4th
Grade Health and Wellness
Field Trips to Genesee
Valley Outdoor Learning Center
Fourth grade students in the Baltimore County Public Schools are provided
with a unique opportunity to participate in outdoor adventure enrichment
activities at the Genesee Valley Outdoor Learning Center (GVOLC) as part
of the health education unit, Say Yes to Wellness. The main
goal of this program is to provide a unique experience for students and
teachers which serves to connect the various components of the wellness
unit. These components include: building a positive self-image, identifying
individual and group strengths, learning to set goals, understanding our
connection and responsibility to the environment and integrating problem
solving and creative thinking skills.
Experiential Philosophy
There is extensive research indicating that a cooperative classroom goal
structure improves student achievement and promotes social development
The three most impressive outcomes of cooperative activities are academic
gains, improved relations among students in integrated settings and improved
social development among all students. Cooperation is directly linked
to trust, cohesiveness and the development of positive social interaction
skills. Through cooperative ventures, students learn to share, to empathize
with others, to be concerned with other people's feelings and to improve
relationships. Through cooperative experiences, individuals learn to be
considerate of others, to share and to learn to be willing to perform
with another's interest in mind. GVOLC provides an excellent vehicle for
students to participate in cooperative games and activities. Several desirable
qualities of cooperative games can be identified. Such activities stress
inclusion, rather than exclusion. They concentrate on abilities, rather
than disabilities or deficiencies. They tend to lessen the fear of failure
and promote student problem solving. Cooperative activities foster positive
social interactions, like communication, understanding, sharing and trust.
("Say Yes to Wellness" BCPS 1995)
Pictures of the BCPS Countywide Training held
in Training November 2003
