General Information Project Overview Curriculum Connections Resource Connections

  General Information

  Project Overview

One of the overall goals of a sound Physical Education program is to expose students to as many life-time pursuits as possible. These life-time pursuits will allow the student, when he/she leaves secondary school, to still remain physically active in an activity(s) that suits his/her own situation. Camping and Backpacking are two excellent examples of these so-called "life-time" pursuits. If secondary students are exposed to these activities at school, when they graduate these two activities can offer them great opportunities for social recreation and physical fitness. Both of these activities can form the basis for other leisure activities - hunting, fishing, photography, and/or bird watching. In addition to this, both activities can be tailored to suit individual's ages and abilities.

GOALS:

• to have students recognize and appreciate camping and backpacking as two examples of life-time activities.
• to make students aware of the amount of planning that needs to go into a backpacking/camping excursion.
• to critically evaluate camping/backpacking equipment.
• to recognize the potential dangers in these activities and how to cope with them.

INTENDED PARTICIPANTS

• students in Level II or III.
• people over the age of 16 who have never received any formal training in these areas but who have a real interest.

  Curriculum Connections

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this project the students should be knowledgeable in the following areas:

1. The kinds of fires that can be made outdoors; how to prepare, light and supervise fires, safety features associated with each kind of fire.
2. The kinds of sleeping bags available; the desired features in a sleeping bag; the items to look for in selecting a sleeping bag; selection of a groundsheet or sleeping bag mat.
3. The kinds of tents available; selecting different tents for different types of camping; good features of a tent to look for in selecting or purchasing a tent.
4. The suggested food items for camping, especially for backpacking, where the food must be carried by the camper; dehydrated foods; energy supplying snacks; foods that are highly nutritious, light in weight and require relatively short cooking time; necessary cooking equipment.
5. Selecting a backpack; important features to look for in a backpack; how to package foods; how to best fill a backpack to provide both comfort and convenience.
6. Recommended hiking clothing and footwear; different types of clothing for different seasons and climates.
7. Trail skills, including campsite selection, no trace camping, and sanitation and cleanliness on the trail.
8. Safety and survival, including such topics as hypothermia, emergency procedures, development and use of survival kits, and First Aid kits.

  Resource Connections

ACTIVITIES

Student will browse the internet to find information on the following to fulfill the above intended learning outcomes. For example:

• find information on fire safety
• browse the web for information on selecting the best or most suitable backpacking equipment, tents, sleeping bags, etc.
• gather information on the best type of food to carry on a backpacking excursion.
• look up appropriate clothing for different seasons.