Curriculum Matrix for Outdoor Education
The following are Creation Exploration class areas that you may select for your students to participate in. Click on any subject area to see the classes available in that area.
Life Science - Flora
Vegetation Investigation
Objective: To help students better understand the function of various plant parts by studying the seeds, tree cookies, leaves, and trunk/stem structure. Activities include: examining and identifying means of survival for plants; building a tree through acting out the roles of the various parts; and a hike to look at plants and how they survive. Students will come away with a greater understanding of God's amazing design of His creation. Older students will also look at transpiration and the transfer of energy.
Living on the Wild Side
Objective: For students to discover how the Lord provides for the needs of His children through His creation and most importantly, through His Son. Students will learn to identify edible and medicinal plants common to a northern forest and what precautions are necessary when looking for edible plants. Activities include an identification hike and sampling of edible plants.
What's is a Name?
Objective: Students will learn the importance of a classification system and will learn how to classify/identify trees using a dichotomous key. Activities include practice of basic classification and a nature hike where students will use a key and identify trees based upon their leaves.
Winter Plants
Objective: Students will learn some survival techniques that plants use in the winter as well as properties of snow and how it is helpful to the plants. Activities will include tree identification and snow experiments.
(Available December - mid March)
Wildflower Identification
Objective: As students learn to use a dichotomous key to identify spring wildflowers, they will also learn to identify and explain the functions of the various plant parts. A study of pollination - how it happens and its importance for the flower's survival - is also included. Students will also discover a few uses of spring wildflowers, whether edible or medicinal in quality. Activities include a game, wildflower identification hike, and exploring the usefulness of wildflowers.
(Available April - June)
top
Life Science - Fauna
Asking the Animals
Objective: For the students to understand how God has designed each creature to live in its specific habitat. Students will also study animal habitats and learn how to find signs of animal habitat and activity. Activities include an observation hike and a hands-on study of some of the animals in Black Rock Retreat's Nature Center.
(Recommended for 4th -6th grade)
Investigating Insects
Objective: Students will learn the basics of what defines an insect and how their bodies function. They will also investigate why insects are important in God's creation - what their niche is. Activities include insect collection and identification (catch & release).
(Recommended for 4th through 6th grade level)
Checking Out Consumers
Objective: Students will learn to identify the various roles of organisms within a food chain or web, with a focus on the consumers. Animal behavior will also be discussed. The emphasis will be on animals and will explore some of their behaviors as students learn who eats whom. We will study food chains and webs as well as what makes animals alike and different. Activities will include games, owl pellet dissection, and a look at the animals in our Nature Center.
Beholding the Birds
Objective: Students will be able to name and utilize the six clues of bird identification. Using these clues and bird guides they will learn to identify local bird species. Students will also discover that birds can teach us about our Creator and His love for us. The main activity will be a bird watching hike using binoculars and field guides.
Tracking
Objective: Students will discover the amazing world God has created and learn how to observe and track wildlife. They will learn what kind of evidence to look for that reveals signs of wildlife presence. The life and habits of animals will be discussed and studied. Activities will include games, tracking using various senses, and an investigative hike.
Winter Coats
Objective: Students will discover the different ways that animals survive the winter and will understand how life in a pond continues through the winter. They will learn about the different environmental conditions in the winter months and what animals do to adapt. Activities will include looking for evidences of different animals, studying our pond, tracking, as well as several educational games.
(Available December - mid-March)
top
Creation Care
The Great Creation Recycling Company
Objective: Students will discover that the author of recycling, the Creator, has designed the universe in such a way that water, air and soil are all recycled. During this session, students will explore a few of the primary examples of recycling in nature through the water, soil, and oxygen cycles. Activities include a soil study and a search for other examples of recycling in creation. Students also get to to practice recycling while making their own paper.
(Recommended for elementary through 6th grade)
Caring For Creation
Objective: Students will discuss why caring for the Creation is so important and practical ways in which they can improve their actions at home and school. Students will also spend time doing a service project at Black Rock Retreat.
top
Water Studies
Wading Into Water
Objective: Students will discuss the steps involved in the hydrologic cycle, the unique qualitites of water, and the many purposes of this amazing substance. They will learn how to conduct a biotic study to determine water quality. Activities include an exploration of the Octoraro Creek to learn how to determine the cleanliness of the water based on the organisms that live there.
