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The Great Outdoors - JPK Camping Unit
There is no better teacher than Mother Nature, and preschoolers at Clairbourn are immersed in a comprehensive Camping Unit that puts the lessons and benefits of time spent in nature front-and-center.
Many of Clairbourn’s preschool units come from student-initiated ideas. So, when teacher Lee Rankin’s Junior Pre-Kindergarten class showed an interest in making tents in the classroom, she developed a camping unit to expand on their interests.
As a result, the classroom has been transformed into a full campsite complete with a ranger station, pup tents, a big reading tent, and a “campfire” space where students can pretend to cook hot dogs and s’mores.
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Students in the Junior Pre-Kindergarten class are experiencing the wonders of nature, both inside and outside their classroom, with exciting activity stations and outdoor excursions.
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| Students can use a magnetic fishing pole to catch “alphabet letter” fish while standing on a bridge that spans the classroom river. |
Among the activities to choose from are a fishing experience that requires students to wear fishing hats and show a fishing license to legally fish for alphabet letters in the classroom “river.” For watersports, they can climb into a small boat with oars which seems to glide across an animated lake shown on a video screen. They can also study animal tracks at a designated activity station or make their own animal tracks in special sand that will hold impressions.
STEM lessons are woven throughout all the activities and workstations. A large Myrmecology (study of ants) display teaches the students about these prevalent insects which coexist with campers at almost every campsite.
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| The classroom Myrmecology display about ants. |
Students also study weather patterns and learn how to stay safe outside in a storm.
Their motor skills are honed in assembling pup tent kits, and they also study animals and birds with binoculars outside the classroom and in the school’s natural outdoor Jungle area. And because music is often a part of socializing in the evening on camping trips, students have been learning and singing songs about camping to enhance the experience.
Their motor skills are honed in assembling pup tent kits, and they also study animals and birds with binoculars outside the classroom and in the school’s natural outdoor Jungle area. And because music is often a part of socializing in the evening on camping trips, students have been learning and singing songs about camping to enhance the experience.
Students also are learning deeper lessons about the benefits of the great outdoors. The Lifestyle section of VKool.com published an article about the “20 Benefits Of Camping For Kids And Adults.”
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| Students have a model camp site activity station where they can play camping and include their own hand-made paper tents. |
It expounds the benefits of fresh air, social time with family, stress relief from relaxing surroundings, mood improvement through the beauty of nature, exercise, better sleep from engaging in outdoor activities, enjoyment from new challenges, opportunities to try new foods, the development of life-long skills, and the reduction of screen time.
Campers also have science lessons at their fingertips with an abundance of new sights, sounds, and creatures to explore when out in nature. It expounds the benefits of fresh air, social time with family, stress relief from relaxing surroundings, mood improvement through the beauty of nature, exercise, better sleep from engaging in outdoor activities, enjoyment from new challenges, opportunities to try new foods, the development of life-long skills, and the reduction of screen time. Campers also have science lessons at their fingertips with an abundance of new sights, sounds, and creatures to explore when out in nature.
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| The Ranger Station is where student learn to follow the rules of the forest and rules of the nature park. |
Most importantly, the article explains that camping experiences can help children gain self-confidence and greater independence. “Camping helps children build self-esteem and self-confidence by removing all forms of academic, social and athletic competition…. With non-competitive activities and various chances to succeed, such as putting up the tent, cooking a meal, starting a fire, etc, camping is a real [confidence] booster for young children.“
The Camping unit in Clairbourn’s preschool reflects all of the above known benefits of experiencing nature. And it has perfectly primed these youngsters to reap the benefits of real camping experiences they may encounter in the future.
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