Upper Elementary Outdoor Program

The Outdoor Program is an integral part of Arbor's upper elementary curriculum designed to:

Provide direct experience of the ecology of this bioregion
Develop independence and self-confidence
Foster personal responsibility and cooperation
Offer challenge and adventure
Encourage environmental awareness and responsibility

ACTIVITIES

Camping at Medicine Bow: Small groups of children spend three days camping in the North Georgia mountains, once in the Fall and again in the Spring of each year. Students receive instruction in outdoor safety, botany, native animals and their habitats, archery, canoeing, and the uses of native plants for food, medicine, and crafts. They also learn individual and cooperative responsibility in packing their own gear, providing their own shelter and preparing their own meals. Sixth Year Trip to Cumberland Island: The sixth year students spend four days camping on Cumberland Island, studying the ecology of Georgia's barrier islands. Sixth Year River Trip: The sixth years celebrate three years of canoe training with a whitewater river trip from base camp at Medicine Bow.

OPTIONAL OUTINGS

Parent/Child Weekends: These weekend trips offer parents a special way to spend time with their children. Intergenerational learning activities and games give students an opportunity to show parents what they have learned in the Outdoor Program. Backpacking Trip: Children interested in the challenge of carrying their homes on their backs may elect to participate in this three-day, two night trip.

LEADERSHIP

One of Arbor's Upper Elementary teachers or aides accompanies the children on all Outdoor Program trips. The programs are lead by Mark Warren, who has been working with Arbor since 1986. Mark served for 10 years as naturalist and environmental educator for the Georgia Conservancy. He is the author and illustrator of Magic in the Woods, and designer of the American Wilderness Awards. The National Wildlife Federation has named Mark a Georgia Conservation Educator of the Year.

ABOUT MEDICINE BOW

The class camping trips and optional Parent/Child weekends are held at Medicine Bow, 35 acres of wooded land near Dahlonega, adjacent to the Chattahoochee National Forest. The land offers a variety of native plant and animal habitats for exploration and study. Mark's house is on the property and assures easy access to shelter and telephone in case of emergency