Year 4/5 Gotley/Davoren
On Monday 14 September the students from Mrs Gotley’s and Jan’s class, along with Ms Sander’s class, travelled to McLaren Flat, where they participated in an outdoor learning day facilitated by staff from Active Education at the Douglas Scrub bushland site.
The excursion gave students the opportunity to participate in outdoor games and activities with a focus on team-building and problem solving. They explored how participation in outdoor activities supports personal and community health and wellbeing and creates connections to natural and built environments.
After arrival and meeting the Active Ed staff, students had the opportunity to quickly explore the surrounding area. They then played a game which organised them into groups for some engaging team building and problem solving activities. After this session, we walked together to another part of Douglas Scrub to undertake the challenging obstacle course. There were many obstacles of different levels of difficulty which required confidence, balance, concentration and flexibility to complete successfully.
After the obstacle course students tried the bouldering wall. They worked in small groups to support each other to climb across the wall, using the plastic hand- and footholds which varied in size. It was very difficult to stay on the wall for more than a few moves, particularly as some of the holds were very small or awkwardly positioned.
Students enjoyed their lunch in the beautiful bush surroundings and then it was time for the final activity, locating positions using a G.P.S. Students worked with their small group and their G.P.S. to find small plastic containers which had been hidden nearby. Each container had a hole punch, which students punched into their piece of paper to show they had successfully located the position. It was pleasing to see all students positively engaging with the challenging tasks, enjoying the natural environment and physical activity, and demonstrating increased confidence, persistence and cooperation.
Here are some reflections from students:
“The obstacle course was fun.”
“Some of the obstacles were difficult.”
“Lots of climbing.”
“You had to be able to get down on your knees and crawl.”
“Some parts you needed good balance.”
“You had to climb up and jump down. Some people climbed down instead of jumping.”
“When you did the bouldering wall, two people stood behind to make sure you didn’t fall.”
“You had to manoeuvre around, up and down. You learned how to support people. It was hard to grip on the plastic handholds.”
“The GPS helped us to find our destination.”
“The GPS activity was awesome.”
