Outdoor Education
Hiking through the woods this week I found myself humming "Catalina Madalina Hoopa Stada Walk-a-dada Hoka Poka Loka was her name!" and "Boom Chicka Boom! Boom Chicka Boom! Boom Chicka Ra Ra Boom Boom Boom!" I had learned those songs about 40 years ago while in sixth grade at Camp Calumet during our school's Environmental Education week. Environmental Education Week consisted of the entire sixth grade class (about 70 kids) leaving our classrooms and homes for 6 days, traveling over 200 miles away and learning our lessons at camp. My first exposure to hiking was climbing Red Hill and Jackman's Ridge during that week away from home. Canoeing, orienteering and cooking outdoors were some of the other activities in which we participated. We learned teamwork, how to live with people other than family and took on new responsibilities (KP duty and such). We still spent time doing English Language Arts, Math, ...