Outdoor Education

Experiential Learning is defined as “challenge and experience followed by reflection, leading to learning and growth.” 

Outdoor adventure and journey-based learning is a powerful medium that we are harnessing for the benefit of our students and, ultimately, for society. The goal is to create a genuine, sequential, outcomes-based outdoor learning continuum from Kindergarten to Year 12. 

The focus areas of the continuum include personal growth, connection to peers, life skills, leadership, rites of passage and environmental stewardship. In each year of their schooling, students will participate in a progressive program designed to target each of these key learning areas and develop their physical, emotional and social resilience, whilst strengthening their connection to the natural environment. 

Pymble outdoor educators create and facilitate concrete experiences for students that challenge them to communicate and collaborate with others. 

Students solve problems, achieve goals, face fears and anxieties, and challenge preconceived notions of themselves and the world. 

We know that the greatest educational gains are made when individuals are pushed out of their comfort zone. The outdoor environment is a perfect vehicle for this outcome. Ultimately, these experiences not only build character and important life skills, but are enjoyable for all and create lifelong memories. 

Nature Play in the Junior School

In Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2, students are encouraged to explore their environment through a series of nature-immersion experiences. Activities range from nature walks and bush art to obstacle courses, team-building activities and campfire experiences. The aim of these sessions is to get students in touch with their natural surroundings and be more comfortable outside, allowing them to be creative and champion time spent playing. 

Children learn through play, and there is no better resource than nature

The benefits of students interacting with their environment in this way are profound.  

Research has shown that nature play can lead to improved classroom behaviour, motivation and enthusiasm to learn, as well as better quality sleep at night. It also nurtures curiosity and stronger social connections.  

Year 3 sees our students experience their first overnight program with sessions focusing on team building, nature activities and unstructured play that extends across the Pymble and Vision Valley campuses. Time in a different environment enables them to learn new skills and prepares them for longer and more adventurous experiences to come in their Pymble years. For many students, this will be their first night away from home and we aim to encourage independence and self-confidence through this program. 

Our Year 4 students set off on a two-night adventure, venturing further afield to explore the beautiful wilderness on our front doorstep. Students will take to the bush and rivers for some fun and more challenging outdoor activities and games. The focus of this program is on connections with peers and nature, pushing comfort zones and developing outdoor skills.  

In Year 5, the students revisit the Vision Valley campus for a three-day camping experience. They will take part in more adventurous outdoor activities as a progression from previous years, alongside team-building activities and environmental awareness. These experiences will help them learn new skills and find pursuits they enjoy, building confidence in their own abilities and encouraging further development for future programs. 

Year 6 students are extended further, in preparation for their transition to secondary school. They will experience another new bush location for a four-day adventure, enjoying some peak experiences to sign off their junior years at Pymble. Activities will be more challenging and varied, including abseiling, kayaking and horse riding. Students will also camp out each night, practicing their accumulated skills over the years and creating special memories with their peers. 

These graduated Junior School experiences allow our students to take on more adventurous opportunities in their secondary years with confidence and resilience, having become more comfortable staying out overnight and with the courage to visit new locations and navigate greater physical and personal challenges. 

Year 7

As students start their secondary school journey, the dual focus of the outdoor education program in Year 7  is to create experiences that foster peer connection, build courage and self-belief, arming students with expedition-style skills that will prepare them for longer outdoor journeys in future years. Based at Vision Valley, students will hike and paddle through some amazing locations in the national parks surrounding Vision Valley over a five-day program. They will also enjoy other exciting team activities and the chance to top off each day camping under the stars. 

Year 8

In our Year 8 program, students are faced with a multitude of activities that build on their past experiences to suit their appetite for adventure and challenge. The program is an expedition-style week camping on the Colo River, where students go bushwalking, canoeing and climbing to experience this beautiful region. Students will challenge themselves and continue working as a team on mud runs, obstacle courses and team initiatives. 

Year 9

In line with Pymble’s goal to establish a flagship, long-stay residential program, Year 9 students reside at the Vision Valley campus for four weeks. This program involves experiential learning and personal development through regular and progressive outdoor education journeys including multi-day hiking trips, paddling, and biking through various locations, and a solo overnight camping venture. 

The long-stay program offers a carefully curated range of challenges and experiences and the chance to develop and learn in a unique environment. The impact of such extended experiences is profound and transformative for students at this age. They become more aware of their individual strengths and abilities, more mindful of each other and their surroundings, and they develop deep resilience and a strong appreciation of the natural environment. 

Year 10

In Year 10, students are invited to choose their level of challenge and adventure between four amazing experiences: a five-day coastal adventure in Murramarang National Park, a nine-day whitewater rafting expedition on the Snowy River, a five-day canyoning and climbing exploration in the Blue Mountains or a nine-day ‘Namadji’ hiking expedition within the Victoria High Plains. 

Murramarang provides a stunning backdrop for a coastal hiking adventure as students stay at different campsites each evening and explore the coastline by bushwalking, kayaking, snorkelling, stand-up paddle boarding and surfing, and taking part in an Indigenous immersion experience. Students work together to navigate the terrain, enjoy communal food preparation, and engage in connection with peers and reflection of their outdoor journeys through their Pymble years. 

Our nine-day white water rafting expedition is set on one of the most popular sections of Australia’s famous Snowy River. This incredible remote rafting and camping trip showcases the changing nature of the river through towering gorges, open dry valleys, and sandy river flats. The rapids in this section of the river are generally class II – III and range from boulder garden to nicely formed drops. Students experience both guided and self-guided sections of the river, working together to raft themselves from campsite to campsite and will progress their skills on these famous rapids. 

On the specially designed five-day roping adventure, students are exposed to abseiling, rock climbing and canyoning. With the backdrop of the Blue Mountains National Park and in the company of qualified rock and roping guides, students will develop their skills and discover their potential through a range of progressive challenges designed to push their boundaries in a safe and encouraging environment. On the final night of the program, students descend into the Grand Canyon by torchlight and discover a world of glow worms as abundant as stars on a clear night.  

The Namadji program challenges those students who wish to extend themselves and test their expedition skills. This trip provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete a multi-day hiking journey across Australia’s highest mountain range, taking in the views from Mt Bogong, the highest mountain peak in Victoria. Students hike and camp in the mountains and foster skills in map reading, group leading and environmental awareness as they traverse the stunning wilderness of Alpine National Park. 

Extension opportunities in the Pymble outdoor education program include The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, involvement in the Australian Army Cadets, a nine-day hiking trip on the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory and an overseas expedition to hike to the base camp of the Annapurna Mountain Range in Nepal (available to students in Years 11 and 12). 

A vision for experiential outdoor learning

All year groups will have opportunities to experience a range of formative outdoor education programs during their time at Pymble.

You can read more about the important role our Outdoor Education campus plays in our vision for students in this article written by Dr Sarah Loch Director of the Pymble Institute and Stuart Clark, published in AHISA’s Independence magazine.