PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS
SCHOOL GROUPS
Round Lake Campus offers programs for schoolchildren and college students throughout the year. Residential field trips and workshops include: sustainability, teambuilding, wilderness, farm stays, and English as a second language programs.
In each of our schools programs, we offer a variety of experiences designed to connect participants to the natural world, embrace diversity in all its forms, encourage creativity and self-expression, and nurture community through shared and meaningful work.
RESI
Visiting Schools Program
Round Lake Campus is now accepting applications for legacy partnerships with visiting schools and teachers. Legacy partners will be given priority in establishing long running, year to year to access to RLC programs as an extension of their campus and a vital part of their curriculum. It is particularly valued for engaging their students in an authentic work experience in the natural world, one that supports vivid interdisciplinary learning. For more information please see Legacy Partners (link).
Based on availability, we also offers programs for schoolchildren and college students throughout the year. Residential field trips and workshops include: sustainability, teambuilding, wilderness, farm stays, and ESL. In each program, we offer a variety of experiences designed to connect participants to the natural world, embrace diversity in all its forms, encourage creativity and self-expression, and nurture community through shared and meaningful work.
If we are successful, students will experience what is wild, what is human and what is the balance at the heart of the 6 million acre Adirondack Park, and just as importantly, bring home this balance to restore city and suburb from within.
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Professional Development for Educators
Round Lake Campus also offers professional development opportunities for teachers. We welcome you to join a network of peers to build knowledge through a community of learning, inquiry, and practice. Topics include: climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, nature mentoring, and education for sustainability.
SCHOOL GROUPS
Rock-E House & Basecamp offers programs for schoolchildren and college students throughout the year. Residential programs and workshops include: wilderness programs, farm stay programs, climate resilience programs, "eat local, think global" programs, language exchange programs, and custom learning retreats.
In every school program, we offer a variety of experiences designed to connect participants to the natural world, embrace diversity in all its forms, encourage creativity and self-expression, and nurture community through shared and meaningful work.
SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Wilderness Programs
Explore the High Peaks Wilderness Area using Rock-E House & Basecamp as a base camp. We offer walk out day and overnight hikes as well as guided backcountry trips on foot, ski, and belay, or by canoe. Attain a deep understanding of the history of the Adirondack Park and Leave No Trace to cultivate a land ethic based on conscious impact through hands-on campus greening. Lodging options include unheated cabins on Round Lake and a remote 15-person yurt and 12-person mountain cabin on our property (each with woodstove).
Farm Stay Programs
As an original program partner of the Edible Schoolyard Project, we welcome school groups, grades 4-9, to taste the season at the highest elevation farm in New York State. Our gardens, farm, and kitchens serve as interactive classrooms. Punctuated time in nature underscores the ecology of sustainable communities. Nature options include hiking, canoeing, climbing, skiing, and snowshoeing. Through real work and shared meals, students and their teachers cultivate meaningful group life that endures when they return home.
“Food is the one central thing about human experience that can open
both our senses and our conscience to our place in the world.”
- Alice Waters, Founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project
Climate Resilience Programs
With an emphasis on sustainable forestry, soil science, and the art of composting, high school students mentor alongside staff experts working to achieve carbon negative systems. Programs expose students to regenerative agriculture, biomass heating plants, and innovative waste stream technology, as well as farm-to-table experiences. Work changes with the seasons, and allows students to connect with nature and one another.
Language Exchange Programs
Rock-E House & Basecamp welcomes domestic and international students ages 9-14 throughout the year for multi-week, dual language immersion and outdoor adventures. With ESL-certified instructors, wilderness guides, and experienced house parents, RockE House & Basecamp’s language exchange is appropriate for students seeking a first educational experience in the U.S., as well as students preparing for ongoing study at American schools.
Custom Learning Retreats
Delve deeply into projects while bringing students’ passion for nature to life with a group trip to Round Lake Campus. The sky’s the limit: astronomy, food justice, fiber or performing arts, conservation history, John Brown Lives, Olympic passport, adventure (including rock climbing or Nordic/alpine skiing), and more. Plan your own menu or engage in farm-to-table meals directly from our campus and local farms.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS
Rock-E House & Basecamp offers professional development opportunities for teachers, educators, and caregivers who seek to connect children and youth to nature and where their food comes from. We welcome you to join a network of peers to build knowledge through a community of learning, inquiry, and practice. Topics include: climate resilience, regenerative agriculture, nature mentoring, and education for sustainability.