Oasis for Kids, Inc. 2019 Program
Today the world of young people is overloaded with sensory distractions. They are constantly impacted by excess media of all kinds. There are too few chances to be in a small group of friends in a peaceful, inspirational, and natural setting.
The desert areas of the West are places where all people and especially kids, can have a chance to unwind. The pure air, unlimited visibilities, and starry skies combine to remove a lot of the “bugs and viruses” in youngsters’ systems. A visit to these special places becomes a great memory of a young person’s life.
A typical day in our school in the desert begins at 8:00 am with a meal prepared by the students.
After breakfast they make journal entries, adding photos of the previous days’ activities. There is a lesson plan for each day for classes that start around 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. We cover a variety of subjects such as: astronomy, local history, hygienics, small engine repair, meteorology, ecology, model rocket building, riding, and survival techniques. We take a lunch break at noon and have a hot meal at 6:00. On two occasions we will visit a local ranch and an opal mine. A game of volley ball is played on the desert floor every evening after dinner. Twice a day we spend some time at a nearby warm spring. After dark we teach direction finding using the stars and also view special celestial events with a telescope. The nightly campfire signals the end of a full day.
Bring light weight clothes, shirts, shorts, ball cap, sleeping bag/pillow, running shoes, windbreaker, and a jacket (night time). Bring a small flashlight, some plastic bags for used clothes and $5.00 spending money. Do not bring any radios, iPods, or electronic games.
Curriculum will include local geography, history and ancient land development. All students will study nutrition, cooking, hygiene, celestial objects and navigation, driving, natural resources, photography, journal keeping and survival techniques.
Our goal on these desert adventures is to add some key ingredients to their recipe for success.
We want the kids to return home with a new found appreciation of the natural word, working together with newfound friends and finding contentment in simplicity. Anyone who returns from a journey to epic lands brings home treasures of the mind and spirit that are priceless.
A five day trip to a desert environment is worth a month of real time. There are so few distractions that the students can absorb a lot more in a shorter time. Interaction with new friends is a pleasure and learning to work with them is a treasure.
We will have one of two special teaching aids on each trip. They will bring skills to offer the kids like paramedics, photography, aviation, engineering, and writing among others. We provide journal books and daily photos of the trip.
Trip length – 5 days including travel times (8-10 hours each way).
Instructors are former students from trips of 10/20 years ago. Disciplines include paramedic, airline pilots, law profession, media, teaching and sports.
