Why Overnight School Trips Matter

If you ask an adult about their favorite school memory, chances are it’s not going to be about doing their favorite math worksheet! They will likely tell you about that field trip, where they took a bus, sang 99 bottles of beer on the wall, experienced the great outdoors and made memories to last a lifetime.

I still remember my first overnight school trip in grade 7. I grew up in Ontario, and we went to an overnight camp for 2-nights up in Muskoka. I remember, being terrified of the high ropes course, singing to myself as I climbed up into the trees. I remember the feeling of accomplishment, when I finished the ropes course and got to “spiderman’ my way down. I can still smell the very rustic cabin, who I bunked with, the early morning polar bear dip, and all the campfire songs. I’m sure my parents were happy about those songs!

Overnight school is about so much more than getting away from the classroom.

Learning in Different Ways

I learned best by doing, something a traditional classroom didn’t always provide for me. When you are at camp, you learn by doing. Like paddling the voyageur canoe with your group, problem solving while making epic survival shelter in the forest, trying a new activity that might scare you (like high ropes!). Students who may not always shine in the classroom can discover entirely different strengths outdoors.

Building Confidence and Independence

For some students, outdoor school is their first ever night away from home.

They unpack their bags themselves, get themselves ready, pick their own food from the buffet! Clean up their dishes, tidy their cabins, and try unfamiliar activities.

Sometimes the biggest achievement isn’t reaching the top of the rock wall. It’s simply realizing “I did something I didn’t know I could do!”.

Creating Strong Connections

Something magical happens when students spend time together outside their normal school environment. We get to witness this magic every week at camp.
You see new friendships form. Teachers get to see an entirely new side to their students. We often see the quite students become the leaders. And those connections don’t just stay at camp, then come back with them.

Why Overnight Matters

I love a good day trip, don’t get me wrong! We have phenomenal Day Trip programs here at camp. But an overnight trip “Chefs Kiss”. It’s just an entirely different experience.

Students share meals, spend evenings together, sleep in cabins and wake up surrounded by nature. Oh, and did I forget to say “unplug” from the world. We encourage no technology up at camp for the kiddos (cell phones, what are they!?)

We know overnight trips require significant planning. Schools must consider budgets, staffing ratios, student needs, safety and many other factors.

Those challenges are real.

So rather than asking whether overnight school  is still worth it, we believe and important question is.

How can we continue making the experiences possible for kids?

These experiences build confidence, strengthen school communities and give students opportunities to grow in ways that simply can’t happen inside the classroom.

Let’s keep finding ways to say yes to these experiences—and give students the chance to learn, grow and create memories they’ll carry with them for years to come.

 

Yours Truly,

Rae Ellen Stark

Camp Booking Coordinator and Camp Lover