The Outdoor Program is an integral part of Arbor’s Elementary curriculum and is designed to provide direct experience with the ecology of this bioregion; develop independence and self-confidence; foster personal responsibility and cooperation; offer challenge and adventure; and encourage environmental awareness and responsibility.
An Arbor staff person accompanies the children on all Outdoor Program trips. The program is led by an experienced naturalist.
About Medicine Bow
The camping trips are held at Medicine Bow, 35 acres of wooded land near Dahlonega, adjacent to the Chattahoochee National Forest. The land offers a variety of native plant and animal habitats for exploration and study. The naturalist’s house is on the property and assures easy access to shelter and telephone in case of an emergency.
The Outdoor Program in Lower Elementary
The naturalist makes several trips to the Arbor campus throughout the school year. He leads small groups of second and third year students in lessons that extend their classroom biology work into practical applications on our property. The children gain an appreciation for the natural world around them and develop a relationship with the naturalist before beginning their Upper Elementary camping trips. In the spring, the third year students have the opportunity to visit Medicine Bow for a day.
The Outdoor Program in Upper Elementary
Small groups of Upper Elementary children spend three days in the spring camping at Medicine Bow. Students receive instruction in outdoor safety, botany, native animals and their habitats, archery, canoeing, and the uses of native plants for food, medicine, and crafts. They also learn individual and cooperative responsibility by packing their own gear, providing their own shelter and preparing their own meals.
