General Information
The Outdoor School is an environmental education program owned
and operated by the Los Padres Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Outdoor
School was originally owned by the Santa Barbara County of Education and
has been in operation for over 43 years. Primarily, the Outdoor School Program
is education in the out-of-doors.
The basic purpose of the Outdoor School is to give each student
a unique appreciation for our natural environment. As students study the
natural sciences in our outdoor classroom and laboratories they will develop
a better understanding of them. The core curriculum, which meets certain
state requirements for the fifth and sixth grades, encompasses five study
units where the students are taught while hiking throughout the native plant
communities. The units are Botany, Geology, Astronomy,
Animal and Pond Study, and Chumash Indian. The information
learned from these units is combined with other camp activities such as
Workbooks, Food Chain Games, Team Building, Nature Writing, Campfire Programs,
and a Quiz Bowl to make the student's week complete.
Students will gain scientific knowledge and learn how dependent
humankind is on that knowledge. They will gain a greater appreciation for
nature and respect for all life. While they study together away from their
families, home environments, their schools, and communities, they will also
learn from others how to build a new sense of community.
Facilities
The Outdoor School provides separate cabins for boys and girls.
There are four boy's cabins/dorms and four girl's cabins/dorms. The dorms
have electricity, are heated and have bathroom and shower facilities for
each student. In the cabins the students sleep on bunk beds with mattresses,
it is best if they bring a sleeping bag to camp with them.
In addition to the eight student dorms, there is a teachers'
lodge, which also serves as the infirmary, a dining hall and kitchen, large
swimming pool, nature center, archery range, small lake, and large and small
conference rooms.