From Sept. 17-21, 2016, students and staff from Martin Academy at Martin Collegiate in Regina participated in an outdoor education experience to Kananaskis, AB.
We did two days of mountain hiking on Sept 18-19, doing the Chester Lake and Ptarmigan Cirque hikes, as well as a few smaller ones around our Pocaterra Group campground site.
On Sept 20, we went to Canmore to explore Rat’s Nest Cave with Canmore Cave Adventures.
While on this trip, students were prepped in advance on what to do in case of bear and cougar encounters, as well as the history of Kananaskis and its meaning. They also had to practice setting up their tents prior to departing, which we did at school.
When we were there, they participated in daily “survivor” challenges, to ensure that learning is occurring. Things such as building a life-saving fire, cooking, chopping wood, scavenger hunts, camping and trail etiquette, and trivia about the geography, flora, fauna, and history of the area were done to ensure that cross curricular learning was taking place. Students were placed into cooking, cleaning, and fire duties each day so that they all had to ensure tasks were completed.
Following the trip, all students were given a reflection to complete about this experience. Every student had nothing but positive comments about the entire trip, citing many highs and thrills.
