Outdoor Education Blog

#1 #2 #3 The ecosystem of the Royal National Park is slightly similar to the ecosystem of my home in Marblehead, Massachusetts in the US. Both are coastal ecosystems, however, they differ greatly in wildlife, vegetation, and structure. At home, my town is on a peninsula so the ocean is in nearly every direction. Unlike Royal National Park, in Marblehead, its not easy to walk along the shore as it is mostly jagged rock. In addition, there are only a handful of public beaches and the rest of the land is crowded out by homes. Although most of the Royal National Park walk went over cliffs, we were still able to walk on them with relative ease. There were man made foot paths but they weren't entirely necessary and the walk could've still been done without them. In terms of wildlife, there are few animals in Marblehead aside from a typical seagull, squirrel, or raccoon. Although we didn't see much wildlife in Royal National Park, we were well aware that it is home

Initial Thoughts My experience with experiential learning in a formal setting has been quite limited until this point. Over the years I've participated in several field trips; however, they all took place when I was considerably younger. During those years I did not pay much attention to the actual learning side of these trips. I more or less went along for the ride and simply enjoyed the time away from the classroom. Outside of school, experiential learning was the only method I had to learn two of my summer jobs: construction and landscaping. In these settings my boss would teach me as we worked. In both cases, I started simple tasks and once I proved myself, I would be given more difficult responsibilities. I found that this method of learning was extremely effective for me. By working with my hands and immediately applying concepts/techniques, I was able to concretely remember information rather quickly. Additionally, I learned the value of mistakes and how they can be the mo