Our 5/6  Outdoor Education (ODE) team takes the time to intentionally educate our families and campers in what Outdoor Education is, how it works, and the ways that this program supports their development as people and as learners.

Campers stay in heated/air-conditioned cabins that have running water and shower facilities in them. The bunkhouses at East Bay provide a nice balance between learning how to engage in the outdoors - with some of the comforts of home still available!

While students eat a sack lunch on day 1, East Bay staff prepare dinner, and then day 2 breakast and lunch for our program. These meal opportunities allow students to learn vital collaboration skills in setting up  and cleaning up these meals. Our program team then facilitates the last dinner and last breakfast - with a hot dog roast and pancakes being their usual choice!

Parents are vital partners in our Outdoor Education programming.  The 5/6 ODE team does a great job of communicating from start to finish, sharing pictures, and hosting a 6th grade family cookout.

ALL Metcalf students have the expectation of being able to fully participate in our Outdoor Education programming. We partner with our HILIA faculty to be fully inclusive of our students with visual impairments or who are deaf/hard of hearing. HILIA faculty are embedded members of our program team, joining the team for those experiences.

While we do promote learning and student development, the core of what we do is promote joy. We build in time to build relationships, play games, and foster moments of joy for students during this experience!