Program Information & Handbooks
We are here to support you through 100% of your WOLF School experience! Use the links below to find informative handbooks regarding your role as a teacher, parent, or chaperone with WOLF School, and read the "Basic Details About WOLF School Programs" to find answers to frequently asked questions.
teacher information
The Teacher Handbook has all of the necessary documents and forms for teachers participating in a WOLF School program, including a Teacher Timeline to help you stay on track as you prepare for your adventure.
parent information
Packing lists, detailed schedules, medical history forms…Find the Parent Handbook with important information for you to know, details of what your child is about to experience, and advice about their time away from home.
chaperone information
We have compiled a Chaperone Handbook for all parents, adults, and teachers chosen to share in the experience of camp with students. Find the information and forms to help you prepare for your role as chaperone.
Details About WOLF School Programs
Cost
Rates vary depending on the length of stay, campus location, and choice of program. Please note that our goal is to get kids outdoors, and we strive to work with all schools, regardless of financial concerns. Contact us for more information!
Attendance
WOLF School provides 2-5 day residential programs for K-12th grade students and their teachers. We are happy to customize any program for every grade level. Single day programs can be offered at some campuses.
Availability
Programs are offered throughout the school year, and can be planned up to a year in advance! We recommend reserving early so that we can best accommodate your date and campus preferences.
Location
WOLF School offers all programs at any of its five stunning campuses located throughout California. We can help you choose a campus based on your travel budget, educational goals, environment preferences, and desire to be near/far from your school. From the Pacific Coast to the Sierra Foothills, WOLF School can provide a wonderful educational adventure in a range of habitats! Accommodations and trails vary between sites.
on-going SUPPORT
When you sign up to bring your students to WOLF School, you sign up for great support from the WOLF School office. Our professional education staff are available by phone, email, or in person to support you in making the decisions that are best for your students. Whether you are a teacher in need of assistance planning your students' outdoor adventure, a parent/guardian concerned with your child's food allergies, or a chaperone seeking advice on how best to prepare for your role at WOLF School, our staff is here to support you throughout the WOLF School experience.
Curriculum
WOLF School curriculum is correlated to current CDE State Content Standards and Frameworks, and supports Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), focusing on the Life, Earth, Physical Science, and Investigation and Experimentation sections. Correlations are available for all grades and content areas.Our naturalists create the best curriculum to support each individual group, while meeting the Standards’ individual teaching requirements.
Special Focus
We are unique in our ability to offer customized programs that best suit your individual student group. Programs can emphasize certain standards or concepts based on teacher requests or school requirements. We work with you in advance to assure your students’ curricular and social needs are met. From group building to geology to Native American studies, we can offer a wide variety of excellent educational experiences, customized for your students.
PRE-TRIP MEETING AT YOUR SCHOOL
We can provide an informational visit to teachers, parents, chaperones, and students at your school prior to your trip; or we can send you a video of our program to show to your parents and students. Our staff are also available to meet with your teachers or administrators to provide information or to plan curriculum for your school’s trip. It's a great way to get everyone connected and prepared before the program starts, and students love seeing their naturalists at camp after meeting them during the pre-trip meeting at their school! Contact the WOLF School office to learn more.
WOLF SCHOOL STAFF
Our experienced program directors will lead your program, from health supervision to meals to evening activities. Our skilled naturalists provide safe and exciting environmental education adventures in our outdoor classroom. From positive role-modeling to scientific field studies to team building activities, naturalists plan and deliver a dynamic hands-on experience for your students.
Chaperones
We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 7-10 students, provided by the attending school. Many successful high school and parent chaperones attend our programs each week. Chaperones live and sleep in the cabins with groups of students, participate in group activities such as field studies, and support students in their communal living, i.e. meals, showers. WOLF School provides chaperones a handbook designed to assist in their responsibilities, including information about the schedule, program goals, behavior expectations, chaperone responsibilities and activities to use with your students. Chaperones are responsible for reading the Chaperone Handbook prior to arrival at camp. All chaperones will be given comprehensive training.
Health & Safety
Safety comes first at WOLF School. Our staff is certified in the Principles of First Aid and CPR, and carry first aid kits and radios with them while out on the trails. Students are supervised at all times by chaperones, teachers, or WOLF School staff; all are subject to the rule of three and no one is ever alone with an adult. All staff are background checked and our campuses are closed to the public (with the exception of Little Basin, a California State Park). WOLF School’s onsite health supervisor handles medications and ill students in coordination with the classroom teachers. All prescription and over-the-counter medication must be in the original labeled bottle and be accompanied with a signed doctor’s approval with full dispensation instructions.
healthy meals
Homemade meals are included in the cost of your program, starting with dinner the first night and ending with lunch on the last day. We provide healthy, kid-friendly food in either a buffet or family-style setting. An example of a typical day consists of: pancakes, cereal and fruit for breakfast; build your own sandwich (turkey, ham, cheese, vegetables, tofu, and/or Wowbutter and jelly), carrots, trail mix, and cookies for lunch; and pasta with a choice of vegetarian or meat sauce, salad, and bread for dinner. We can easily accommodate most special diets, including vegetarian, vegan, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and most food-related allergies; please enter special food needs on your/your child's Medical History Form, and contact us in advance of the program for special accommodations. Don’t forget a lunch for yourself/your child on the first day!
LIVING AND LEARNING TOGETHER
Teachers often say they bring their students to an outdoor education program for two main reasons: first is the subject area knowledge that the students gain—often more impactful because of the hands-on, out of the classroom, inquiry-based way the knowledge is acquired; second is the group bonding that occurs at an environmental education program. Students need to cooperate to get their showers done on time and get to dinner. Students have to serve their own food and eat together at a table as a group. They have to clean up after themselves. They see their teachers after hours, and teachers have the opportunity to see a new side to their students. Participating teachers and students say they appreciate each other more after their WOLF School experience, because through living together they learn more about one another, and that learning leads to respect and kindness.
Lodging
Accommodations vary from rustic to retreat style, depending on the campus. Students, teachers, and chaperones stay in warm, comfortable dormitories or cabins. Student rooms usually hold 4-14 students and their chaperone, and have bunk beds. Bathroom and shower facilities are modern, located in the cabins or a central bath house.
Schedule
At WOLF School, students can expect to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Living and learning in a community with their teacher and friends, they have the opportunity to grow academically and socially. Food and safety is taken care of, so real learning can take place! Check out what a day at WOLF School may entail!
BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS AND DISCIPLINE POLICY
While our programs are focused on providing an incredible and fun outdoor experience, students are still responsible for achieving their learning goals and are expected to behave like they do at school. For that reason, WOLF School provides well-defined behavior expectations and a discipline policy. Students, their parents, chaperones, and teachers are all responsible for familiarizing themselves with and understanding these expectations, so students can achieve a successful experience at WOLF School.
WHAT TO BRING
A list of what to bring and what not to bring to camp is included in each Handbook. Each child and adult attending will also need a completed Medical History Form, and students and chaperones under 18 who are bringing any prescription or over the counter medication will also need to complete a Medication Authorization Form signed by a doctor with full dispensation instructions. All required forms are included in your Handbook.