Health Co-ordinator

Health Co-ordinator in Plattsburgh City Schools

Third graders learn about camping & hiking safety
As part of the third grade Science Field Day at Point-Au-Roche State Park, Health Coordinator Kim Quinn was asked to an Outdoor Safety Education Station. 3rd grade camping lessons“Naturally,” said Kim, “I turned to the real experts, my PHS senior students. Some of them are Eagle Scouts, some are 46ers, having climbed all 46 Adirondack High Peaks, and a few are now in college studying for a degree in outdoor education.”

They devised a presentation to discuss lifelong physical activity involving hiking and camping. To illustrate the safety aspects of these activities, they set up a “good” campsite and a “bad” campsite. The bad campsite was poorly organized, had the wrong gear, no food & water storage plan.

The seniors discussed what gear to bring on a camping trip, what not to bring, outerwear, sleeping bags, what size pack to use for a day trip or overnight trip. The third graders got to try out all the equipment, wearing the back packs, getting in the tents, putting on waterproof gear & getting soaked, learned about which water is safe to drink, keeping hydrated, how to keep food away from wild animals, carrying out their trash and how to safely use a camping stove.

Another safe practice they discussed is what to do if they get lost, signing in to a campsite or trail, telling their family where they are going and when they expect to arrive, etc. The third graders thoroughly enjoyed this presentation, and learned a lot about safely enjoying the outdoors.