The natural setting of a summer camp is not just the backdrop: it is the most powerful educational tool for teaching children to value, care for and live alongside the natural environment. Here we explain how environmental education is practised at camps and why it matters so much.
What is environmental education and why is it important at camps?
Environmental education develops the values, aptitudes and attitudes that allow human beings to relate respectfully to the natural world. It is a process that must begin in childhood: the bonds a child forms with nature in their early years shape their ecological awareness for life.
Summer camps are the ideal setting for this education, because learning happens in direct contact with the natural environment, in a lived and meaningful way.
Three ways environmental education is practised at camp
Getting close to nature
Visits to natural environments, taking in landscapes, activities in forests, rivers and mountains. We only care for what we know and love: direct contact with flora and fauna generates a genuine ecological awareness.
Respect for the environment in daily life
Daily routines of recycling, water conservation, reuse of materials and keeping spaces clean. Children learn that every everyday action contributes to a positive global change.
Activities, workshops and ecological games
Participatory games and workshops that provide concrete tools for contributing to environmental care, in a playful and age-appropriate way.
Habits children practise at camp
Active respect for the environment
- Recycling as much as possible throughout the camp
- Avoiding water waste in everyday use
- Reusing and making the most of materials
- Leaving no litter in any natural space
Experiential learning
- Discovering local flora and fauna on excursions
- Observing how human action affects the environment
- Participating in litter picks on arrival and departure from each location
- Reflecting on ecological balance in a practical way
Frequently asked questions
Why is it important to develop environmental education from childhood?
The habits and values acquired in childhood have a far greater impact on adult life. A child who learns to value and respect nature from an early age develops an ecological awareness that guides their decisions throughout their life.
How is environmental education practised at summer camps?
Through three main routes: direct contact with natural environments (excursions, outdoor activities), the practice of daily habits of respect for the environment (recycling, water conservation, leaving no litter) and ecological activities and workshops designed to raise awareness in a playful way.
What environmental habits do children learn at camp?
Participants adopt routines such as sorting waste for recycling, avoiding water waste, reusing materials and leaving no litter in any natural space. These practices are repeated throughout the camp until they become natural habits.
Can children apply at home what they learn at camp?
Yes, that is one of the main goals. The habits of respect for the environment and the environmental awareness gained at camp do not stay there: children carry them home and pass them on to their family and school environment.
Does environmental education at camp limit the fun?
Not at all. Environmental education at camps is integrated into the play and adventure activities. Children learn about their environment while having fun, exploring and spending time with their friends, without it feeling like a separate educational burden.
Learn, grow and care for nature this summer
At the Natuaventura camps in the Sierra de Gredos, environmental education is part of every activity, every excursion and every day in nature.
We organise trips for primary, secondary and high school
School Trips
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alicante madrid barcelona more destinationsCamps from 6 to 17 years old, in different regions of Spain: Alicante, Madrid, Ávila, Cantabria and Cuenca.
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2026
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