EduWW Students Together on Swiss Slopes
The EduWW Winter Camp in Switzerland was all we had hoped for and much more. Our online students stepped beyond the screen and bonded in real life with their tutors and each other. For a week, real life was more of a fairytale.
Everyone loves skiing—even those who have never carved the snow. Our tutors and ski instructors ensured that no student left the camp without advancing as a skier. The instructors divided the students into four groups according to their skiing skills.
From beginners to experts – all had fun on the slopes
The beginners worked hard with their instructors on blue slopes to reach the goal: ride to the top station on the final day and ski down with all others in one big EduWW group. Along the way—and not only then—the more advanced skiers waited for the slower students and helped them in a heartwarming display of teamwork and friendship.
Two of the students in the snowboarding group were already experts. Instead of going through the beginner basics, a dedicated instructor took them to the snowboard park each day to work on tricks.
The intermediate group included students with some experience. They roamed the pistes with an instructor. When they return, they may join the experts. Experienced skiers in the advanced group had free reins to go where they wanted. Their only obligation was to call in every hour.
All four groups met every day for a lunch break. Well, and some bragging, teasing, support, and, in a nutshell, a roaring great time together. Doubtlessly, the best part of the Eduww Winter Camp was skiing together. There were other activities as well. However, we believe that a couple of them stood out.
Escape from the log cabin and the falling egg
Our students went for the hiking challenge. It included six problems along a three-hour walk. Students were split into groups, each starting from a different point along the path.
One of the challenges on the route was to “escape” a log cabin. The clues were ingredients for a delicious hot cocoa beverage. Another stop was a “maze” through which the group vocally guided a blindfolded member. With hindsight, the entire course may have been too tricky, as none of the groups made the entire route. Or, perhaps, they had too much fun along the stops.
Another favorite workshop was an engineering task rolled into fun. The instructions? Drop a raw egg from five meters on concrete. The egg must survive. To protect it, you may use simple, cheap household items. One group wrapped the egg in balloons. It survived “well, it cracked just a little bit).
Why do we love this experiment so much? At EduWW, we encourage our students to think outside the box and beyond the curriculum. We want them to put their heads together in the search for solutions and knowledge.
Ideas like the balloon wrap already have a real-life application – look up NASA’s Martian rovers Pathfinder, Spirit, and Opportunity to see yourself. More important to us was the real-life laughter of our students in a friendly team competition.
American students make a 13,000 km round-trip for Winter Camp
A few facts about our Winter Camp.
- The furthest any of our students traveled to the camp was roughly 13,000 kilometers in a round-trip from the eastern United States.
- There were four pairs of siblings.
- The youngest student in the group was 10, and the oldest was an 18-year-old senior. Altogether, there were 21 EduWW students and five tutors in the Camp.
Finally, one of the parents wrote: “I like that my child got physical interaction with the children. She studies online and usually does not meet anyone from school in person. Though not a single student from her class attended, she made many new friends!”
Why the Winter Camp, the Meet & Greet, and other EduWW events?
At EduWW, we believe in learning beyond textbooks. We also believe in cooperation and friendship. Events such as the Winter Camp and Meet & Greet allow our online students to develop practical skills, learn about collaboration, build friendships, and create unforgettable memories with their schoolmates in real life.
We agree with our student’s parent – friendships forged in such a fantastic setting may last a lifetime.
