Outdoor Adventure with Special Class
16th May 2019, Thursday
As the brilliance of the sun baked the ground, providing its warmth and comfort amidst the chilly winds, I leaped from stone to stone with a control flag in one hand and a map in another. A lot of thought and effort has been put into this day and the last thing that can happen is a bad weather. Thankfully, the weather was perfect; it was not too cold, nor was it too hot.
On the previous day (Wednesday), Mr Magnus and I went out to the supermarket near the school to shop for the necessary items for this outdoor adventure. We then spend most of our free time slots gathering all the necessary things from the various PE stores (The sports complex is huge! There are so many PE stores). On the morning itself, we came to school early to load all the items into Mr Magnus's car and did one last thorough check before we depart to the woods. The woods was about a 10 minute drive away from the school.
Upon reaching the woods, we met another teacher who had already reserved a spot for us. We then unloaded the car and arranged everything in order and started burning the firewood. There were 3 main activities planned out: tent pitching, outdoor cooking and orienteering. After deciding on the spots for tent pitching and outdoor cooking, Mr Magnus and I went on a little adventure through the woods to place the checkpoint marks for the student's orienteering activity. I can't help but to marvel at the greatness of the woodland. It seemed ominously quiet with only the sounds of our footsteps crushing the fallen leaves and the susurration of the leaves dancing in the high boughs. It was unlike the kind of nature reserves we have in Singapore. No words or pictures can ever do justice to this beautiful creation.
When we arrived back at the hut after placing the checkpoints, the students have already arrived. They came by the public bus and alighted at the bus stop just outside the woods. They were also accompanied by a few teachers and parents. We begin the lesson as per normal by exchanging greetings and explaining how the activity is going to be carried out. Since there were 3 activities, the students were divided into 3 groups. Each activity was about 45 to 60 minutes long. After which, they will rotate to the next activity.
For the tent activity, the students were not given instructions on how to pitch a tent. They work in pairs to unscramble the puzzle just by looking at the picture of the tent and the parts that were given. Teachers and parent volunteers were also there to help them but the activity was mostly led by the students themselves. Watching them working together to troubleshoot and discuss ideas was a heart-warming sight.
For the cooking activity, the students learn how to use the portable kitchen. Mr Magnus showed them how to assemble the parts, as well as the different methods of starting the fire: one using gas and the other using oil. After demonstration and instruction, the students tried it out on their own to cook a cup of soup. Apparently during the winter season, the Swedish likes to drink blueberry soup (blåbärssoppa) or rosehip soup (nyponsoppa). For this activity, they tried to make the rosehip soup by boiling the water and stirring in the soup powder. It must be nice, holding a cup of hot soup to warm up their cold little fingers.
For the orienteering activity, they were given a map and 3 checkpoints to find. They were also accompanied by some teachers and parents so that they could guide them if they needed any help. Each checkpoint contains a letter that they need to find, to complete a word (‘sol’, which means ‘sun’).
There was a brief rest period between each activity. After the groups have completed their first activity, they get to enjoy hotdog buns for lunch. The hotdogs were grilled by one of the teachers over the burning firewood. And after they have completed their second activity, they also get to roast marshmallows and have them between two pieces of biscuits like s’mores. They students seemed to be enjoying themselves as they kept coming back for more.
I talked to some of the students to ask if they enjoy being in the woods. Most of them said that they have never been in the woods because they are always at home or indoors playing computer games (common first-world problems we face with our Singaporean kids as well!!). However, most of them said that they really enjoyed the day and would not mind to have such adventure again. I guess with that, Mr Magnus has achieved his objective; which is to induce fun in the outdoors and providing them a memorable experience to encourage more participation for such activities on their own.
In a teacher point-of-view, I find it interesting how PE teachers here are given the liberty to interpret the syllabus freely and do anything under the sun without having to worry about extensive admin matters. Doing such activity in Singapore would require administrative procedures such as risk assessments (RAMS), parental consent, principal’s clearance, initial recce trip and so on, which normally puts teachers off. This is the main reason why I think that student’s experience are discounted, as they only get to do such activity during planned term activities such as school camps or learning journey etc. Even going out of the school compound during curriculum time might also poses a few disagreements with the heads.
Outdoor education in the Singapore’s PE syllabus is still developing. I may have conducted a few lessons on map reading, or methods of packing the right equipment, but I have yet to be involved in its planning process. I can’t help but to wonder; what if Singapore adopt the same lax process? Would it be better or would it post more threats? Or perhaps we should step out of our ‘what ifs’ (kiasu) mentality and embrace an open mindset.
