Secondary 1 Outdoor Adventure Learning Camp
Secondary 1 Cohort Camp - An Adventure to Remember!
This year’s Secondary 1 Cohort Camp was held at the MOE Changi Coast Outdoor Adventure Learning Centre (OALC). The 4-day/3-night camp was planned to give our students opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills learnt during their Outdoor Education (OE) in PE, and Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons.
After learning basic map-reading and navigation skills during their PE lessons in school, our students had the opportunity to navigate their way along East Coast Park for a full-day mini-expedition. It was indeed heartening to see how our students encouraged one another as they hiked their way along the park connector. Although the students were tired by the time they returned to the campsite, they were in high spirits, knowing that they completed the 9-10km hike together as one!
For many of our students, kayaking was an entirely new experience. Some of them were nervous about being out in the open sea for the very first time in their lives but they overcame their anxiety and steadily paddled around the bay under the supervision of the instructors and teachers. Through this activity, the students pushed the boundaries of their comfort zones and learnt that courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to overcome one’s fears.
Tomatoes, chicken franks, fish fillets, pasta…what delectable dishes could our Regent Masterchefs cook up for their lunch and dinner, with these simple ingredients? Unlike the contestants on Masterchef, our students had to rely on the most rudimentary means of starting a fire and cooking in the outdoors! The best part of the activity was savoring every bite of their own cooking! Bon Appetite, everyone!
With the resumption of height-based activities, our students were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones by going through the artificial caving system, completing the Tower Circuit, zooming down the Zipline, scaling up the rockwall and abseiling down the tower!
Our students went through the five stages group development (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning) as they worked together during the teambuilding games and put their teamwork to the test through a series of challenges on the Low Elements.
Over the four days of the camp, our students faced their challenges, overcame them and stepped out of their comfort zones. It was most definitely an enriching experience filled with fun and adventure for our Secondary 1 students! While the camp is over, the learning continues as the students apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills to their daily lives.