Homeschooling Outdoors: Combine Learning and Fun with Wildwater
School has started back up now in most parts of the South, but this is a school year unlike any other. States, districts, schools, and families are all responding differently to the challenges presented by COVID-19, and kids have been doing more of their education at home than ever before. While that presents its fair share of challenges, it also provides more opportunities for unique educational experiences than kids and families have ever had before. Many parents are looking at homeschooling options outdoors or want to add an outdoor component to their child’s existing education. Why let your child stare at a screen all day when instead you could make nature their classroom? Wildwater activities can be used to teach a wide variety of lessons and concepts for homeschooling outdoors, if you’re up for a little adventure!
Whitewater Rafting– Hydrology, Geology, and Teamwork
Hydrology and Geology: What better way to show kids the science of water movement than to take a raft down the river and feel it for yourself! Explore the way currents move rocks and sediments and discuss the way water shapes the world around us through erosion. Use our rivers to illustrate the water cycle, or to explain the importance of protecting watersheds, or use a map to trace the journey of our rivers to the ocean. The possibilities are endless!
Teamwork: With sports seasons canceled and kids cooped up at home, or spaced apart in socially distanced classrooms, there doesn’t seem to be too many opportunities for kids to practice teamwork. Whitewater rafting is the ultimate exercise in teamwork—everyone has to pitch in to clear the rapids. And there’s nothing like sharing that sense of accomplishment you get after your team rushes down a big drop or crashes through a big wave!
Ziplining– Physics & Biology
Physics: An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion; what better way to experience this than through ziplining! Learn how gravity, friction, and mass all make the activity of ziplining work. It can even be used to illustrate higher-level concepts like potential energy and kinetic energy.
Biology: Our zipline courses will take you through multiple ecosystems, allowing you to see how different forms of life thrive in different environments. See if you can identify all the trees you pass by. Discuss how animal life is different in the canopy versus the forest floor. Brainstorm what types of adaptations would be best suited to the environment you’re in. And best of all, experience what it feels like to fly like a bird!
Jeep Tours– History & Cartography
History: Our guides will introduce you to the cultural and natural history of the area, allowing you to explore back roads and see rare sights. You’ll learn traditional lore and folktales and deepen your understanding of the history that’s all around you while on your Jeep Tour.
Cartography: Take along a topographical map of the area. Get the starting point from your guide, and see if you can use the map to trace the route you take. Bring along a compass and try to spot out prominent features around you. Our Jeep tours will take you through some of the best scenery in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smokeys—can you identify all the landmarks on your map?
Who says learning can only take place in the classroom? If you’re ready to ditch the screens and take your child out into some fresh air, come book an experience with us!