The Caring Classroom

The Caring Classroom is a ten session in-school program which uses adventure activities to support the development of the YRDSB character traits, and to address relationship challenges specific to the school and class. Two teachers from the Kinark Outdoor Center come once a week for 60-90 minutes to facilitate a sequential series of adventure-based activities that support the development of improved interpersonal relationships, acquired problem solving skills, practiced communication skills and increased empathy for classmates. The program is designed to be slotted into the existing daily schedule and support other subjects and activities as seamlessly as possible. Ideally, Caring Classroom activities take place in a playground setting, however they can easily be modified to take place in the classroom or gym. The Kinark Outdoor Centre supplies all the program equipment. The Caring Classroom has been delivered to over 50 classes and has both pre and post teacher completed evaluation data demonstrating program effectiveness and the achievement of objectives. The success of the program relies on the use of engaging and novel activities to support and reinforce behavioral change over time.

Choices into action

The Choices Into Action on-site program brings the teaching staff of the KOC to your school to facilitate a sequence of experiential activities that promote community and support Character Education learning objectives.

The program includes activity sequences for Grades 1 through 8 and can be varied in duration from two hours to a full day. The program takes place on the school playground, all equipment is provided by the Outdoor Centre, and it is facilitated entirely by the KOC staff.

The KOC has been providing outdoor education and adventure-based experiences for schools since 1985. The Choices Into Action program is a modification of the one-day program that been delivered at the Outdoor Centre for several years. It is being offered at this time in direct response to requests from schools which value the experience, but are unable to travel to the KOC.

KOC staff have developed and tested standard activity sequences for the different grade levels, drawing extensively from the training of our staff, the comprehensive resources of Adventure Education, and rich experience of a large and diversified client base.

The ice breakers, cooperative games, trust activities, initiatives and transfer activities, are varied and adapted by the teaching staff of the KOC for each group they facilitate. Age, level of readiness, previous exposure, time of day and group make-up all demand that there not be one set of activities or one method of delivering them. We provide a custom list of activities for each school for review after incorporating your background information.

Adventure activities have been clearly proven to support learning and growth in the school environment. When linked with other Character Education components they represent an important opportunity for students to learn, understand, feel, choose and do.