Outdoor Education

Mt Barker Waldorf School recognises the value of giving students experience in outdoor education. In the younger years this may include bushwalks, camping and bike riding. As students get older, activities involving more challenges may be undertaken. For example, in Class 8, students have a camp involving a 2-day bike ride and sailing in the Gulf waters and they also do the 'High Ropes' course at Woodhouse Scout Camp. Four to six-day bushwalks, which may involve rock-climbing and abseiling, are part of the camps in higher classes.

Our school camps are part of the curriculum, and therefore all students participate in them. In the primary school, Class 3 usually visit a farm for a few days as part of their farming main lesson. Our students usually enjoy this time, where they can visit a modern day dairy, 'have a go' at milking a cow by hand, see the process involved in the separation of milk, the making of butter and sample some of the product. They can watch sheep being shorn, see a sheepdog at work, view native bush, including trees and wildflowers, have a hay ride, watch rope making, see stock whip cracking and finally, be involved in the feeding of various different animals.

Class 4 usually visit 'Camp Coorong' near Meningie, run by the local Indigenous people, as part of their local environment main lesson. At Camp Coorong they learn about Aboriginal History, Arts, Crafts and the environment within the Ngarrindjeri region. They hear about Ngarrindjeri people's feelings for land and culture, view a midden site and talk about burial grounds, learn the art of basket weaving, learn about the environment, animals, medicine and food plants of the Coorong.

Other primary school camps are organised by the class teacher according to their program.

In the high school, the camps form an integral part of certain subjects such as geography, surveying and botany and combine with outdoor education activities such as cycling, sailing, canoeing and bushwalking.

The Class 9 students go away for one week on a canoeing camp. Generally speaking they canoe on the Murray River. This camp is part of the Geography Main Lesson and the students study water cycles, flood plains, movement of sediment, drainage patterns, weathering etc. As well as these obvious educational learning experiences, they learn to work as a team and gain life skills as they share canoes and tents and cook together, taking turns to provide meals for their particular group.

The Class 10 students travel to the Flinders Ranges for their Surveying camp. This camp experience enables them to put the skills that they have learnt in Trigonometry to practical use. They map an unknown site in a beautiful and historical part of South Australia. Their work requires endurance, precision, teamwork, as well as skills in mathematics, the use of professional surveying equipment, and accurate drawing.

The Class 11 students go on a field trip into a mountainous region of Australia during Spring. One site is visited each day and the class remains there all day. They spend the morning learning to use a simple plant key to identify all the plants in that area. This involves close and detailed observation. In the afternoon the students each choose a particular 'composition' from the location and paint it. Each painting represents four to five hours of work in the field. During the evening species lists of the day's site are collated and students finish their paintings. Many beautiful paintings result from this camp.