Camp Leopold
Camp Leopold, an outdoor education program by the South Carolina Waterfowl Association, connects K-12 students and teachers to our outdoor heritage through hands-on natural resource conservation experiences. Established in 2012, it follows Aldo Leopold’s conservation principles, fostering critical thinking, sensory exploration, and responsibility through experiential learning.
Leopold once said, “the objective is to teach the student to see the land, to understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands.” This framework has served as a guide to develop positive outdoor experiences for students of all backgrounds. Using experiential outdoor education empowers students to apply their classroom knowledge in an interactive, hands-on way, while exploring their senses, promoting critical thinking and fostering a sense of responsibility in a new environment.
Camp Leopold Onsites
Environmental education programs for students (K-12) throughout South Carolina at our Wildlife Education Center. Camp Leopold hosts on-site 1, 2 or 3-day trips, along with our in-school program option. Classes and activities are interactive and designed to cover a wide range of environmental topics which meet state and national education standards.
Camp Leopold PLUS+
Leopold PLUS+ provides in-school programs to students throughout South Carolina. Classes and activities bring a piece of camp to schools. Camp Leopold PLUS+ will be free, as well as starting this year we will open it up to all dates of the school year!
We CAN do multiple visits!
Classes & Activities
Learn more about the classes and activities we teach for hands-on learning. See how it applies to your classroom's curriculum and schedule your Camp Leopold experience today!
Testimonials
“We did a ton of team building exercises that really helped us learn about each other in a way we wouldn’t have been able to before. The things we learned are things we never would have been able to learn if we didn’t come here.”
-Hannah, St. Anne’s Catholic School
“My students really enjoyed Camp Leopold’s visit. The information they learned was interesting and invaluable. So many of my students would not have an opportunity like this, and I was excited that they were able to participate.”
-Riverbank Elementary
“My students enjoyed the knowledge of the presenters, the power points that had great text features and pictures, and most importantly, the hands-on of getting to touch hides, skins, antlers, and living animals.”
-Springdale Elementary
Source
Our Goals
Provide safe opportunities for students to build a relationship with the natural world through hands-on education.
- Encourage students to incorporate sustainable practices in their daily lives by teaching participants about wise-use land management and conservation
- Students and chaperones will complete a thorough orientation which emphasizes safety while at camp
- Incorporate learning through interactive activities and reflection, while immersed in the natural environment that camp provides
Foster environmental stewardship and increase the understanding of the social-emotional impact upon students.
- Build student connection between themselves and their environment through team-building activities
- Students will travel together in a group to scheduled activities to build relationships with their peers
- Students apply community-building, belonging and emotional safety, and student-centered discipline throughout camp
Continue to incorporate the SC Career Ready State Standards for Science through our curriculum.
- Empower educators to use experiential learning, where individuals immerse themselves in a subject to learn
- Staff will complete a thorough and intensive training to emphasize the importance of cognitive development at different age levels within an outdoor classroom setting
- Educators are asked to complete surveys based on their camp experience to stay updated with the curriculum within specific districts and economic areas
American Camp Association
American Camp Association is the leading authority for camps and youth development, and is the only national accrediting body for camps of all types. Accreditation standards (300 +) focus on health, safety, operations and risk management. Camp Leopold has been accredited through ACA since 2019.
