School Trips
Welcome to our Outdoor Classroom!
Camp Jewell YMCA serves more than 5,000 students per year through our Outdoor Center. In the spring and fall we offer ample opportunities to enjoy the miles of trails at camp and to participate in many of our recreational, educational and teambuilding programs.
Camp Jewell offers Outdoor Educational Programsfor school groups from grades K-12. We offer a fully customizable schedule to create the perfect educational experience in the outdoors for you and your students. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff will captivate your students’ imaginations while meeting NGSS and State Standards for you. We cannot wait to work with you and your school.
With two separate facilities that can host groups up to 500 students we tailor or program to meet YOUR needs. Our entire staff team is focused on ensuring that your stay at camp, no matter how long or short, leaves you with memories that last a lifetime.
Our School programs are generally split up into three categories:
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
We believe in utilizing the outdoors as an amazing learning space. Learn natural sciences in nature with our instructors in Pond Study or Forest Ecology classes. Wanting to focus on STEAM? Give our Catapult or Egg Drop a try. Or are you feeling adventurous? Try Outdoor Living Skills and Orienteering! Your students will have an amazing time and learn tons along the way.
FOREST ECOLOGY
Learn fun facts about common trees of our region, play interactive games that demonstrate tree structure and forest competition, and learn about key concepts of forest succession and dynamics while hiking our vast trail system. With over 500 acres of gorgeous woodlands on our property, there’s never been a better place to “take a hike.” Participants should be prepared for moderate walking.
POND STUDY
Even the smallest pond is often teeming with life; however, it’s not always obvious to the naked eye. The presence or lack of aquatic invertebrates is an indicator of the environmental health of a pond or stream. The goal is to collect, identify, and study these fascinating and wonderful creatures up close and personal to determine the health of our pond.
BEAVER FEVER
Students canoe or kayak to an area that has been occupied by beavers for many years. Students will learn about certain physical and behavioral adaptations of beavers, including living in a colony, building lodges, dam construction, and why beavers look the way they do. They will learn the beaver’s impact on the environment, and the beaver’s relationship with humans.
TEAMBUILDING PROGRAMS
Team building programs focus on problem solving and communicating face to face. These skills are becoming harder and harder to come by in our increasingly digital world, and problem solving without answers at your fingertips is a real challenge for today’s youth. Beyond this we will explore leadership styles of individuals and how different personalities fit in with group dynamics. We utilize High Ropes, Low Ropes and Ground Initiatives to touch on all of these topics and have over 50 years of experience doing these programs with our groups.
We build our programs around “Challenge by Choice”—a guideline that teaches participants to choose their level of participation within their own level of comfort and ability. The lessons learned can be directly translated back to the classroom.
CLIMBING TOWERS
This class allows the use of either of our two outdoor climbing towers. Our first tower, Mt. Wood is located right outside the main camp dining hall and is approximately 25 feet tall, while our other tower, Mt. Meggido, located
at Hideaway Ranch on the other side of our lake, is about 50 feet tall. Students will be instructed on safety tips and equipped with harnesses and helmets. Our instructors will teach climbing technique and encourage growth in overcoming challenges.
ZIP LINE
Students can challenge themselves to cross over our lake on our dual racing zip lines. Students will overcome personal challenges as they step off the platform to embark on a zip line ride of almost 800 feet. Following the first zip line, students will walk a short distance to our second platform and enjoy another incredible 450 foot ride over our stunning lake. Students will use proper climbing equipment and learn to support each other in an adventurous and exciting activity.
HIGH ROPES
Our high ropes course has a variety of obstacles, 25 feet in the air, designed to promote group cooperation and individual achievement. Participants will navigate through the course with state-of-the-art climbing gear while our trained staff provide support and encouragement. Students will learn to support each other and work together through a course that challenges small groups to work together for success while in the air.
LOW ROPES
Low ropes elements are teambuilding activities ranging from having ropes a few inches to a few feet off the ground in which students are responsible for each other’s safety through spotting. These elements help foster trust, respect, caring, and responsibility for fellow students. All elements will be followed by a debriefing discussion and will tie back into students’ roles in your school’s community.
GIANT SWING
With the Giant Swing, the participant decides how high up they want to go. The group pulls the participant to the desired height, then the participant releases themselves into a safely harnessed free-fall swing. These activities, while very safe, provide a sense of perceived risk for those who choose to take on this challenge. Each participant requires steady support from the rest of the group. Afterwards, staff facilitates a debriefing discussion to help students process their experience and express their feelings.
GROUND INITIATIVES
This class can last from one hour to three hours depending on each group’s size and goals. Students will be challenged to use their critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills to complete several group-oriented physical and mental initiatives.
RECREATION PROGRAMS
Our recreation programs are here to give students positive experiences in the outdoors, as we have great opportunities for students to explore new things in a safe environment. From Boating to Candle Making to Archery we have many exciting options for exploring the outdoors.
ARCHERY
Archery is conducted inside our indoor archery range in the winter and outdoors in the spring. Participants will learn the basics of archery, including how to perform a proper shot with a bow as well as the parts of the bow and arrows. Participants will also learn about the safety considerations and responsibilities that must be used during this activity.
CANDLE MAKING
Students will have the opportunity to practice patience and creativity while making an original candle during this class. Each student will be able to carve their candle in a custom way to make the candle even more special. This activity allows students to use their imagination and have positive social interactions with their peers as they spend time making their candles.
CANOEING / KAYAKING
Students will learn to canoe or kayak in our 70-acre man-made lake. Students will be given instructions on the use of proper flotation devices, how to get in and out of a boat safely, different paddling techniques and strokes, and will participate in water-based activities. This class is dependent on weather and availability of lifeguards.
WIFFLEBALL
Wiffle ball is a staple at Camp Jewell. We even have our very own wiffle ball stadium to be used during field games or tournaments during your stay. Wiffle Ball tournaments are a fun way to learn an organized sport and have a competition between classes or age groups while encouraging comradery and good sportsmanship.
Our dedicated program director will meet with your school to design a program that meets the needs of your curriculum and students. We have programs that range from one day field days up to four night, five day overnight trips, although most schools opt for a two night, three day overnight experience. Our foodservice staff is happy to accommodate most food allergies and special dietary needs and will work with you to ensure that every child’s needs are met.
