“I would repeat Grade 4 again, just for this moment.” – Zavier M.
“I liked the Amazing Race because we learned to cooperate with each other as a team” – Adam P.
“I got to taste S’mores for the first time, they were amazing!” – Ali R.
These were just some of the comments from our Grade 4 students when asked to describe their recent camp-in experience “Grade 4 goes Nocturnal”.
More than that, this was the first time that the Grade 4 camp was run exclusively by our Elementary School faculty. The entirety of the ISKL Grade 4 team, in collaboration with educators Kim Weiner and Paul Balsamo all, developed a comprehensive plan – taking into account what the kids would like and what would be best for them.
‘Community & Team Building’ was the theme for the camp-in experience, where students asked themselves questions to do with, The Me in We – what are my skills and what can I bring to my team? How can we work together?
With 120 excited kids to organize this amazing feat around, and a group of 10 – 15 teachers on hand, the Grade 4 team leaders had the great task of running the show!
The camp took place in different areas of the Elementary School. Split into six teams with about 22 in each group, the idea was to take them out of their regular classroom spaces. Activities were held in the Melawati Theatre, the multi-purpose and movement rooms.
Along with small group activities, one of the main highlights of the camp was “The Amazing Race” challenge. Loosely based on the TV show, students were split into groups of five or six people, coming up with their own team names. Students were given easy tasks such as shooting five basketballs into a hoop, reciting the alphabet backward, drinking three cups of water and so on.
While the tasks were not difficult, the students had to decide who was the best person to complete the task and everyone got a chance to participate! The Amazing Race game taught students the importance of completing tasks as a team and coming together to complete the final leg of the puzzles.
In the evening the students had time to recuperate and take part in their own relaxing activities from having dinner together, roasting marshmallows, watching movies and hanging out with their friends. Students brought in their own sleeping bags with all of Grade 4 sleeping together in the Grade 4 and 5 common areas – girls in one area and boys at another. Unsurprisingly, no one got enough sleep but they all had a lot of fun!
The second day wrapped up with students working on two community projects: painting a mural and some garden planting.
It has been a long-standing tradition for Grade 4 students to experience an annual camp-in where they spend a night away from home. An ongoing part of the ISKL curriculum, the camp-in has been described as a stepping stone to other more adventurous field trips off-campus, as they move into higher grades.
Although rather challenging for the first week of the semester, the kids totally loved it. It was a great opportunity to push the students out of their comfort zone – but in a very positive way. Feedback from students was that they had an amazing time, and many parents shared that it was the highlight of their child’s year!
It is the first time that the Grade 4 camp-in experience was ‘teacher-created’ and ‘teacher-led’, and we look forward to recreating this wonderful experience in the years ahead!
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