Benefits of Outdoor Education in Every Season

What time of year should teachers take their class for an overnight outdoor education camp? Even in sunny Southern California, the camp experience varies based on season. Here are just some of the seasonal benefits to help you determine the best time for your students to go to camp.

Fall

Coming to camp at the beginning of the school year has a ton of advantages, and the autumnal weather is an added bonus! If you come to camp between late August and early November, you’ll get to experience:

• An opportunity to kick off the year with your class growing closer together- a few days at camp can create more bonding than an entire year in the classroom!
• Use the outdoor science and leadership classes as a preview of what classes will be learning the rest of the school year.
• Lingering summer weather means warm days and better opportunities for our outdoor activities.
• Dirt Scooters is available in fall before its seasonal winter closure in December- this class is a high-energy hit that’s hard to find anywhere else!

Winter

While winter may not be the most common season to come to camp, we offer some exclusives that are only available during this season! Be sure to check out:

• Camp Christmas Exclusive is only available to schools that book for November and December. Enjoy light shows and unique evening activities with this option.
• Schools who book at least 50 students during the month of December can get 10% off their total bill.
• If you’re lucky, you’ll get to enjoy the snow that Pine Valley is occasionally graced with! January and early February seem to have the best chances of snowflakes and smiles.
• With fewer schools and other groups booking between November and February, your school will likely have more space around camp.

Spring

Our most popular season for outdoor education camps is springtime, and there are advantages to this. Between March and the end of the school year, schools enjoy:

• Use the entire school year to fundraise for your camp experience. Students can get involved with sales, school admin can apply for grants, and teachers and parents will have time to write donation requests to businesses before tax season starts.
• Outdoor science and leadership classes can help wrap up the year’s studies and apply the lessons learned in a hands-on way.
• This is the best season to experience a variety of weather in nature- rain, sunshine, heat, cold, and more. Because of the weather, we also reopen Dirt Scooters in late spring.
• This could be the last memorable activity your class does before departing for the summer- what a way to end the year!

So now it’s up to you: what do YOU think is the best season for Outdoor Education?