species.
asserted
class → bring → species
A canoe trip turns a difficult portage into a lesson in teamwork.
asserted
trip → turn → teamwork
A hiking expedition teaches students to set up tents and build fires while leaving no trace behind.
asserted
expedition → teach → trace
Outdoor education creates opportunities to learn through experience, build resilience and develop a deeper connection to the natural world.
asserted
education → create → world
The Country Day School (CDS), an independent school from kindergarten to Grade 12 in King City, Ont., offers dedicated outdoor education classes and integrates outdoor learning across its curriculum.
asserted
School → offer → curriculum
The 100-acre campus, which includes wetlands, trails and outdoor learning areas, provides a natural setting for hands-on learning.
asserted
which → include → learning
At CDS, science classes involve conducting erosion experiments and tending gardens, while physical education incorporates snowshoeing and mountain biking.
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education → involve → snowshoeing
In the senior grades, students can participate in expeditions to Temagami, Ont., and dog-sledding adventures through the Duke of Edinburgh program.
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students → participate → program
“It’s all hands-on and brings the learning to life,” said Andrew Bartle, department head of outdoor education at CDS.
asserted
Bartle → ’ → CDS
“We know the health benefits of kids being outside, but they’re also gaining experiential learning.
asserted
they → know → learning
They’re working together, learning leadership skills and building their relationships with the environment.”
In the junior school, for example, a student-led “green team” is responsible for Earth Week activities, conducting energy audits and holding food waste challenges.
asserted
team → work → challenges
Senior students have started an animal advocacy group alongside the sustainability council.
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students → start → council
That emphasis on environmental stewardship is fundamental to learning at Rosseau Lake College in Ontario’s Muskoka region.
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emphasis → learn → region
“You can’t spend time in nature without appreciating it and wanting to be a good steward of it,” said deputy head Alison O’Mara Armstrong.
asserted
Armstrong → spend → it
The philosophy is integrated into all aspects of Rosseau’s outdoor education program, from ‘leave no trace’ principles to seeing the impacts of climate change firsthand.
asserted
philosophy → integrate → change
The school’s campus includes more than 3,000 feet of lakefront and 56 acres of forest and trails, which O’Mara Armstrong described as “a living laboratory” for learning across subjects.
asserted
Armstrong → include → subjects
For example: “Where there once was a thriving ice fishing community out in the bay, there no longer is because the ice is no longer stable,” she said.
asserted
she → thrive → bay
“So, they can see the impacts right in their backyard.”
asserted
they → see → backyard
In every subject, teachers integrate outdoor learning into their classes, whether it’s field studies in the forest or reading on the waterfront.
asserted
it → integrate → waterfront
“Outdoor education is a philosophy that’s imbued in all areas of the school,” O’Mara Armstrong said.
asserted
Armstrong → imbue → school
Beyond campus, students can take part in canoe and camping trips in Northern Ontario, as well as expeditions farther afield.
asserted
students → take → Ontario
Last year, students went on a hiking and kayaking trip in British Columbia.
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students → go → Columbia
“They’re learning skills that are going to help them navigate a complex world when they leave high school,” she said.
asserted
she → learn → school
“It’s our responsibility to teach our students to think thoughtfully about how the world is changing around them and how to cope and attend to those changes.
asserted
world → ’ → changes
It’s a great educator for our students and helps them to grow into good humans.”
asserted
them → ’ → humans
At Greenwood College School, an independent school for Grade 7 to 12 in Toronto, outdoor education encourages growth with progressively more challenging experiences each year.
asserted
education → encourage → experiences
Students in Grade 7 to 9 go on weeklong trips to camps in the Algonquin area, while Grade 10 students take smaller backcountry and winter trips.
asserted
students → go → trips
In Grade 11, students can take on sea kayaking or hiking in British Columbia.
asserted
students → take → Columbia
Grade 12 students serve as leaders, helping guide younger students through their own outdoor experiences.
asserted
students → serve → experiences
While important skills are taught in the classroom, Greenwood principal Heather Thomas said the speed and intensity of learning during outdoor trips is greater.
asserted
speed → teach → trips
“They develop collaboration and communication skills, as well as sturdiness and an ability to be resilient in the face of adversity,” Thomas said.
asserted
Thomas → develop → adversity
“When you’re in the wilderness, particularly in the backcountry, working as a team can be the difference between your success that day and increased challenges.
asserted
working → ’re → success
If you have a huge headwind on a big lake or a really challenging portage, you’re in it together.”
asserted
you → have → it
The Aporia
