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Curriculum


The curriculum of the Community Adventure Program has two distinct, but intertwining phases:

Danafire1. Wilderness Skill Development: Students spend approximately half of their time learning essential outdoor skills to acquire the basics necessary to comfortably and competently explore the outdoors. The Colorado community is full of world-class outdoors enthusiasts and educators. The CAP provides students with an opportunity to tap into this rich educational resource and to meet new people who have an amazing amount of knowledge, talent, and experience. Below is a sample of some of the summer and winter skills that students become competent in through their participation with the CAP:

  • Nature awareness, including: Wide angle vision, animal stalking techniques, nature sketching, journaling, camouflage techniques, nature awareness activities, local cultural history, local natural history, plant identification, edible and medicinal plants, etc.
  • Essential camping skills, including: Minimum impact camping, campsite location, modern tents, food and ration planning, outdoor cooking, food hanging, ecologically responsible fires, map, compass, route selection, and back country navigation, etc.
  • Essential 3-season wilderness survival skills, including: Survival scenarios, survival priorities, survival kits, natural shelters, 1-match fires, petroleum cotton ball fires, friction fires, natural cordage, traps and snares.
  • Winter camping skills, including: Thermodynamics and heat loss, winter gear and equipment, snowshoeing, quinzhees, emergency snow shelters, avalanche awareness, basic mountaineering and snow travel techniques, etc.
  • Outdoor leadership and team building skills
  • Eco-literacy

Groupspurgeedcap7_12. Environmental Service-Learning: While students are developing and practicing outdoor skills, they become intimately involved with their community by researching local outdoor and environmental issues that directly relate to the skills they are learning. Students participate in Socratic Seminars to discuss these issues, conduct research and contact community experts, and then work together as a class to address the problems they have identified. They then complete an Action Project to help make a positive impact in their community by implementing the following 10-step process:

  • Step 1: Explore the community
  • Step 2: Identify the issues
  • Step 3: Select an issue
  • Step 4: Understand issue
  • Step 5: Collaborate with the community
  • Step 6: Create a sustainable solution
  • Step 7: Plan the Action Project
  • Step 8: Implement the plan
  • Step 9: Complete post Action Project logistics
  • Step 10: Evaluate, reflect, and share the experience