Outdoor and Experiential Learning

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Taking Education to the Next Level

As part of Waverly’s progressive curriculum, our Outdoor Education and Experiential Education programs enable students to build upon previous experiences, taking them to the next level in their education. Through these opportunities, students not only deepen their understanding of academic content but also discover more about themselves and their place within the wider community.

Elementary School Outdoor Education

Outdoor education begins early and continues to expand each year. Our Farm is the first outdoor education experience for our students. Each class participates in meaningful Farm education that incorporates how to steward land and be upstanders in our larger community and world. Students then launch into these outdoor experiences:

First/Second Grade: Overnight sleepover at school
Third/Fourth Grade: One-night spring camping trip and a day visit to Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park.
Fifth/Sixth Grade: Two-night fall camping trip and a spring week-long experience alternating between Yosemite National Park and Catalina Island

These experiences deepen students’ sense of responsibility, resilience, and connection to the natural world.

Middle School Outdoor Education & Experiential Learning

Outdoor education trips and field trips play a vital role in enriching student learning in the Middle School. Outdoor education trips help students develop practical outdoor skills, resilience, and independence while fostering a strong sense of community. Field trips provide hands-on, real-world experiences that extend learning beyond the classroom walls. Recent field trips have included visits to:

Astrocamp
Historic Filipinotown
Caltech lectures
California African-American Art Museum
A Noise Within Theater
The Armory Art Center
California Science Center
Wolf Connection
Spanish class restaurant excursions
Spring camping trip
Annual beach trip

High School Outdoor Education & Field Trips

In the fall, the entire High School goes camping in a local state park for three days, spending time in the outdoors and learning practical camping skills.

Every other academic year, juniors and seniors have a chance to go to Costa Rica to live with local families, shoot whitewater rapids on a raft trip, and contribute to the local area by helping with a service learning project.

Day-long field trips include visiting the Getty Villa or the Norton Simon Museum, exploring Little India in Artesia with the Bollywood Dance Club, reinforcing physics concepts at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and seeing local cultural exhibits or performances that fit in with the curriculum.