How to Remove Barriers Preventing You from Taking Student Trips

We get it- it can take a lot of work to convince your school administration and your students’ parents that an outdoor education trip is a worthwhile educational experience. There are valid concerns that come with this, and we want to address these while equipping you as the teacher with some valuable tools so that your school can remove the barriers that are preventing students from taking educational trips.

Money
Is a trip affordable?

Outdoor Science Camp provides a wealth of experiential education, there’s no doubt about that. But it is understandable that, no matter how valuable the trip itself is, there are still barriers when it comes to cost. 

Pine Valley Outdoor Science Camp seeks to offer options to make the outdoor education experience as affordable as possible. Schools can choose to print their own class booklets instead of ordering them from us. Schools can choose how long of a session they want at camp. And all activities are included in a per-person rate.

While we are looking for ways to expand and improve our program, this does not come at a cost to campers. Instead, we rely on grants and donations to improve the experience. We encourage schools and students to seek out grants and stipends that can fund their trip as well. Here are a few of our recent grants we’re excited about that your school can also apply for when they participate at Pine Valley Outdoor Science Camp:

• Clean California Schools and educational programs will receive $150 for participation in litter prevention activities, which is fulfilled by our Food & Waste presentations and Adopt-a-Spot challenge that all schools participate in, as well as our Waste Awareness class option. There’s a student contest on this site too! Because of this grant, we’re funding new class supplies such as a tumbling composter.
• Grades of Green LAUNCH Stipends of $100-$500 are earned for eco-lessons included in our Waste Awareness and Meteorology classes, plus our Food & Waste presentations and Adopt-a-Spot challenge. Because of this grant, we’ll be able to add additional class options to the 2025/26 school year.

Please reach out to our program manager, Jessica Lippe, if you’d like assistance in applying for the above grants by incorporating lessons from Pine Valley Outdoor Science Camp. For more grant and funding opportunities available to schools, check out this post.

Time
Can we afford the time away?

Taking a few days off from the normal school routine to come to camp can seem jarring at first. Most schools select a two-night or three-night camp experience based on what works best for their school, but there are options for longer sessions as well. We even offer day camps on short notice!

Here are a few things that schools who attend Pine Valley Outdoor Science Camp have done to justify the time spent away from the classroom:

• Some schools plan a “field trip week” when all of the upper grades take an overnight trip at the same time. One or two grades will attend Pine Valley Outdoor Science Camp, while other grades are going on different excursions such as consecutive day trips, an East Coast trip, or an international mission trip. Because part or all of the school building will be closed down while everyone’s away, the school can save money on electricity, water, and cleaning costs.
• Because we have education standards listed for each of our classes, teachers choose which classes the students take based on the material they need to cover in class. By hitting standards while at camp, there’s nothing to catch up on back at school.
• Teachers who attend camp with their students still have internet access in our main building and can easily communicate with their coworkers who stay behind at school. Because our instructors are leading the classes while at camp, teachers often use their spare time at their camp session to catch up on grading papers, plan future lessons, or simply catch their breath!
• All schools who sign up for Pine Valley Outdoor Science Camp receive a resource folder that includes helpful information such as parent letters (now available in both English and Spanish), chaperone information, planning timelines, packing lists, and so much more. Using these resources saves hours of time for teachers as they plan their camp experience.

Supervision
Can I trust who will be watching the students?

We are aware of the unfortunate circumstances that have happened when schools attend other camps and their students are chaperoned by cabin leaders whose values do not align with the school. This is one of the reasons that we allow schools to hand-select their chaperones. 

Chaperones are adults selected by each individual school, typically consisting of teachers, school administrators, and/or parent volunteers. This arrangement benefits students and their families because they already know their chaperones before they even leave for camp. Students are not allowed to go anywhere at camp without their chaperone. If parents are chaperoning the cabins, then teachers and school admin will be staying in motel-style lodge rooms a short walk away from the student dorms. During the daytime activities, these chaperones are backed up by our Outdoor Science School staff who are teaching the classes and leading the activities, so there are extra sets of eyes on all students. Our staff have received extensive training and background checks, and all school chaperones are required to be background-checked.


We’d like to know: what are YOUR biggest barriers when it comes to student trips? Is it accessibility, educational value, policies, or something else? Let us know so we can help break down the barriers to ensure your students have access to an outdoor education experience!