Advanced Water Study
Objective: Students will learn how to conduct a biotic study (as in "Wading Into Water") and also an abiotic study on the Octorara Creek. They will test several factors including pH, nitrates, and dissolved oxygen levels. Using both biotic and abiotic results, students will determine the water quality of the stream.
(Recommended for 7th grade and above)
top
Earth Science
Considering the Heavens
Objective: Students will learn to identify several common constellations and how to use a star chart. They will discover the difference between the many celestial objects and terms. Finally they will stand in awe of God's provision for us as they learn just how perfectly planned our galaxy is. Activities include solar system role playing, distance hikes, construction of star charts (one for each student), and, weather permitting, an evening of star gazing with binoculars and/or a telescope.
Fantastic Fossils
Objective: Students will learn how fossils tell us about the past and give evidence of the Great Flood. They will investigate the types of fossils and how they were formed, and learn how fossils point to a Creator. Activities will include a fossil "dig" and making fossil models.
Rocks and Minerals
Objective: Students will learn to differentiate between rocks and minerals and will learn basic field identification techniques for minerals. They will learn about the three types of rock found on earth, and how they are formed, noting the differences between them. Activities include identification of sample specimens through various tests and a fun game which takes students through the rock cycle.
Soil Investigation - Beneath Your Feet
Objective: Students will learn to identify the different types of soil, soil layers, and understand the importance of soil to all of life. They will be able to explain the causes and effects of erosion and how to better prevent erosion in their community. Activities include a percolation test, soil tests and erosion experiments.
Weather
Objective: Students will learn how to identify basic cloud types, and use the basic aspects of wind, temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity and clouds to predict weather. Students will also learn how nature can help us predict what kind of weather lies ahead. Activities include finding wind speed and direction, investigating different microclimates, and an experiment to find dew point and relative humidity.
(Recommended for 6th grade or higher)
top
Classification
According To Their Kinds: Classifying Chordates (formerly Loving Linnaeus)
Objective: Students will have an introduction to the taxonomic system with a focus on the phylum Chordata. Activities include learning about and classifying some of God's most unique vertebrates using photographs, live animals, and mounted specimens.
(Recommended for 6th grade or higher)
Classifying Creeping Creatures
Objective: Students will discover the abundance of invertebrates that the Lord has created. They will learn how to, and the imprtance of, classifying invertebrates, particulary insects. Activities include insect identification and classification using field guides and a simplified classification chart.
(Recommended for 6th grade or higher)
top
Ecology
Exploring Creation Connections
Objective: For students to recognize the delicate balance in God's creation. Discussion will focus on cycles within an ecosystem, specific types of symbiosis between organisms, the different roles organisms have in God's creation including the living and non-living parts, and our role as care takers. This class includes many activities to reinforce basic ecological concepts.
Forest Ecology
Objective: For students to identify the different types of forests, the layers of a forest, the stages of succession, and the common trees around Black Rock Retreat. Activities include a quadrant study and a hike observing various layers within the forest and the different stages of the forest areas.
Watersheds
Objective: Students will learn what a watershed is and how their actions affect water quality, as well as other ways the watershed relates to us. We will be looking specifically at the Chesapeake Bay watershed and discussing how the activities at Black Rock Retreat affect the quality of the bay.
top
Living History
The Life of the Amish
Objective: Students will learn the history of the Amish church and culture and what a typical day is like for a child their age. Students will have a great time learning about this unique culture as their instructor role-plays an Amish person.
top
Outdoor Living Skills
Canoeing Basics
Objective: Students will learn the basics of canoeing, including common strokes, steering, and canoe safety. We will travel off-site to a local reservoir to practice our canoeing skills and study an aspect of God's creation. The canoeing course takes up two class periods and is coupled with the following subject area:
Bird Watching
Many waterfowl call the lake habitat their home, and other avian species use the surrounding woods and marshes. From our canoes we will look for different bird species including geese, mergansers, herons, and maybe even a bald eagle! (This course is reserved for students in 6th grade or above and a maximum group size of 28 participants. There is an additional fee of $3 per participant. Please contact the Outdoor Education Director to check on class availability).
Finding The Way
Objective: For students to learn how to read a topographical map, the parts of a compass, and how to use a compass. Activities include making orienteering shapes and "finding the way" on our orienteering course in the forest.
