PLAY + ADVENTURE = SMARTER KIDS!
How outdoor adventure camps can teach your kids confidence, leadership skills and resilience
There has been a lot of talk about going back to nature, and drawing on its diversity to school our children.
The thought of children roaming in forests and letting their senses be heightened by the smell, sight, and sound in our natural environment may sound appealing indeed – especially in this day and age where children spend more time on television and gadgets than on physical activities outdoors.
But what are the benefits of letting children freely (and safely) explore the outdoors?
This article in The Telegraph makes a few important points. It states that the brain has a play and seeking system, as discovered by Professor Jaak Panksepp, a world-leading neuroscientist at Washington State University.
The play system is stimulated every time you engage in rough-and-tumble play with your child or bury his feet in the sand, while the seeking system is exercised when exploring a new place or forest together.
In the Singapore context where much of our land is developed for urban use, family holidays and regular romps in the outdoors may be even more important for your child.
Such activities release “well-being neurochemicals” such as oxytocin and dopamine, which reduces stress and activates a general sense of wellness in the child, as well as the parents.
Over time, such play and exploration can lead to the maturation of the frontal lobes, the “part of the brain involved in cognitive functioning, social intelligence and well-focused, goal-directed behaviours that may last a lifetime.”
In other words, letting kids play outdoors and bringing them on a vacation can help them develop their intelligence and build a sense of confidence and independence.
Sounds good already?
But there’s more.
Nature supports the development of children in some very key ways:
- It enhances a child’s ability to focus
- It supports creativity and problem-solving
- It improves academic performance
- It reduces stress
- It reduces rates of myopia in children
- It reduces (Attention Deficit Disorder) ADD symptoms
“It’s important for children to experience nature. Having an adventure in the great outdoors is an excellent way to teach children about the diversity of our natural world,” shares Daniel Ang, Camp Director at OLA (Our Learning & Adventure). “You also get to stretch their confidence through outdoor obstacle courses and team events, and help them develop a resilience that naturally comes with overcoming small challenges.” (Source)
“In other words, letting kids play outdoors and bringing them on a vacation can help them develop their intelligence and build a sense of confidence and independence.”
Life and learning should always be an ADVENTURE
What is unique about OLA’s children camps is its focus on equipping children with the skills to explore and learn from nature, and tackle challenges with a can-do attitude.
The adventure camps cater to the abilities of the very young, even preschoolers as young as four years old.
Daniel explains, “Our camp programme believes in training and mentoring our campers to become compassionate and caring leaders of tomorrow. Our camp facilitators are role-models who use gentle behavioural nudges to teach the core values of Caring, Honesty, Responsibility and Respect.”
“For example, there may be occasions where we have to care for and encourage a clingy or fearful child. In such a situation, the child usually finds one facilitator whom he feels an affinity with, and follows that person around. What we’d usually do is have that facilitator introduce that child to another facilitator in a gentle way. So that by the time it’s the end of the first camp day, the child would have already been exposed to two to three different facilitators, thereby increasing his comfort level by day two.”
Another important learning tool is the art of asking questions that prompt young children to reflect upon their actions and lessons from the events.
This is important in promoting the critical and reflective thought process in a child. For example, how have I cared for another person today, and in this way contributed as a team member?
Each activity then becomes more meaningful and memorable for the child, and is not just a touch-and-go event.
“We believe in training and mentoring our campers to become compassionate and caring leaders of tomorrow. ”
A Leader Is One Who Knows the Way Goes the Way and Shows the Way
Parents can rest assured that your child will feel very familiar and safe with an unchanging face in any camp that he or she attends.
Daniel is also the main facilitator and instructor in every camp that OLA conducts. Having multiple skills and certification in outdoor, sports and adventurous activities, he is the biggest fan of outdoor adventure camps ever since he was a cub scout in primary school.
Daniel explains, "At OLA I get to design the camp, conduct the camp, review the camp, improve the camp and have a lot of fun while doing it. I have been around in this industry for many years in various positions and I think my talent lies in making things fun & meaningful for my peers and participants. I believe that the most important thing a camp must have is fun before any meaningful learning can take place. So I teach and advocate timely silly and theatrical persona for the facilitators to allow the children to be more comfortable in a children camp. Too many children camps out there have questionable quality of facilitators that cannot even handle the children. Many do not even have basic training on how to conduct themselves. "
First-hand experience at a Camp
We attended one of the camps as chaperones and witnessed first-hand how a 4 day camp programme was like. After being in the camp and hearing the children chant "Uncle Daniel" daily convinced us that Daniel disposition is more like a energetic loving father to his children, and also the biggest kid in the camp. We also cannot help but to feel that he seems to be having more fun than the campers throughout the camp.
