Using Mother Nature as our teacher aide, we run various outdoor education programmes during term time for primary schools across Auckland.
The last thing a teacher needs to give students is more information; known as the ‘crowded curriculum’. They already have so much data and access to it. Instead, Social Nature Movement helps students with the ability to make sense of information, differentiating between what is important and what is not while most importantly combinng various information to make sense of ones world.
Through place-based education and by bringing awareness to the interconnectedness of communities, culture and nature, we encourage the children to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. And facilitate an environment that celebrates personal growth and lifelong learning.
Our outdoor education programmes for primary schools in Auckland aim to provide a unique learning experience for kids. By utilising the natural environment as a teacher aide, we aim to help students make sense of the information they are given, and understand the interconnectedness of communities, culture, and nature. Our programmes involve walking to and from the destination using human-powered movement, and we also offer the ability to integrate specific subjects or themes into our outdoor educational experiences. Outdoor education for kids is an essential component to promoting personal growth and lifelong learning.
We believe in using human-powered movement to get to places, so our outdoor learning programmes usually involve walking from school to our destination and back. And if your teaching team want to integrate specific subjects or themes into our outdoor educational experiences, we have the resources and knowledge to make this happen.
Read why there is so much to teach and learn city kids in urban nature, click here for the University of Auckland article.
Outdoor education provides students with opportunities to develop personal and social skills, to become active, safe, and skilled in the outdoors, and to protect and care for the environment.
Outdoor education includes adventure activities and outdoor pursuits. Adventure activities foster students’ personal and social development through experiences involving co-operation, trust, problem solving, decision making, goal setting, communication, leadership, responsibility, and reflection.
Through outdoor pursuits, students develop particular skills and attitudes in a range of outdoor settings.
In outdoor education programmes, the four dimensions of hauora are enhanced through safe, challenging, and enjoyable learning experiences in the outdoor environment.
Through the socio-ecological perspective, students will investigate the importance of the outdoor environment and outdoor activities to the well-being of all New Zealanders. They will critically examine social, cultural, scientific, technological, and economic influences on outdoor activities, on the environment, and on how the environment is used.
The enhancement of hauora through outdoor education requires school-wide policies and procedures to ensure that appropriate activities, safe practices, and the most suitable community resources are selected, used, and evaluated.
Students require a range of structured, sequenced, and developmentally appropriate learning opportunities in outdoor education. These include:
Adventure and environment are key dimensions of SNM’s educational philosophy, with special programmes to help students challenge themselves and engage with the world around them.
Schools we work with have the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the outdoors and the natural environment, develop greater outdoor skills, grow their self-awareness and gain confidence.
N.B. All of these activities are weather dependent and some are also seasonally dependent, so there may be a great degree of variation in activities undertaken by various classes.
An instructor will work with a group of students, taking them through a series of adventurous and challenging outdoor activities that will include a strong ‘journey’ element. Underlying this journey will be some course-specific learning objectives, which will revolve around giving students a better understanding of themselves, other people and the wider natural environment.
Instructors will aim to challenge all students to go further than they believe possible; beyond perceived physical, mental and emotional limits. This will enhance their belief in their own capabilities, developing capacities of mind, body and spirit to better understand responsibilities to oneself, others and the community.
We will be aiming for a sense of satisfaction through achievement. Overall, the experience of the course should be outside the students’ normal experiences, and be enjoyable, as this supports learning retention.
Part of the Adventure Challenge is to introduce students to the natural environment to encourage them to reflect on their place in the wider world.
The course will be set in context for students with specific learning objectives, linking these with adventure and the environment through a learning model. Outdoor Education lends itself to the Plan-Do-Review model of learning. Therefore, Instructors will give time for students to reflect through guided questions, constructive feedback and facilitation.
At SNM, our highly respected unique Adventure Based Leadership (ABL) training has obtained outstanding results in terms of personal and social development, increase in personal confidence and ability to lead and work with others. This programme has an extremely positive reputation in the community and turns out youth leaders of the future. The school and the community provide many opportunities for trained students to contribute their skills.
Leadership training offers a unique opportunity for students to extend and take control of their own learning and development. The acquisition of physical outdoor skills and exposure to risk management is important because many New Zealand students and their families challenge themselves in the outdoor adventure environment at some time in their lives. The course is also an important introductory training ground for many students who have an interest in the growing adventure tourism industry in New Zealand and overseas.
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SNM are NZAEE members.
The New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) aims to represent a vibrant and connected sector to ensure that environmental education for sustainability is part of every New Zealander’s experience in order to build relationships between people and their environment.
SNM are EONZ members.
EONZ is a national professional organisation leading, supporting & influencing education outside the classroom (EOTC) and education outdoors in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
SNM are trained in Child Protection.
Effecting change to prevent abuse and neglect. Child Matters works with all sectors including professionals, community organisations, families and whānau, to deliver training, provide advice regarding policy and procedures, and recommend resources regarding child protection issues.
SNM are DoE Accredited Award Providers (AAP).
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations.
SNM are externally audited in Adventurous Activities.
AdventureMark™ is New Zealand’s largest adventure certification body. They work with over 200 operators here in New Zealand and in several countries worldwide providing our health and safety audit and adventure certification services across the globe.
