Programs
The Outdoor Campus mails out three seasonal brochures; fall, winter, and spring, during
the school year. All area schools will receive a Seasonal School Programs brochure
of all the classes offered for that season. The brochure will contain a list of programs
offered and a brief description of the classes. The programs will be listed in a
grade-specific format. If you would like to have a brochure sent directly to you, please
give us a call and make that request at (605) 362-2777 or e-mail TOC@state.sd.us. You will receive the brochure
when they are published.Preparing for your trip to the The Outdoor
Campus
Preparation for your trip to The Outdoor Campus will often determine how successful
your trip will be. Give students a clear objective for their time at TOC. Talking with
your class about the trip objectives and expectations will help keep them focused, and
will enhance TOC programs or your own activities. It is natural for children to run around
and be kids when they are in the outdoors. Our job and yours, is to have them learning
while on the move.
Pre-trip Activities and Ideas
- Before the trip, inform students of the
purpose of the field trip and what is expected of them in regard to participation and
behavior.
- Have students locate on a map the location
of The Outdoor Campus and plan the best route.
- Introduce vocabulary terms to the students
that are related to the program they will be studying.
- Introduce terms like ecology, habitat,
insects, mammals, environment, and conservation.
- Have students research ideas like endangered
species, outdoor activities, and the global environment.
- Have students do research on common animals
that they would likely see at The Outdoor Campus.
- Have students make an Outdoor Journal. Use
it to record observations at TOC, the schoolyard, and their backyards.
Post-Trip Activities and Ideas:
- Many teachers find it useful to conduct
their own "debriefing" at school through discussions, or written or oral
presentations.
- Have students develop a newspaper article
about the field trip experience or about South Dakota’s natural environment and
outdoor activities.
- Have students use their journals to reflect
on what they learned.
- Have them keep observations of wildlife they
see, or dates of when different migrating birds return, dates the leaves emerge, the
weather and so on.
- Have students draw a picture of their most
vivid memory of the trip to TOC.
General information about your visit
Health form
Before attending TOC, double check to be sure
that all of your students have a treatment authorization form on file at your school. Each
student is required to have one on file. They need to be accessible, so in the rare case
of an emergency, the personnel at TOC will have permission to treat the individual
involved.
Chaperones
Please bring along an adult chaperone for each
10 students, in addition to yourself. In this website you will find information titled Role of Chaperones. Please share this with the
adults that have agreed to accompany your class to TOC.
Parent information
Inform parents of the trip to TOC. We have
included a sample letter for parents in the appendix. The letter informs them of their
student’s upcoming trip, and also includes a section on what to wear to TOC programs.
(See next section on proper clothing.)
Proper clothing
As our name implies, The Outdoor Campus is a
place where learning takes place mostly outdoors. Participants must be made aware that
dressing properly is one of the best things they can do to help insure a positive
experience. Being cold and or wet, and worrying about getting dirty distracts from the
experience. To avoid this, ALL PARTICIPANTS, students, teachers and chaperones should
dress for the occasion. Please share this information with everyone in your group.
If a student comes to a program conducted by
TOC staff and is not dressed appropriately, they will be kept inside under teacher
supervision. For all-day programs, a student not dressed appropriately will not be allowed
to participate. We would ask that teachers help make this decision before the student gets
on the bus for the trip to TOC.
Provide all participants with name tags, if
possible.
Dressing for a visit to The Outdoor Campus for Students,
Teachers, & Chaperones
- Winter Boots with no heel, insulated (i.e., snow
boots, moon boots, snowmobile boots, sorrels). At least two pair of socks, preferably one
of them wool. Snowmobile suit, insulated pants or coveralls, or long underwear with normal
weight pants. Hat that covers ears. Scarf. Mittens or insulated gloves. No exposed skin on
lower legs/ankles. Minimum two layers (i.e., turtleneck shirt and sweater) with insulated
jacket.
- Early Spring – Late Fall Dress as for winter:
these damp days can feel colder than expected and are prime times for hypothermia. Boots
are usually a must.
- Late Spring – Summer – Early Fall Clothes
appropriate for the weather. Sunscreen and insect repellent at your discretion. Footwear
with no heel, good tread, and good support. If you will be involved in outdoor cooking
activities, do not wear sandals.
- Misc. Waterproof outerwear for days that threaten
drizzle/ rain. Windbreakers for chilly, windy days. Always leave "Sunday best"
at home. Children and Teachers/Chaperones should not wear new or special clothing that
they would not wish to soil.
Special Needs
All of our trails are ADA accessible. However,
many of our activities may take place off of the trails. Please let us know of any special
needs your group may have. We will do our best to fully accommodate all of your
participants.
Please notify us of any other special needs
(i.e., medical conditions, allergies, behavioral concerns, communication barriers, etc.)
