150
C. Skanavis et al.
2.4 Experiential Education
Experiential learning models assist heavily the current environmental education.
According to Kolb (1984) experiential learning is a cyclical and holistic process
of continual transactions between the environment and the trainee (cited in Garner
et al. 2015). Learning experiences in natural environment that encompass changes
in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, are far more efficacious when they occur
through experience-based, rather than teacher-directed, strategies (Ballantyne and
Packer 2009). Hands-on environmental education may boost children’s affective
attitudes toward nature and their interest in protecting nature (Cheng and Monroe
2012). Numerous centers offer summer camp programs in outdoor settings with
environmental education programming. It is believed that a 10-day ecology education program produces significant positive alterations in participants’ basic ecological knowledge, minimal impact knowledge, attitudes about wilderness issues, and
wilderness intentions and behavior (Hanna 1995; Garner et al. 2015).
3 Environmental Summer Camps
Learning through nature-based experiences under the supervision of caring adults
who themselves are committed to the outdoors, has helped positively camp participants’ experiences globally (Bialeschki et al. 2016). Participating in nature-related
activities such as camping before the age of 11 benefit them later on as adults on
improving their environmental attitudes and behaviors (Skanavis and Kounani 2018;
Wells and Lekies 2006; Collado et al. 2013). An affective (emotion-based) association
with nature has a stronger influence on ecological behavior than knowledge-based
information (Mayer and Frantz 2004; Garner et al. 2015).
At summer camp, children are enthused by the fun and camaraderie of peer and
staff interaction, interesting settings, and physically dynamic activities (Bialeschki
et al. 2016). Long-term exposure to nature through a summer camp is an effective
way of promoting children’s emotional affinity to nature, as well as their ecological
beliefs, both of which support their intentions to carry out environmentally friendly
behaviors (Collado et al. 2013).
3.1 The Role of Outdoor Learning in Camps
The camp experience has always been associated with learning and human development. This learning frequently occurs in fun in-formal outdoor experiences, that
C. Skanavis et al.
2.4 Experiential Education
Experiential learning models assist heavily the current environmental education.
According to Kolb (1984) experiential learning is a cyclical and holistic process
of continual transactions between the environment and the trainee (cited in Garner
et al. 2015). Learning experiences in natural environment that encompass changes
in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, are far more efficacious when they occur
through experience-based, rather than teacher-directed, strategies (Ballantyne and
Packer 2009). Hands-on environmental education may boost children’s affective
attitudes toward nature and their interest in protecting nature (Cheng and Monroe
2012). Numerous centers offer summer camp programs in outdoor settings with
environmental education programming. It is believed that a 10-day ecology education program produces significant positive alterations in participants’ basic ecological knowledge, minimal impact knowledge, attitudes about wilderness issues, and
wilderness intentions and behavior (Hanna 1995; Garner et al. 2015).
3 Environmental Summer Camps
Learning through nature-based experiences under the supervision of caring adults
who themselves are committed to the outdoors, has helped positively camp participants’ experiences globally (Bialeschki et al. 2016). Participating in nature-related
activities such as camping before the age of 11 benefit them later on as adults on
improving their environmental attitudes and behaviors (Skanavis and Kounani 2018;
Wells and Lekies 2006; Collado et al. 2013). An affective (emotion-based) association
with nature has a stronger influence on ecological behavior than knowledge-based
information (Mayer and Frantz 2004; Garner et al. 2015).
At summer camp, children are enthused by the fun and camaraderie of peer and
staff interaction, interesting settings, and physically dynamic activities (Bialeschki
et al. 2016). Long-term exposure to nature through a summer camp is an effective
way of promoting children’s emotional affinity to nature, as well as their ecological
beliefs, both of which support their intentions to carry out environmentally friendly
behaviors (Collado et al. 2013).
3.1 The Role of Outdoor Learning in Camps
The camp experience has always been associated with learning and human development. This learning frequently occurs in fun in-formal outdoor experiences, that