Outdoor Education
KCS’s experiential learning approach takes students outside the traditional classroom and aims to help students become more comfortable engaging with nature.
Trading screens and soft chairs for canoes, campfires, and challenges that build character, confidence, and connection
KCS has a wide variety of age-appropriate outdoor adventures across the grades. Experiences range from full-day programs from JK through to Grade 4 and overnight trips starting in Grades 5 & 6.
Grades 7-12 students attend a 3-5 day overnight residential camp experience, with the option of an overnight camping trip starting in Grade 10 or 11.
Excursions include hiking, camping, environmental citizenship, team-building exercises, and hands-on lessons that connect academic subjects to outdoor settings. Students participate in outdoor skill building to enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
Our partners in Outdoor Education outside the city vary by grade and include: ALIVE Outdoors, Camp Arowhon, Norval Outdoor Centre and Onondaga Camp; however, outdoor education is something we do in many of our classes by using outdoor spaces available to us.
Students learn to embrace new opportunities and learn about their personal strengths, emotional intelligence, and their potential impact, all while gaining leadership skills through workshops and hands-on training.
KCS has a long-standing tradition of outdoor education, with a graduated program of age-appropriate adventures that span across the grades and grow with our students.
The evidence around outdoor education keeps piling up, and it all says that having kids spend time in nature improves everything from their learning to their empathy to their physical health.
Outdoor Education Partners
Stepping outside the classroom—and the comfort zone.
Onondaga Camp
In the Spring, students from across the KCS community—including both Junior and Senior School, come together at Onondaga Camp for a multi-day outdoor adventure. This cross-campus experience fosters leadership, school spirit, and deeper connections between grades. Set on a beautiful lakefront, students participate in activities like canoeing, ropes courses, creative team challenges, and campfire reflections.
ALIVE Outdoors
ALIVE Outdoors is a cornerstone of the KCS Senior School experience, offering a leadership-focused outdoor education program that challenges students to grow beyond the classroom. Through activities like high ropes, canoeing, night hikes, and reflective journaling, students develop resilience, teamwork, and self-awareness.
Norval Outdoor School
Our Junior School students head to the Norval Outdoor School for an immersive day trip rooted in environmental exploration and experiential learning. Located along the Credit River, Norval provides hands-on opportunities to learn about ecosystems, conservation, and Indigenous perspectives through guided hikes, nature-based activities, and team challenges—all designed to spark curiosity and a connection to the natural world.
Seen through both contemporary and Indigenous lenses, the goal of Outdoor Education at KCS is to foster a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the natural world.
Other Outdoor Spaces
In addition to off-site experiences, we regularly use the natural spaces on and around our campus to bring learning outside.
Some of these include Argonaut Rowing Club, High Park Nature Centre, the Humber River Paddling Centre, Humbertown Park, KCS Jr School Outdoor Classroom, and The Boulevard Club.