Expectations of participants
Any continued disruptive behavior that affects
the quality of the experience for the other kids is unacceptable, as is any activity that
is destructive to the grounds. Although these cases are rare, should they occur, they will
be reported to the student’s teacher.
Inclement weather
TOC programs will go on rain or shine. If
programs are scheduled for outside, indoor activities will be substituted. All-day
programs with large numbers of participants will be canceled in the event of severe
weather. Every attempt at rescheduling these programs will be made.
For winter programs we will substitute indoor
activities for the lower grades when the wind chill is below –10o. For the
older grades the activities will be adapted to the conditions until the wind chill reaches
–25o.
Independent field trips are up to the teacher.
If the weather does not allow you to be outside, do not count on room being available
indoors at TOC for your group. TOC programs have priority for this space.
Medical Emergencies
All TOC professional staff have up-to-date certification in
standard first aid and CPR for children and adults. In the event that TOC staff determines
immediate medical assistance is required, an ambulance will be called to the scene.
If medical attention is required on a non-emergency basis,
TOC staff will:
- Recommend that the teacher follow normal school procedures
regarding ill / injured students.
- Ask a teacher or accompanying adult to take the individual
to get medical treatment. TOC cannot provide transportation in a state vehicle to anyone
not employed by the State of South Dakota.
Lunch
Students will need to bring their own lunch. Due to the
high volume of visitors, we do not provide indoor eating spaces for groups. The Sertoma
Science Playground and picnic shelter is across the parking lot and provides a good
setting for a meal. It may be a good idea to call the City Parks and Recreation Department
to reserve space in the picnic shelter for your group. The phone number is 367-7060.
During the winter months, when the weather is not conducive to picnics, you will have to
make arrangements for off campus lunches.
Role of
Chaperones
Thank you for volunteering to be a chaperone for the field trip to The Outdoor
Campus! Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to chaperone your group’s
field trip!
TOC staff and volunteers will always offer encouragement to children
participating in a program. Group leaders and chaperones can add their enthusiasm and
support to children, too, especially during the outdoor portions of the program where
students may be working individually or in pairs.
- Participate in Activities!
We expect that all chaperones will participate in the activities with the youth.
Depending on the program, that may include fishing, nature study, nature games, or hikes.
Please limit any conversation among adults in the back of the group, as it provides a
distraction and is a cue for children that their complete attention is not required.
- Remember – You are a Role Model!
Your reactions are also important. At TOC, we want to develop positive attitudes
towards the outdoors and all living creatures (including spiders, insects, snakes, etc.).
It is essential that chaperones portray positive reactions to these animals, or at the
very least do not exhibit a negative response.
We ask that chaperones disperse themselves throughout the group, and let the TOC
staff member know of any unsafe behavior. Group leaders and chaperones are responsible for
supervision of group behavior and group safety before and after a program. TOC staff will
manage the group during the program. In rare instances where TOC staff determine that a
child’s behavior is having an unresolvable negative impact on the experience for the
rest of the group, they may request that the leader/chaperone supervise the child in an
area separate from the rest of the group for a portion of the program.
Chaperones are asked to resist the temptation to "coach" the kids by
whispering an answer in a child’s ear. (Yes, it’s common!) Many of the
Naturalist’s questions are meant to challenge the children, and an immediate answer
is not expected nor sought. Thanks!
- If you are driving, please obey the posted speed limit of 15 mph after entering
the park.
Our trails border the road, and many children use them. School groups have been
pulled over and cited by the police for violating the park speed limit!
Wear old clothes and sneakers/boots. You may need a raincoat
So,
you’d like to do your own field trip?
(We call these Scheduled Visits)
We would love to have you and your classes spend time here
at TOC, even if we are not directly involved with your activities. Here’s what you
need to do for a scheduled visit:
Make arrangements
You must call ahead and find out if there are scheduled
programs being run that day. If so, you may not be able to use certain portions of the
Campus. This is to avoid overlapping of groups. The scheduled programs will have
preference for areas of the Campus needed for their activities. If there is no conflict,
you are free to use any parts of the campus you wish.
Equipment
We have had many requests to use The Outdoor Campus’
equipment. It is our policy not to let groups use TOC’s equipment.
Site use guidelines
- Collection of natural materials is allowed
only under the direct supervision or with prior approval of TOC staff.
- Unless involved in a guided hike with TOC staff, please
limit hiking and exploration of the Campus to existing marked trails. This is important
because The Outdoor Campus is habitat for a number of plant and animal species that should
not be disrupted and because of possible safety hazards that exist in off-trail areas.
- Pack it in, pack it out. Take care that any
trash is disposed of in a trash receptacle and not thrown on the ground. The
Outdoor Campus would greatly appreciate visitor assistance in picking up and
disposing of any litter seen on site, or reporting the location of larger
problem sites to TOC prior to leaving.
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