GeoCache Black Rock Retreat
Objective: GPS technology can be found everywhere: in personal vehicles, scientific research, aircraft, surveying, the trucking industry...and the list goes on! But do your students really understand how it works? Students will relate position on the earth's surface using latitude, longitude, and altitude. They will also look at the technology involved in GPS and explain how trilateration is used to fix locations. Activities include navigating around Black Rock Retreat to find hidden geocache locations.
Getting Back to Basics
Objective: In this sampler course of outdoor survival skills, students will learn the basics of wilderness survival. They will learn how to pick out an appropriate shelter location and construct a shelter using two tarps and ropes. They will learn to setup a cooking area by laying out a teepee, log cabin, and an A-shaped fire using tinder, kindling, and coal producers. And finally, they will have a chance to cook and eat some tasty bannock.
Advanced Survival (NEW!)
Objective: An in-depth view of wilderness survival provides students with an opportunity to learn and master essential survival skills. Choosing from one of three concentrations, students will learn comprehensive skills in one of the following areas:
- Fire: Students will learn about the science of fire and practice several techniques on building an efficient fire. Students will also enjoy a tasty campfire snack.
- Shelter: Students will practice building shelters out of tarps and available materials, as well as how to use the landscape around them to find shelter in emergency situations.
- Cooking: Students will learn how to prepare food in the wilderness, using either a traditional campfire or a cooking stove. They will then get to enjoy their culinary creation.
*When selecting this class, please specify which concentration you would like (i.e. "Advanced Survival: Fire") on the class preference sheet. This class may be selected three different times, once for each concentration.
top
Teambuilding
Group Initiatives
Objective: For students to learn and to experience what teamwork is and how to better work together with their peers. This class presents various challenges and problems to the group which they must work through. Trust, communication, caring and commitment are other character traits that are discussed. This class is a part of the 8th grade adventure program but can also be taken by any grade level that wants to focus on teambuilding. Each activity is followed up by a debrief discussion reflecting on what happened and how the activity can be related to life.
Low and High Ropes Course
A challenge ropes course consists of a series of group challenges and individual physical challenges that require a combination of teamwork skills and commitment. The ropes course experience is designed to increase confidence and self esteem; increase mutual support and foster respect for differences within a group as well as challenge students in their faith. Debriefing is an important part of the ropes course, helping students to process the experience and apply what they are learning to their lives.
(Reserved for 8th grade or higher)
Solo
Following a day and a half of participation on the challenge ropes course, students are spread out in the woods (weather permitting) and given about an hour of solo time. Though one of the most challenging parts of our program for today's youth who always have distractions and activities nearby, it is a valuable time for each student to stop and "be still" before the Lord. This time is designed for them to reflect upon their experience over the past few days, read from God's Word, and spend time in prayer before Him. Each student has a journal with questions to help spur their reflection.
(Reserved for 8th grade or higher)
Camp Out (optional)
Weather permitting, an overnight sleep out in platform tents located throughout the property. Guys and girls have separate campsites. Chaperones are needed to sleep out as well (minimum of one chaperone/tent).
top
Evening Activity Options
Night Hike
On our night hikes we head out into the forest on main trails without artificial light. We allow our eyes to adjust to the darkness and talk about nocturnal animals. Near the end of the hike we do a short solo hike where students walk alone down the trail to where an Outdoor Education instructor is waiting. We challenge the students to consider how the Lord is always with us even when others let us down. We also make analogies between the solo hike and our walk with the Lord.
Alpha Wolf
Students will learn some behaviors of wolves while having a great time. Each wolf pack is trying to find the Alpha Wolf (an Outdoor Education instructor) somewhere on Black Rock Retreat property. Students will learn to function in the dark without artificial light and how wolves work together as a team to find the Alpha Wolf.
Top Secret
Students work together in "spy-op teams" to recreate the secret "machine". Each spy has a specific role within their team, and communication between group members is critical for each team to be successful. This low-key game can be played indoors or outdoors and is designed to help students develop problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills.
Campfire
At our campfire, students will have the chance to make s'mores, learn fun new songs, and participate in skits.
Survivor
This game is a fun way to role play the interactions between living things and their environment. Students represent different plant and animal groups and are sent out to collect all five habitat components. Watch out for other groups or habitat disturbances that may steal the habitat component cards!
Open Gym
The Outdoor Education staff will assist you and your students in free time in our gymnasium. We have a full length basketball court which can also be used for volleyball or indoor soccer. In the adjacent game room, there is a ping pong table, a foosball table and a carpetball game.
top
