Schedule an excellent day of Outdoor Education and hands-on learning designed using Virginia SOLs for YOUR students in YOUR class, team, grade level, or special group. Each day’s programming is tailored to meet YOUR needs for YOUR unit to maximize learning throughout the year! Half-day, full-day, multi-day, and overnight experiences are available.
Fees: $12.00 per student, $6.00 per parent chaperone. Teachers and school staff are free.
Reservation Fee: Reservation requires a $10.00 registration fee to secure your date. This non-refundable fee is separate from and in addition to your total fee.
Lunch: Bring your own lunch & drinks and enjoy a picnic together. Use our picnic shelter with restroom facilities and trashcans. (During winter months, you can eat inside our heated Gym with restrooms.)
Rain: Don’t let a rainy day prevent you from coming. Check the week’s forecast (for Troutville, VA). If rain is possible or imminent on the day of your Field Trip, send notes home the day(s) before to have your students bring full rain gear (rain jacket with hood, water shoes or rain boots), and a full change of dry clothes and dry shoes. For rainy days, we alter the schedule to include activities in our Gym AND out in the rain.
Cancellation or date-switch: Once scheduled, Camp Bethel is obliged to provide your program, so we will not cancel except for an extreme emergency. If you choose to cancel or change your dates, the $10.00 reservation fee is non-refundable. If you choose to reschedule your date a new $10 reservation fee must be paid to secure your new date.
LESSON AND ACTIVITY CHOICES INCLUDE: Watershed studies, classification, pollution, conservation, map skills, ecology, team building, rock cycle, food/energy chains, habitats, human impact on resources, physical/chemical changes, aquatic/terrestrial studies, lifetime sports, life cycles, character education, communication skills, plus other topics and grade-level SOL-based plans are available per your request!
We can fit YOUR bus schedule! Coffee & WiFi for bus drivers!
FACILITY Camp Bethel is located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, 8 minutes from exit 156 off I-81 (or 13 miles north of Hollins University off Rt. 11). Our 470 acres of forests, trails, ponds, streams, and meadows are perfect settings to reinforce your class lessons. Eat your packed lunches in our screened-in Shelter with bathrooms and refrigerators. Free coffee & WiFi access for bus drivers!
LEADERSHIP Camp Bethel’s Outdoor Educator, Beth Wiegandt, coordinates our Outdoor Education programs. Beth has a Masters degree in Environmental Education from UVa and has taught many years in Virginia Public Schools. We work with community volunteers and Camp Bethel staff to provide excellent lesson and activity leadership. In addition to our staff we ask that you have one (or more) chaperone/teacher for every ten students attending.
TO RESERVE YOUR DATE Programs are available weekdays during the Spring, Fall, and Winter. Complete our "Reservation Inquiry Form" with your top THREE date choices, your desired lesson/activity focuses, your estimated headcount of children and adults, and estimated time of arrival & departure. YOC Coordinator, Beth Wiegandt will contact you as soon as possible, so add her email to your contacts: YourOutdoorClassroom@gmail.com.
