Outdoor Education

For groups planning a day or overnight trip to our site, we have a wide range of outdoor programs available! Facilitated by our highly trained and experienced Outdoor Educators, all equipment is provided for all participants. With a wide range of programs available seasonally or all year round, you and your group are sure to find programs that will meet your goals from teambuilding, outdoor education and of course, tons of fun!

Outdoor Education

Participants stay on our main site in cabins and take part in activities around site. These programs provide opportunities to try new activities, team build, and to improve on current skills in the outdoors. Programs can be customized for your elementary, high school, college, or university students by tying curriculum-based programming into your classroom lessons. Students learn about the great outdoors with a range of environmental education activities and a hands-on approach to what nature has to offer. Programs feature traditional camp programming such as archery, canoeing, ropes courses, canoeing, kayaking, and campfires.

Trip Based Learning

Participants stay on our main site in cabins and take part in activities around site. These programs provide opportunities to try new activities, team build, and to improve on current skills in the outdoors. Programs can be customized for your elementary, high school, college, or university students by tying curriculum-based programming into your classroom lessons. Students learn about the great outdoors with a range of environmental education activities and a hands-on approach to what nature has to offer. Programs feature traditional camp programming such as archery, canoeing, ropes courses, canoeing, kayaking, and campfires.

Outdoor Ed & Trip Hybrid

Participants split their time between activities on site and on trip allowing for both learning experiences. Hybrid trips usually last 3 days, 2 nights with one night spent off site.

Hosted Programs

We provide hosted programs for groups that want to run most of their own activities during their stay. We have a wide range of buildings, facilities and a beautiful setting to host your event. Hosted programs include 2 hours per day of recreational activities lead by our qualified staff, 3 hot meals and meeting snacks as required. YMCA Camp Pine Crest staff are happy work with you to accommodate your group’s needs.

Year Round

We offer a wide range of programming to suit your group’s needs and objectives. Below are our your-round program options.

Campfires
Disc Golf
Fire Building
High Ropes
Initiatives
Orienteering
Large Group Games
Low Ropes
Natural Arts & Crafts
Nature Hikes
Night Hikes
Out Lunches
Shelter Building

Spring and Fall

Warmer seasons offer opportunities to be out on one of our three lakes as well as taking part in activities that would otherwise be too cold!

Archery
Axe Throwing
Canoeing
Kayaking
Rock Climbing
Stand Up Paddleboarding
Swimming

**Swim Tests for water-based activities can be facilitated on site. Please check the policies that apply to your school board or group so we can best assist.**

Winter

Snow and ice offer a whole new world of possibilities for activities. Come learn new skills or revisit old favourites below!

Back Country Sking
Broomball
Maple Syrup Collection (March)
Nordic Cross-Country Skiing
Quinzhee Building
Snow Tubing
Snowshoeing
Winter Ecology

Specialist High Skills Majors

Our certification workshops are tailored towards the SHSM sector that your students are completing. Each workshop includes indoor and outdoor interactive experiential learning components such as team building initiatives, challenges, and puzzles which keep students active and engaged!

Each SHSM Workshop will require 2.5-3 hours to complete. Upon completion, each student will receive a certificate for each SHSM Workshop competed. A minimum of 10 students is required for a booking.

Communication

This workshop will explore how we communicate effectively (active listening, paraphrasing, clarifying, empathizing), the causes of communication breakdown, and different types of verbal and non-verbal communication. The theory of effective communication will be coupled with a number of cooperative group challenges that require strong communication skills. A facilitated debrief will evaluate effective communication skills and areas for improvement exposed through group activities.

Conflict Resolution

Through a facilitated discussion and activities students will explore the causes, triggers, and appearance of conflict and how to manage it. Students will learn about conflict resolution strategies and work through situational role plays. Outdoor experiential activities could include group initiatives and a low rope activities.

Customer Service

A group discussion will examine what excellent, good and poor customer service looks and feels like, as a customer. Participants will learn about customer service standards, characteristics of a great service provider, steps to selling a product, and barriers to service excellence. Cooperative group challenges and role-playing scenarios will challenge students to demonstrate strong communication and conflict resolution skills to provide service excellence. A debrief and reflection will focus on how conflicts were resolved and the role of effective communication.

Facilitation Skills

The Facilitation Skills SHSM helps teach how to present to a group in an engaging manner. The workshop will examine how to make an experience relevant to the audience and break down how to go about delivering effective instructions. Participants will be immersed in several different activities and can both lead and observe others while participating. Processing/debriefing experiences will be an area of focus along with experiential learning and adapting on the go.

Group Dynamics

Students will discuss and investigate group dynamics through an examination of various theories of group development. This will include the five stages of Tuckman’s Theory of Group Development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Participants will explore a range of factors that influence the cohesiveness and resiliency of a group. Through experiential role playing, team building activities, and a facilitated debrief students will consider the different roles that people take on in group situations.

Leadership

An in-class session will include defining leadership, discussing the character traits of a good leader, and activities that facilitate group work. Participants will deconstruct a leadership experience they have been part of, either as a participant or a leader, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Cooperative group challenges will require a variety of leadership skills and expose authoritative, laissez fair, and democratic leadership styles. A facilitated debrief will examine the leadership skills demonstrated.