Wellbeing

Spending time in nature is good for you. It promotes positive mental health and wellbeing and reduces stress, anxiety, and depression by providing a natural setting for relaxation and connection with nature. Outdoor activities promote self-esteem, resilience, and improves your mood. Let’s get our youth engaging with the outdoors to enhance their wellbeing.

Cultural Connection

Participating in outdoor activities provides remarkable opportunities for young people to engage with the land, local stories, and important landmarks. It’s a space where they can wholeheartedly dive into New Zealand’s vibrant Māori heritage and history, exploring traditional practices and nurturing a profound respect for the land’s influence on New Zealand’s identity. These interactions can form lasting, significant bonds.

Personal & Social Growth

Being outdoors provides a space for powerful positive personal and social growth to take place. Through participation in outdoor activities young people can cultivate traits such as resilience, problem-solving, teamwork, and self-confidence. Immersion in nature not only sparks curiosity but also fosters deep connections and a profound sense of belonging. Furthermore, it champions physical well-being, alleviates stress, and instils a genuine appreciation for the environment, playing a pivotal role in fostering holistic development.

Learning By Doing

The outdoors enriches experiential learning by involving various senses, encouraging hands-on discovery, and stimulating critical thinking. It provides authentic, real-world situations that encourage practical problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. Nature’s ever-changing setting sparks curiosity, creativity, and a deeper understanding of concepts, making learning more engaging and enduring.

Having Fun

Having fun in the outdoors is essential for young people as it combines learning with enjoyment. It not only encourages physical activity and hands-on learning but also nurtures a deep bond with nature. Fun outdoor experiences promote teamwork, reduce stress, and ignite creativity, all while supporting holistic development and real-world applications. Moreover, these enjoyable outdoor adventures sew the seeds of a lifelong passion for environmental concerns, enriching education and personal growth simultaneously.

Environmental Connection

Encouraging young people to form a bond with the natural world is done through outdoor learning. This approach nurtures an emotional connection or love of nature and deepens their understanding of environmental concerns. It champions sustainable learning, provides tangible experiences, and enhances their grasp of scientific concepts. Outdoor learning, in turn, cultivates responsible outdoor practices, drives advocacy for environmental policies, and results in reduced ecological footprints, ultimately contributing to the betterment of our environment.

Outdoor Training

We understand the vital role teachers play in facilitating outdoor education programmes. We are all about providing comprehensive professional development opportunities that empower educators to build the confidence they need to lead transformative outdoor experiences for their students.

PLD runs throughout the year and can be delivered in a number of ways e.g at your school, in the field.  We work with you to provide the professional development you need.  Here is an example of some of the PLD on offer.

• Outdoors first aid
• Water safety
• Journey
• Mountain biking
• Rongoa

We know when teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to facilitate outdoor programmes, the impact on students is profound.  Contact us to get your PLD booked in.

Equipment for Hire

We are dedicated to making outdoor education accessible to all schools. By lending or renting our high-quality equipment at nominal fees, we enable you to stretch your budget and accommodate more students on your outdoor activities.  This isn’t a full list but gives you an idea of what we might help you with.

• Mountain bikes
• Tents, bedrolls, cookers
• Backpacks
• Rain coats, jackets
• Stand Up paddle boards

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you make the most of your outdoor educational programmes while staying within your budget.

Get Your School Involved

Our experienced team is here to tailor our services to meet your unique needs, whether that’s through professional development for your teachers or co-designed, place-responsive programmes for your students. Let’s connect, have a conversation and embark on a journey of collaborative learning in the great outdoors.

We are keen to support your school’s outdoor education endeavours.

Message us and we can take it from there.