The little minions following Uncle Daniel song and dance
When we asked Daniel about his age and how many years he thinks that he can still be so energetic, he replied: "Age, health and energy level are connected but not dependent. Some people run marathons, I run camp. There are many old marathon runners and how they did it is all about the right lifestyle. I keep myself fit and healthy so that I can keep doing this until I am old."
From what we saw, OLA camp is truly one of a kind. We managed to speak to a few of the parents after the camp concluded and we were met with high praises and support.
One mother who goes by Mrs Lee shared that her two girls had never been so excited about outdoor holiday camps and are asking for the next camp date.
Two fathers joked with us that there must be something in the water or food because their sons are addicted to the camp. Mr Lee and Mr Tan are neighbors and their boys have been attending the camp for a few years. Mr Lee said, "This guy (Mr Tan) introduced me to that overnight camp and it became part of the boys' year-end holiday 'must do' list. Now the boys want to come back every school holiday. We let them try those science/sports/IT camps but they always ask to come back to this camp. One complaint though, they need to make the overnight camp longer so that we can go for a good vacation ourselves!"
The candid and honest comment from the other parents was a testimony to the special experience that Daniel created.
As parents ourselves we are looking forward to sending our children to OLA camp in the near future. We highly recommend their camp programme for first time camp goers.
Sign up for one of their many themed holiday camps this school holiday and see for yourself why those parents considered this to be the best camp in Singapore.
- Written by James and Jennifer, ex-camp volunteers and newly wedded couple.
A Leader Is One Who Knows the Way Goes the Way and Shows the Way
Parents can rest assured that your child will feel very familiar and safe with an unchanging face in any camp that he or she attends.
Daniel is also the main facilitator and instructor in every camp that OLA conducts. Having multiple skills and certification in outdoor, sports and adventurous activities, he is the biggest fan of outdoor adventure camps ever since he was a cub scout in primary school.
Daniel explains, "At OLA I get to design the camp, conduct the camp, review the camp, improve the camp and have a lot of fun while doing it. I have been around in this industry for many years in various positions and I think my talent lies in making things fun & meaningful for my peers and participants. I believe that the most important thing a camp must have is fun before any meaningful learning can take place. So I teach and advocate timely silly and theatrical persona for the facilitators to allow the children to be more comfortable in a children camp. Too many children camps out there have questionable quality of facilitators that cannot even handle the children. Many do not even have basic training on how to conduct themselves. "
First-hand experience at a Camp
We attended one of the camps as chaperones and witnessed first-hand how a 4 day camp programme was like. After being in the camp and hearing the children chant "Uncle Daniel" daily convinced us that Daniel disposition is more like a energetic loving father to his children, and also the biggest kid in the camp. We also cannot help but to feel that he seems to be having more fun than the campers throughout the camp.
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| The little minions following Uncle Daniel song and dance |
When we asked Daniel about his age and how many years he thinks that he can still be so energetic, he replied: "Age, health and energy level are connected but not dependent. Some people run marathons, I run camp. There are many old marathon runners and how they did it is all about the right lifestyle. I keep myself fit and healthy so that I can keep doing this until I am old."
From what we saw, OLA camp is truly one of a kind. We managed to speak to a few of the parents after the camp concluded and we were met with high praises and support.
One mother who goes by Mrs Lee shared that her two girls had never been so excited about outdoor holiday camps and are asking for the next camp date.
Two fathers joked with us that there must be something in the water or food because their sons are addicted to the camp. Mr Lee and Mr Tan are neighbors and their boys have been attending the camp for a few years. Mr Lee said, "This guy (Mr Tan) introduced me to that overnight camp and it became part of the boys' year-end holiday 'must do' list. Now the boys want to come back every school holiday. We let them try those science/sports/IT camps but they always ask to come back to this camp. One complaint though, they need to make the overnight camp longer so that we can go for a good vacation ourselves!"
The candid and honest comment from the other parents was a testimony to the special experience that Daniel created.
As parents ourselves we are looking forward to sending our children to OLA camp in the near future. We highly recommend their camp programme for first time camp goers.
Sign up for one of their many themed holiday camps this school holiday and see for yourself why those parents considered this to be the best camp in Singapore.
- Written by James and Jennifer, ex-camp volunteers and newly wedded couple.
