Plan, Prep, Prepare

We are having a lot of fun over here at Project Wild Rooted! Kids running around outside, building something in the shop, and playing fun games. To the untrained eye, it could seem like us teachers aren’t doing much more than having a blast too. We ARE! But there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes. Creating structured play and inquiry based activities requires a lot of work. This is one of the main factors inhibiting more hands-on learning in a traditional school setting (along with a lack of resources). There are hours of planning, prepping, and preparing before a day of camp. Below is a summary of what all goes into our process.

1) Planning Phase

The meeting of the minds takes place a few times a year. It is when we take a look at what skills and experiences children would benefit from and then develop a camp around that. For example, our Santa’s workshop camp was focused around woodworking, problem solving and critical thinking skills as campers gained experience using power tools. During the planning phase, we take time brainstorming ideas, creating camps, and adding them to the calendar.

2) Prepping Phase

Once we have our camps established we then start the prepping phase. We spend hours upon hours making sure the lessons we create are fun, memorable, relevant, and age appropriate. Below are some components involved during our time prepping.

• Research, research, research

• Inspired by the 5E model of instruction (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate)

• Differentiate our lessons to tailor instruction to all children's learning needs.

3) Preparing Phase

Finally, our last step before camp is preparing for the big day. Putting a camp together is a lot like planning for a special event. We spend time making sure all of the logistics are worked through along with preparing all of the supplies for the day as listed below.

• Practicing the activities and projects

• Collect, purchase, or borrow the supplies and tools needed

• Prepare our outdoor or indoor space accordingly

4) Camp Time

With a well thought out plan and organized lesson, we can spend our time and energy where it matters the most. On the children! Putting the hours in before camp enables us to enjoy the day with our campers, showing them how to be active learners as we…

• Explore together

• Play games together

• Wonder about the natural world together

• Build Together