Today, children in Primary and Secondary school live immersed in an intense routine. This routine coordinates a great number of activities that fill their time from the moment they wake up until they go to bed. This is rooted in the importance of maintaining constant, varied activity — one in which stimulation is continuous and where time for free play should also be guaranteed. Free time is fundamental to the healthy development of young people, but in the world we live in, it is often difficult to find ways to ensure that this time is well spent. One way to guarantee it is through school trips. Moreover, the vast majority of children and young people live in large urban centres, which is one of the main reasons they have so few opportunities for genuine free time.
Cities, full of infrastructure and urban spaces, often make it difficult for children to have direct contact with natural environments — which, after all, make up most of our world. When combined with a lack of free time, we find that many young people suffer from a deficit of contact with nature. It is therefore important to ensure that children and young people have spaces for play and enjoyment in direct relation with the natural environment. This is the goal that underpins nature school trips. By these, we mean any activity carried out to celebrate the end of the academic year that has a strong connection with the natural world. Nature school trips therefore consist of a programme packed with activities set on the beach, in the mountains, and across many other ecosystems.
Beach, mountains, nature parks… All of these settings host nature school trips every year. At Natuaventura Ocio y Tiempo Libre we organise trips with a wide range of destinations. You can explore all our options on our website. Come and find out more!
Nature school trips: transmitting values
The main purpose of nature school trips is the transmission of values. To achieve this, they take advantage of participants’ positive attitude and enthusiasm for activities and games, using these as a vehicle for instilling values related to the natural world. Probably the most important of these is respect for the environment. To achieve this, the first step is to become aware of the place we occupy in the world today, and how the spaces within it are structured. A school trip is a unique opportunity to convey this idea and offer a moment of reflection through fun. It allows us to observe natural environments we are not accustomed to — how they work, what their balance is, and what elements harm them. All of this is fundamental to understanding an ecosystem.
And not only that — it also helps us understand our position as human beings within the natural world, and the effects our presence can have on it. We live in a world where the defence of the environment is one of the most important challenges facing humanity. This is why nature school trips fulfil that fundamental role of transmitting values with respect to our surroundings. Only if we understand and come to know the world we live in from a young age is it possible to adopt the behaviours and attitudes that help us maintain and preserve it. This is fundamental to the survival of our planet and our species. Nature school trips are, in essence, a way of deepening our knowledge of the world around us.
Nature school trips: experiential learning
Nature school trips are grounded in one of the most valued elements in contemporary pedagogy: experiential learning. This consists of living first-hand, through practical experience, what is often conveyed through theoretical instruction. On school trips, it is the participants themselves who play, experiment, interact, face challenges, and develop group dynamics — just as in real life. However, they have the advantage of doing so surrounded by all the elements of their formal learning environment: their classmates and some of their teachers. This is why the impressions left by school trips are so significant and lasting. These impressions need not be limited to the fun or adventure experienced during the trip, but extend also to what has been learnt.
Whether for a Primary or Secondary school pupil, what has been studied for months in the classroom — in subjects such as Environmental Studies or Biology — will carry far more meaning and weight if it can be verified first-hand. Whether through a multi-adventure activity in the mountains or a forest, playing on the beach, or visiting a nature park. These are all ways in which the theoretical knowledge developed in class about the natural world takes shape and gains greater importance in participants’ learning. This is why it is so important for school trips to have a strong nature component. Not only to keep children connected with an environment we come from and must care for, but also as a way of consolidating their learning, expanding their capacity for connection, and developing their critical thinking.
Nature school trips
At Natuaventura Ocio y Tiempo Libre we have been running all kinds of school trips for over 15 years. Drawing on our extensive experience, we have put together the following articles on nature school trips:
