Big Lake Youth Camp and the Oregon Conference education department partnered again for Outdoor School in October. Sixty-five sixth-grade students from seven Oregon Conference schools attended Outdoor School: Central Valley Christian School, Cottage Grove Christian School, Lincoln City Christian School, Livingstone Adventist Academy, Portland Adventist Elementary School, Rivergate Adventist Elementary School and Tualatin Valley Academy.

The session included five core classes. In water class, students learned about the water cycle by collecting samples from both a lake and a pond and examining the tiny waterlife under a microscope. Earth class covered geology and soil. Math in nature highlights included orienteering and finding the diameter and height of a tree. In the trees and plants class, students learned about the parts of a tree, photosynthesis and how trees and plants benefit people.

A new addition this year was fire ecology, which addressed how fire behaves, examined whether fire is good or bad and taught how fire can benefit an ecosystem. As important as academic learning is, spiritual growth is more important. Parker LeClerc, East Salem Church pastor, and Ashok Willmott, Storyline Eugene pastor, joined the staff to provide music and worship talks each day.

Additional activities included an astronomy evening, playing in a mid-week snowfall, capture the flag, a salmon migration simulation and an epic game of life and death in the forest.

Some of the most significant takeaways for students were learning about God’s creation through connecting firsthand with nature, forming friendships, and experiencing the strength of community.

The next Outdoor School session is in February 2025, and the staff are praying that God will continue to bless the students, parents and schools who will attend.