Our outdoor education program directly contributes to Melbourne Grammar School’s goal to develop the ‘whole person’. We encourage play, exploration and discovery through experiences that are informed by:
- Relationships and values: Providing opportunities to develop self-knowledge, leadership, collaboration and resilience.
- Experiential learning: Creating ‘whole brain and body’ learning experiences and space for healthy risk-taking behaviour.
- Indigenous culture: Developing a connection with Country, appreciation for family and community structures and new ways of being and seeing.
- Cross-disciplinary learning: Creating opportunities for learning that integrates subject disciplines and reveals real-world contexts and applications.
- A sense of place: Developing an appreciation of and custodianship for the natural world.
Learning goals across year levels
Prep to Year 6
From their first years in primary school, Melbourne Grammar School students begin outdoor education with incursions that introduce core ideas of sustainability and the value of the natural world. Year 2 students have their first overnight sleepover on campus at Grimwade House, progressing to off-campus trips to dedicated campsites at Toolangi, Woodend and Cape Patterson in Years 3 to 6. These experiences build vital skills such as communication, team work, personal organisation and social competency.
Years 7 and 8
Our Year 7 and 8 camps at Woodend and Camp Dowd are key social and personal experiences for Wadhurst students. Through these five and six-night camps, students have the chance to work collaboratively to find solutions to challenges, build listening and decision-making skills, and find a sense of achievement as they go beyond expectations of their own capacity.
Senior School
Senior School students continue their outdoor education by choosing from 16 different programs in Year 9, taking part in our 20-day Beyond the Gates program in Year 10 and participating in the Leslie Gladstone Robertson (LGR) Society bushwalking club in Years 9 to 12. Each of these experiences further develops core skills such as the ability to show initiative, set and track personal and group goals, resolve conflicts and show respect and empathy.
