The sounds of the dawn chorus (birds and students) make their way through the walls of your tent;  excited young people retelling stories of the night spent under canvas away from all the security of home, this is the start of a day of some big learning experiences.  

Many things that are usually taken for granted now need attention and thought;  how to find shelter, how to dress for the weather, how to prepare food with attention to detail, how to work with others to share a small, finite space; these and other necessities are part of an educational experience that starts when they wake up and finishes when they fall asleep.

It can be more difficult to live like this but many good, rewarding experiences often are.  We value more highly the achievements that we worked hard for.  We devalue those things that come without effort.  We learn quickly when there is a personal cost for our lack of attention or skill.  Forgetting to close the tent door properly can have serious consequences (rain, dirt, mosquitos, etc.) but the experience does teach us to pay attention to what is going on or might take place in the future.

Once the morning preparations are done the group breaks up into small teams to undertake the day's challenges;  hiking up into the hills to a grand view off a peak, abseiling, mountain bike riding bush tracks, canoeing or mind-bending lateral thinking and physical challenges in the bush before the return to camp.  Again camp is full of excited voices telling of challenge and reward, each of them reflecting something learnt.  Tonight the stories around the campfire and in the tents are different after the day’s adventures and you hear a growing confidence before tomorrow’s round of challenges.