Tills nästa gang (until next time),
Siti Muliyanti
On the previous day (Wednesday), Mr Magnus and I went out to the supermarket near the school to shop for the necessary items for this outdoor adventure. We then spend most of our free time slots gathering all the necessary things from the various PE stores (The sports complex is huge! There are so many PE stores). On the morning itself, we came to school early to load all the items into Mr Magnus's car and did one last thorough check before we depart to the woods. The woods was about a 10 minute drive away from the school.
Upon reaching the woods, we met another teacher who had already reserved a spot for us. We then unloaded the car and arranged everything in order and started burning the firewood. There were 3 main activities planned out: tent pitching, outdoor cooking and orienteering. After deciding on the spots for tent pitching and outdoor cooking, Mr Magnus and I went on a little adventure through the woods to place the checkpoint marks for the student's orienteering activity. I can't help but to marvel at the greatness of the woodland. It seemed ominously quiet with only the sounds of our footsteps crushing the fallen leaves and the susurration of the leaves dancing in the high boughs. It was unlike the kind of nature reserves we have in Singapore. No words or pictures can ever do justice to this beautiful creation.
When we arrived back at the hut after placing the checkpoints, the students have already arrived. They came by the public bus and alighted at the bus stop just outside the woods. They were also accompanied by a few teachers and parents. We begin the lesson as per normal by exchanging greetings and explaining how the activity is going to be carried out. Since there were 3 activities, the students were divided into 3 groups. Each activity was about 45 to 60 minutes long. After which, they will rotate to the next activity.
For the tent activity, the students were not given instructions on how to pitch a tent. They work in pairs to unscramble the puzzle just by looking at the picture of the tent and the parts that were given. Teachers and parent volunteers were also there to help them but the activity was mostly led by the students themselves. Watching them working together to troubleshoot and discuss ideas was a heart-warming sight.
For the cooking activity, the students learn how to use the portable kitchen. Mr Magnus showed them how to assemble the parts, as well as the different methods of starting the fire: one using gas and the other using oil. After demonstration and instruction, the students tried it out on their own to cook a cup of soup. Apparently during the winter season, the Swedish likes to drink blueberry soup (blåbärssoppa) or rosehip soup (nyponsoppa). For this activity, they tried to make the rosehip soup by boiling the water and stirring in the soup powder. It must be nice, holding a cup of hot soup to warm up their cold little fingers.
For the orienteering activity, they were given a map and 3 checkpoints to find. They were also accompanied by some teachers and parents so that they could guide them if they needed any help. Each checkpoint contains a letter that they need to find, to complete a word (‘sol’, which means ‘sun’).
There was a brief rest period between each activity. After the groups have completed their first activity, they get to enjoy hotdog buns for lunch. The hotdogs were grilled by one of the teachers over the burning firewood. And after they have completed their second activity, they also get to roast marshmallows and have them between two pieces of biscuits like s’mores. They students seemed to be enjoying themselves as they kept coming back for more.
I talked to some of the students to ask if they enjoy being in the woods. Most of them said that they have never been in the woods because they are always at home or indoors playing computer games (common first-world problems we face with our Singaporean kids as well!!). However, most of them said that they really enjoyed the day and would not mind to have such adventure again. I guess with that, Mr Magnus has achieved his objective; which is to induce fun in the outdoors and providing them a memorable experience to encourage more participation for such activities on their own.
In a teacher point-of-view, I find it interesting how PE teachers here are given the liberty to interpret the syllabus freely and do anything under the sun without having to worry about extensive admin matters. Doing such activity in Singapore would require administrative procedures such as risk assessments (RAMS), parental consent, principal’s clearance, initial recce trip and so on, which normally puts teachers off. This is the main reason why I think that student’s experience are discounted, as they only get to do such activity during planned term activities such as school camps or learning journey etc. Even going out of the school compound during curriculum time might also poses a few disagreements with the heads.
Outdoor education in the Singapore’s PE syllabus is still developing. I may have conducted a few lessons on map reading, or methods of packing the right equipment, but I have yet to be involved in its planning process. I can’t help but to wonder; what if Singapore adopt the same lax process? Would it be better or would it post more threats? Or perhaps we should step out of our ‘what ifs’ (kiasu) mentality and embrace an open mindset.
Tills nästa gang (until next time),
Siti Muliyanti
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