ROOTS Integrated Outdoor Learning Program
is an immersive five-senses experience with nature that brings hands-on authentic learning to all subject areas, inside and outside the classroom at KCS.
What started as a Kindergarten venture has now grown into an integral part of programming for all students up to Grade 3.
Whether it is a soil study that includes fine art connections to clay sculpture and to paint tinting techniques or a Social Science study of indigenous ways of doing that includes shelter-building, the classifying of edible plants, and the care of salmonids in the classroom, ROOTS outdoor learning at KCS creates a bridge to authentic experiences and life-long learning.
The KCS Kindergarten class enjoy their weekly visits to Gardom Lake Bible Camp for a full day of outdoor learning; it serves as a backbone to in-class reading, writing, math, science, Bible, social science, and socio-emotional learning.
The Grade 3 class enjoys outdoor learning at various Shuswap locations in addition to their monthly visits to Gardom Lake Bible Camp, taking learning to another level.
ROOTS…
…builds healthy bodies and minds:
– Increasing physical stamina and coordination
– Improving mood, concentration and confidence
– Providing opportunities for community building, enhanced problem-solving, and growth in communication skills
…inspires connection with God:
– Fostering awe in the design and order of nature
– Providing opportunities to steward the environment
…brings world issues into the real and immediate:
Learning about the needs of plants, animals and humans and enjoying hands-on activities, such as water walks and building water filters, the elementary classes experience compassion for those dealing with food and water insecurities.
…connects students with our heritage:
– Shuswap’s natural beauty and ecology
– Local, family-run agricultural enterprises
– B.C. First Nations people, stories, and ways of doing
– Christian world values and proactive compassion
…builds caring and active members for our community:
From making tree-slice Christmas tree ornaments and selling them for the purchase of food to planting and harvesting potatoes and onions all for the purpose of stocking our local food bank, the Kindergarten class proves that one is never too young to bless the community in big ways!