Each year all the 5th grade students attend Walden West Science Camp, located on 32 acres in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains near Saratoga, California. During the one week long program, students and teachers live and learn outdoors with guidance from experienced field instructors. Walden West promotes hands-on science learning that emphasizes life sciences and sustainable living practices. Lessons in the natural sciences come to life, helping students better understand and appreciate their world.
During their stay, students will have full access to the wooded trails in Sanborn County Park, which provides an additional 6,000 acres of study area. They will enjoy learning about the forest, meadow, and stream communities through the use of games and other activities. Qualified naturalists will use their expertise to help children see the interrelationships between plants and animals as well as the effect we have on the environment.
The Walden West site provides everything needed to assure your child's comfort. The facility includes a dining hall, shower room, infirmary, as well as cabins that are carpeted, heated, and furnished with wooden bunks and mattresses. The students will be eating nutritional and tasty food. Students serve themselves during family style meals and are encouraged to eat as much as they would like. The cooks are experienced in preparing and serving balanced meals and help make sure your child's needs are met.
This experience is social as well as academic. Students also develop their social and leadership skills at Walden West living 24 hours a day with other students requires your child to cooperate and work together with others toward common goals. Friendships that are made during this week will last a lifetime.
For more information, please visit the Walden West website.
