Arrowhead Ranch Outdoor Science School is privately owned and operated. The experience of outdoor science is an exciting and invigorating way for 10 to 12 year old students, grades 5 and 6 to learn about science in their natural surroundings. We have students come to our facility from all over Southern California.
The students attend a four or five day program accompanied by the classroom teacher(s). The enrollment varies from 100 to 350 kids per week. The program curriculum comes from The State of California Board of Education Science Framework. The entire curriculum is taught by our Naturalists. The Naturalist is a teacher out on the trail, in the dining room, during cabin time and throughout the week. Our Cabin Leaders are the daily role model for the kids and once assigned to a group of students of the same sex, he or she will stay with his or her own group all week. The cabin leader will sleep in the same cabin and go along on each of the hikes.
All of our staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid and have been through a complete background check. All are fingerprinted as they are hired. We drug test on a random basis. Each staff member goes through a week long training period. It is a hard week of testing, new information, learning the trail, early mornings and late nights. In the end they are ready to lead a group of 5th and 6th graders while teaching the Science Framework.
The week away from the regular classroom is equal to being in school for those 5 days. It is neither a break nor a vacation. It is school away from the buildings and desks. We use our natural surroundings as our classroom and the ground or a tree stump for our desk. We do many hands-on activities. The advantage to being outside is the ability to touch, see and feel what is being discussed. What a text book tells you, Arrowhead Ranch shows you. We expect the kids to get dirty. We encourage them to ask questions about the trees, the dirt, the leaves and the water on the ground. It is the ultimate sensory learning experience for these kids.
During the week, the kids are responsible to their group to create a banner to be presented on Wednesday at dinner. The cabin leaders will assist in helping their groups in coming up with an idea that will mix with the camp theme of the week. On Thursday, each of the cabin groups present a skit, again according to the theme of the week. The cabin leader and naturalist will offer ideas for a fresh and fun skit night.
Arrowhead Ranch, strongly believes that there is no reason a child should miss out on this experience. As such, we work with the school and the parents to ensure that any medical issues will be appropriately addressed and handled. We can effectively manage a variety of medical issues each week including over the counter and prescribed medications. We have a first class medic on staff to assist with any needs that a special situation may require, from a stomach ache to stitches. Our medic is on site 24 hours a day the entire time the kids are with us.
Our programs run at two sites - our home site at Arrowhead Ranch Kids Camp, in Lake Arrowhead and the other is in Twin Peaks. The elevation of our Lake Arrowhead site is 5,500 feet and the Twin Peaks site is at 5,300 feet. Both locations do get snow in the winter.
|
