SCIENCE CAMP
Choose between our 3 or 4-day program.
Let Learning take Root
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HANDS-ON OUTDOOR EDUCATION
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The CODES program specializes in the CA Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for 5th-6th grade students.
Our program uses lecture presentation, gamification, experimentation, and personal reflection to create experiential learning opportunities that are specifically tailored to challenge your students while also promoting self-confidence and science literacy in topics that complement their current school curriculum.
Although we do have a set schedule and courses based on students’ grade level, we love to hear about the topics your class has been focusing on or those which you would like introduced to provide your students with a well-rounded educational experience.
OUR OUTDOOR ED CLASSES
ECOSYSTEMS
As with any new skill or learning, you should always start with the fundamentals. Topics like abiotic and biotic factors, food webs, decomposers, and interdependence within an Ecosystem make up the fundamentals of ecology taught in this course. Through hands-on demonstrations and curriculum-based games students come away with an understanding of the basis of all life.
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ROCKWALL & LOW ROPES
Students will experience this two-component class consisting of team-building challenges and a high ropes course offering them the chance to climb to the top of our 40ft Rock Wall. The only way to reach a goal is to set one, and that is exactly what this class will impress upon students: the principles of goal-setting; encouragement; and the application of the scientific method as a problem-solving tool.
PRODUCERS
They may be at the bottom of the food chain, but they're at the top of the list when it comes to sustaining life and balance within an ecosystem; they're Producers! In this class, students will go in depth into topics like photosynthesis, plant anatomy, native plant identification, dendrochronology, the Bark Beetle blight, and so much more.
WATERSHED
What do topography, riparian and lentic ecosystems, thermoclines, and the Scientific Method have in common? They're all topics that students explore as they observe our local Watershed and the tributaries that lead to the Santa Ana River. As the seasons change, so do the characteristics of our aquatic ecosystems and watershed areas meaning there's always something new to learn!
NIGHT HIKE
Students will move outside of their comfort zone and experience how the great outdoors changes once the sun goes down. Using their five basic senses, students will unveil their body's amazing abilities that can only be truly appreciated when the lights are out. Covering topics such as the mechanics of the eye and night vision, nocturnal animals and specialization, triboluminescence, astronomy, and courage, the Night Hike is rarely forgotten.
CONSUMERS
A fan favorite of students and teachers alike, Consumers class will lead students through curriculum that covers three major fields of zoology: herpetology, mammalogy, and ornithology. Using biofacts, personal exploration assignments, and meet and greets with our live animal collection, students will come away with a stronger understanding of animal specialization, classification, identification, and what it means to be an environmental steward.
EXTENDED HIKE
Our Extended Hike, is exactly what is sounds like: a 6-hr exploratory hike through the San Bernardino National Forest. Encountering all 4 of the ecosystems found at Mile High Pines, stopping to admire the views of the San Gorgonio mountain range, crossing the rippling tributary that is Frog Creek, and dining picnic lunch style on the banks of the man-made wonder, Jenks Lake are just a few of the things you can expect.
WILDERNESS SURVIVAL
Students will enter the forest as wary campers and exit as young survivalists. Through friendly competition, student teams will elect a leader and compete to stay alive by building shelters, procuring food and water, creating fire, and orienteering. This class teaches students the techniques and best practices of Wilderness Survival as well as develops students’ critical thinking skills while promoting cooperation and leadership in a (hypothetical) crisis.
REVIEW CLASS
More than just highs and lows, this course takes a cumulative look back at all that the students have accomplished and participated in at camp. Driven by inquiry, personal reflection, and real-life application, students Review and translate their newly acquired knowledge and character lessons into practical applications for when they go back down the mountain.
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