News
At Fintona, the Outdoor Education experience begins in Year 1 with an overnight stay, and by Year 7 students progress to a week-long camp. Camps aim to extend students outside their comfort zone by placing them in environments different from those that they experience in everyday life. Each camp builds on the skills students learned in the previous year as well as those taught implicitly at Fintona.
The Outdoor Education journey at Fintona is upheld by three pillars:
- Self-sustainability: developing resilience, respect and responsibility for self;
- Community sustainability: developing respect and responsibility for others; and
- Environmental sustainability: developing respect and responsibility for the environment.
For their first Outdoor Education camp, the Year 1 class headed to Lady Northcote YMCA.
The students spent the afternoon making pizzas in the Kitchen Garden and zooming down the Flying Fox. The next day, activities saw the students practising their balancing skills on the low ropes course and searching for markers around the campsite for an orienteering activity. These activities provided opportunities for the students to work with others in a team, learn about the natural world and be courageous. On the return to school, the students reflected on their time at camp, including the things they enjoyed most and the activities that challenged them.
‘Something challenging on camp was the low ropes because I nearly fell off the log.’ Claire
‘My favourite activity on camp was the flying fox because it was fun, and I pulled the rope.’ Olivia
‘Something that was challenging on camp was orienteering because we had to think about the answer to the clue and find things around camp.’ Alice
‘My favourite activity was low ropes because it was challenging.’ Mackenzie
‘My favourite activity on camp was orienteering because our group, The Wombats, won.’ Kaitlyn
‘My favourite activity on camp was the Kitchen Garden because I got to eat the pizza I made.’ Chloe
Lauren Crockett
Year 1 Teacher
