CURRICULUM DESIGN & PROGRAM EXCELLENCE

Adventure Curriculum Design with Royal Botanical Gardens

By Jay Blackwood

Earlier in the year we received a call from Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG). Their request was to create a low ropes program that from day one could deliver valuable outcome-based experiences for participants. RBG wanted to extend the opportunities that a great low ropes installation could provide, and leverage participant learning, growth, and personal development. They also needed facilitators with a variety of experiences and backgrounds to be able to ‘deliver the goods.’ In day programs like those offered at the RBG, groups need their first and only low ropes experience to be powerful. This is where our Curriculum Design services came in.

Initial 48-session curriculum possibilities for Royal Botanical Gardens. 16 sessions that best met the RBG program goals, were selected for the final design.

Curriculum design started with a clear assessment of the clientele RBG work with, and a conversation about the goals of their program. We determined RBG required age-streamed programming and built the options from there.

Each age group has a unique set of goals and a unique sequence of activities. Using low ropes elements like the Delta Team Traverse, Whale Watch, Bermuda Triangle (amongst others), and a carefully selected set of props and materials, the lesson plans were designed to help participants share ideas, solve problems collaboratively, be trustworthy, take responsibility for others, demonstrate effective leadership, gain insights into one another, and to recognize and appreciate group achievements.

Each session included a warm-up activity, low ropes initiative, and reflection or debriefing activity that creates deliberate, overt, scaffolded, and experiential learning opportunities. The curriculum document is written in ready-to-deliver language. Each lesson plan includes an overview of the sequence, goals, and setup requirements for a particular session followed by step-by-step instructions for leading one variation of each activity.

The final curriculum brought our low ropes operations training to life. RBG facilitators took their cues from the curriculum and injected it with their own personality and creativity. The curriculum can be used as a fixed approach for new practitioners, or a starting point for experienced educators. Lesson plans help facilitators view the adventure programming facilities as powerful tools for enhancing the mission of the RBG.

In the coming months our Curriculum Design services will continue to enhance the day program at Royal Botanical Gardens and meet the needs of other clients in southern Ontario. It will serve as a starting point for a brand new adventure-based program for at-risk students in Niagara Catholic schools. Programming delivered by  Adventureworks! Facilitators to Pineland Public School in the Halton board will be extended into the classroom over 6 months as teachers take over and use our curriculum design to promote positive classroom community in conjunction with the TRIBES philosophy.

For find out more about our Curriculum Design services, or to enhance your own program, contact Jay Blackwood or Adam Brown.