For schools

PROGRAM SCHEMES FOR SCHOOLS

Scout Centre Bohinj boasts an over 60-year tradition of organizing educational programs in nature. Combined with this beautiful location, it offers excellent conditions for organizing research or educational camps, camps for gifted children, end-of-the-year trips or standard nature schools.

Through our many years of experience, we have designed the space so that it offers an ideal combination of classrooms in nature, those under a tarp, and those in nature: on a meadow, sheltered by a cool, bright forest or even on the lakeside beach.

The Forest School program at Scout Centre Bohinj offers a whole host of activities that run either in the center itself or in its immediate surroundings and topically relate to the local geographical and cultural environment of the Bohinj Valley. The scope and contents can be adjusted to the participants’ capabilities.

The central working method with the students is experiential learning (learning by doing) – the main characteristic of scout activities. The result of this kind of work is each participant’s fundamental development. The participants tie a knot to make the ladder firm; they tighten a tarp to erect a pup tent … this trains their rough and fine motor skills, observing the environment, the skills of predicting, considering improvements and communicating as a group. Through these activities, they establish a direct contact with nature and its elements such as water and fire.

The purpose of the program is to increase children’s independence through simple and more complex tasks/chores and motivate them. The program closely relates to geography, physics, math, technics and technology, physical education, and biology, as well as history, chemistry, Slovenian and foreign languages. The scout program is an excellent extension of the school curriculum and its best feature is that pupils and students can have fun and learn the theory they learned in school through practice, thus truly mastering it. This is the most we can do for them!

During their stay in Forest School, the participants learn about the appropriate behavior and conduct in nature; they discover the different ways of harnessing it today and in the future. They improve their attitude towards the environment and think about the positive and negative effects of man’s actions in nature.

The contents and activities emphasize building relationships and establishing roles in smaller groups. Group activities sometimes call for everyone doing the same thing, while at other times the roles need to be divided justly and effectively.

The participants can use the newly gained knowledge in their everyday lives, school obligations, and their free time. Based on the experiences they have gained through individual and group activities, they can also contribute to the development and changes in their local environments and communities.

The Bohinj Scout Center offers four topical packages of guided scout workshops for schools and other educational institutions:

WILDERNESS SURVIVAL TRAINING

The goal of the wilderness survival training program strand is to introduce nature to children; our extensive scouting experience has shown that this is most successful through living in symbiosis with nature. The program is adjusted to two different age or developmental program levels. On level one, the children get some basic/fundamental knowledge on fire making, building a pup tent, first aid, learning about edible wild plants as well as cooking.

On level two, more suitable for older participants (third triad of elementary school and up), the participants learn more advanced skills and gain new knowledge in areas such as primitive fire starting techniques, building a shelter from natural materials and crafting useful tools for a more comfortable survival (hand-make ropes, pots, utensils …). The participants also get new knowledge on the proper equipment and survival basics in difficult weather conditions.

Educational goals of the program strand:

the pupils develop a positive and responsible attitude towards nature,
they become more resourceful, attentive, and autonomous,
they get to know life and survival in the nature,
they develop and evolve a sense for their living environment,
they get healthy and useful physical exercise in nature during field work and day trips,
they learn to build a shelter pup tent and a ladder,
they are introduced to basic hiking gear and the rules for safe mountaineering,
they about learn the meaning of fire and how dangerous it can be.

PIONEERING – THE ART OF CONSTRUCTION USING ROPE, SPARS, AND PULLEYS

Simple objects and contraptions from natural material (wood, rope) that can be used for various purposes in camps and elsewhere are called pioneering structures. They are typically constructed of wooden parts (usually spruce spars) that are tied using rope. Pioneering structures can be smaller (shelf, doormat, hanger) or larger (bridge, tower, trebuchet). In addition to the practical value of pioneering structures, pioneering is also meant to encourage group dynamics, learning to solve problems. and honing practical skills.

Educational goals of the program strand:

students understand their own role and examine their own limitations,
they are introduced to certain topics related to physics and math,
they utilize math as a tool in everyday life,
they evaluate and value their own work and that of others, the learning materials and the results of the labor, as well as propose improvements,
they realize the need to collaborate, communicate, and be tolerant,
they assume various roles in the team work, they respect the division of labor and are aware of the importance of contributing for the success of the entire group.

ORIENTEERING

Once we leave a familiar place in which we know our way very well, we encounter orienteering. We must find our way in the unfamiliar environment, so that we constantly know where we are and how to reach our destination. We can do this using a map, a compass, technical tools and different navigation gadgets. Orienteering is not only vital, but can also be fun, which is achieved in practice in this strand.

Educational goals of the program strand:

pupils learn how to move through nature and different ways of navigating,
they experience the importance of sports activities and their effect on personal development,
they navigate using maps to move in the landscape,
they use various ways of navigation through urban environments and nature.

SCOUT THEATRE

Themed evening parties, singing, dancing, interesting limericks, shadow theatre, evening strategic games, learning about musical instruments, coming up with our own anthems, sketches and performing before an audience … Scouts consider all this and more as scout theatre, which is placed in a relaxed natural setting at a campfire and creates a special atmosphere, brings the group together, and defuses many tensions that may have arisen during the day. The participants themselves are included in coming up with the evening program together with scout leaders. During multi-day stays, a different group organizes the evening entertains each evening. The topics can be related.

Educational goals of the program strand:

pupils learn about local culture and the special historical features of the Bohinj area,
they develop positive attitudes towards their homeland, a sense of belonging to their nation and an affinity towards its natural and cultural heritage,
they think creatively and create new contents,
they work as a group,
they have fun.

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP – EXPERT PROGRAM TEAM

The programs are headed by experienced scouts who have completed a leadership training, and who usually have a university education and many years of experience in organizing and guiding programs for children and adolescents. After the program is confirmed, we also introduce you to the head expert associate, along with their experience, knowledge and acquired skills.

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