Outdoor learning is essential because it enhances students’ engagement and retention of information. When students interact with nature, they experience hands-on learning that reinforces classroom concepts in a real-world setting.
Here we are deep into the winter in months in Norway and Nordic Terrain Academy is quietly turning the cogs and getting pumped up for another memorable summer in 2022. Post summer was a time for NTA staff to reflect from a wider scope and now we move forward with how we can enhance the camper experience. Why is reflection important?
Here we are on the darkest day of the year for 2020! The winter solstice. With sunrise at 09.29 and sunset at 15.42 there isn’t much daylight up here in Stavanger during winter. 6 hours 11 minutes and 14 seconds to be precise. Luckily summer is the opposite! I’ll share some more about winter vs summer in the coming months when I’m excited about the sun coming back.
What is an adventure? When was the last time you went on an adventure? Take 20 seconds to visualize it! What did you feel? Exhilaration? Confidence? Freedom? The definition of adventure will vary from person to person, but adventure requires some risk. Adventure takes you into the unknown, where you lose some control. It’s how we navigate and gain back control that builds our self confidence and gives us a sense of accomplishment. The little challenges that you face along the way and the people that are alongside you are what make the adventure the most memorable.
Where do good ideas come from? This question has been asked by educational institutions, corporate boardrooms and political think tanks for centuries. As an educator, I have been particularly interested in this question. What are the spaces and environments that maximize innovation and inventive ideas? What has been the spark that created the fire of entrepreneurship and creativity? Often, great ideas are not born in a suddenly inspirational moment of Eureka!!
Every day is a new and exciting experience at Nordic Terrain Academy and students are always anxious to get out the doors and dive into a new adventure. At NTA we focus time and energy into the preparation for activities to ensure our students maximize their enjoyment and learning throughout the day. Every day our students will get used to packing the appropriate footwear, a rain jacket, a water bottle, a hat and sunscreen for the adventure ahead.
Fostering the environment for students to make friends is always one of the most rewarding tasks for a camp counselor. For parents knowing that their son/daughter will make friends at camp provides tremendous peace of mind. At Nordic Terrain Academy we are proud of friendships that are grown at camp and are excited when campers still maintain close friends years later, even if their studies take them around the world.
