Expand Classroom Boundaries

The Nordonia Hills YMCA provides hands-on, outdoor environmental education classes, encompassing science and nature. Children learn to use a dichotomist's key while identifying tree species and discover the effects of a drought on a habitat in our ecosystems class.

Join our staff of trained facilitators for Low Adventure on our Challenge Courses and get involved with our well-rounded programs, such as archery, canoeing on the lake or nature trail discovery hikes. The Nordonia Hills staff tailors your group's experience to compliment any curriculum. Certain elements have age limits, but we may be able to modify certain aspects to fit your needs.

Nordonia Hills Outdoor Education Goals:

• To present a safe outdoor environment for all who participate.
• To provide an environment that nurtures learning and growth.
• To teach awareness and about positive stewardship of the Earth:
  • Human impact on the natural environment.
  • How to better care and use the natural resources we have.
• To get the students into the outdoors to show the benefit of a healthy lifestyle.
• To teach the core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility and Faith

Teambuilding

Whether a school class, athletic team, church group, community organization or corporation, Nordonia Hills facilitators have access to low ropes elements, mobile initiatives and large and small group activities to transform any group into an effective team. A variety of team skills are implemented, practiced and evaluated into our programs. Camp staff assists you in identifying the needs of your group and develops a customized program to meet those needs. The group's progression is assessed throughout the stay and the program is directed accordingly.

Team Skills:

• Positive communication
• Creative problem solving methods
• Shared leadership, encouragement and support
• Adaptive management styles, giving and receiving feedback, cooperation and collaboration.

Challenge Course

Join our staff of trained facilitators for Low Adventure on our Challenge Courses. Certain elements do have age limits but we may be able to modify certain aspects to fit your needs. Read on for descriptions of the courses!

Teambuilding

These games are done on the ground and teach students the advantages of working as a team. The staff starts simple and then works toward harder challenges to make the students think and use each other for help.

Low Ropes

This course helps reinforce the concepts of teamwork. Relying on ‘games with a purpose,’ our staff will lead the students through a variety of challenges that they must work together to solve. There is a possibility of being at most a foot off the ground. We ask that students are at least 8 years old to participate on the Low Ropes Challenge Course.

Outdoor Education Classes

All of our classes are interactive and include games for the students.

Amazing Animals

Students learn to distinguish between mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. They discover the differences in body structure, behavior and coloration.

Archeology

This class teaches students about “dig” techniques, what to infer from the information found (whether it is a bone or pottery fragment), and how archeologists record information. We take them to our own dig site to find items buried and record the information for later use.

Archery

We take the students to our tiered archery range where they choose to volley arrows at a close, mid, or long-range target. Camp provides instruction and Range supervision to make sure this is a safe and fun activity for all.

Birds of a Feather

Students learn about: “what makes a bird a bird”. We go through and look at different types of bodies and habitats to discern the differences in the categories.

Canoeing

We take the students out onto our lake  and teach them the basics: how to paddle a canoe, how to turn, how to safely be in and around water and play games. This class can be scheduled for one or two hours long.

Communication Station

We all know communication is one of the key ingredients to whether or not people succeed in life. This class has students solve puzzles, put pictures in order and even play a version of the telephone game to learn how to communicate in different ways.

Creepy Crawlies

Just as the name suggests, students learn about insects and spiders. We go over what characteristics to look for to identify each, and then end the class with our own bug hunt!

Discovery

We take the students on a nature hike where they “discover” how their senses work or can be misled by nature. We play a game about camouflage, walk an “Unnatural Trail,” and even touch and smell items from nature.

Ecosystems

We delve into the components of an ecosystem and how the animals interact with each other to make a successful ecosystem. We look at animal bones to learn about herbivores and carnivores, walk through the grounds to look under rocks, and even wade into a stream to find examples of habitats.

Fishing

We use our own private lake to teach the kids about fish and how to catch them. Your students may bring their own poles and bait, however, Camp can provide bamboo poles and bait.

Nature Art

The students learn to make projects from the natural world, and take them home! We have a variety of projects for the students to choose from.

Orienteering

We show the students how to use a compass and find their way around a course. If time permits, the students develop their own course for another class to navigate through!

Outdoor Cooking

We show the students how to make their own food and how to safely cook with an open flame. We also delve into how to make a fire and what is best for cooking on a fire. The students will have a chance to eat what they make at the end of class!

Pollution Solution

We have the students look at the ways humans impact the environment, both positively and negatively. Students participate in an interactive discussion and games during their class hour.

Pond Life

Students get a chance to look for microscopic and macroscopic organisms in Lake Noah. We use nets, microscopes and a water assessment guide to show how the pond ecosystem works.

Water Rocketry

New for 2008, this class will delve into the basics of rocketry starting with Sir Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion. Students will launch a 2-liter pop bottle, as well as make their own rockets out of film canisters and Alka Seltzer to launch.

Survival

Not the TV show. We teach the students survival basics if they find themselves lost in the woods. We cover the five things animals need to live, and how to find or make what they need.

Tree-mendous

We use a dichotomous key to identify different types of trees at the Nordonia Hills YMCA. A hike around the grounds keeps students active and interested.

Activities

If your experience includes an overnight component, we will make your evening memorable. The following is a list of the evening activities we offer to your school.

Campfire

The staff puts on an hour of interactive entertainment for your school! From singalongs to skits, we go all out to make sure the students enjoy our silly act.

Dutch Auction

We split the students up into groups and have them compete against each other and the teachers. We come up with something that the group has to perform either with one member of the group or as a team. Then a group of judges rates each team for points.

Night Hike

Explore life in the dark. We discuss the stars, nocturnal animals, visual sensory of the human eye and play games!

Skit Night

We turn the stage over to the student's creativity! It is the student's turn to show us how to act silly. We even teach different ways to applaud.

Square Dancing

The students will learn the Virginia Reel, this activity teaches an American Tradition to all.