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Physical and Outdoor Education
At The Alice Springs Steiner School, our physical and outdoor education programs are integral components of the curriculum, enriching students' learning experiences through hands-on engagement with the natural world. Grounded in the principles of experiential learning, these programs follow a cycle of planning, action, and reflection, allowing students to actively participate in diverse experiences throughout their schooling years.
Outdoor and physical education at TASSS encompasses a variety of activities, including camps, indoor and outdoor games, Bothmer gymnastics, and team sports. Each activity is carefully selected to align with the developmental stages of the children. For instance, in Class 1, bean bag games are used to cultivate essential skills such as eye tracking—critical for reading—and hand-eye coordination, which supports early writing skills. Games also play a vital role in the Bothmer gymnastics curriculum, focusing on cooperation over competition, particularly in the lower grades. These activities help students develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between space, movement, and their bodies. Through our camps, children learn valuable lessons in resilience, sharing, cooperation, reverence for nature, and the joy of exploration, all while fostering independence, interdependence, and practical outdoor skills.
We have extensive grounds with space for ball games and boulders for clambering, along with sandpits and play equipment within the natural environment. Our multipurpose playing fields are used for sports such as basketball, soccer, and baseball. Skipping, hopscotch, handball and other traditional games are actively encouraged.
The Alice Springs Steiner School is a proud member of NT Interschool Sports Program. Our upper primary students’ can try a variety of sports such as cricket, athletics, AFL, netball, basketball, and rugby. They are also able to nominate for selection in the regional teams that can lead to NT representation.
Class Camps Program
The Alice Springs Steiner School offers a comprehensive camp program that begins in the early primary years and gradually increases in length and complexity. These camps are closely tied to the curriculum and are designed to meet the developmental needs of the children.
Over the years, our camp programs have been carefully crafted to provide age-appropriate experiences under the guidance of class teachers and specialists. These programs emphasize environmental stewardship, an appreciation of the aesthetic in nature, and the cultivation of values and skills through direct engagement with the natural world.
Classes 1 - 4
One of the most cherished activities at TASSS is the Class Camp, with some classes dedicating the entire year to preparing for this experience. In the early primary camps offer short but meaningful opportunities for social interaction, where children learn to live and care for each other while exploring the natural world that informs their lessons. By Class 4, students begin to delve into local geography during Main Lessons, participating in longer bush walks and overnight outings in nearby areas.
Classes 5 - 6
As students’ progress to Classes 5 and 6, these excursions extend further afield, linking with lessons in exploration, geography, botany, farming, and industry. Examples include trips to the Tennant Creek mining area or Watarrka National Park, where students learn about the collaboration between the traditional owners, the Matutjara people, and the NT Wildlife Commission in maintaining the park through a combination of cultural and scientific knowledge.
Classes 7 -9
In the Middle School, class camps involve more significant physical challenges and deeper engagement with Australia's historical, artistic, and political landscape. These experiences require students to demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility, cooperation, and independence.
Throughout their schooling, students will explore various geographical regions and interact with people from diverse backgrounds. These shared experiences strengthen the bonds between students and their teachers, fostering a strong sense of class identity and communal growth.
The Camp Program provides teachers with invaluable insights into their students, observations that are crucial in guiding their educational journey. For the students, these camps are opportunities to build resilience, learn the value of cooperation, develop a reverence for nature, and experience the thrill of exploration. Past and present students of The Alice Springs Steiner School fondly recall their class trips, recognising the profound impact these experiences have had on their personal and educational development.
An outline of our Class Camp Program
Class 1: Camp in the Stone Circle at school for 1 night.
The primary focus of this camp is bonding time for the students. Together the children will help set up camp, prepare food, support each other on trekking adventures and entertain one another. It is a challenge to rely on one another for an overnight camp at this age. Camp will help the students understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses. It is a great opportunity to practice tolerance, patience, resilience, self-discipline and judgement.
Activities: Bush walking.
Class 2: Camp at Simpsons Gap West MacDonnell | Tjoritja National Park for 1 night.
The Class Two camp is an overnight stay at the Tjoritja – Simpson’s Gap School camp ground. The site is nestled amongst a stand of eucalypts and mulga situated just above a sandy river bed. Part of the student’s learning during this camp is to engage visually and kinaesthetically with the landscape. To listen to stories which speak to these experiences and to participate in pro-social ways to organise every day necessities as well as supporting one another in play, during walks and to overcome challenges. The location whilst being away from Alice Springs, is still close enough for families to only be a comforting phone-call away.
Activities: Bush walking.
Class 3: Camp at Tamara Cooperative Date Farm for 2 nights.
The camp to the Tamara Cooperative Date Farm is culmination the Farming Main Lesson, where students learn farming practices and the life of a person committed to providing food for others. They will learn about the roles of people on the farm and the associated responsibilities apart from the planting of food crops. The camp will also incorporate many of the skills that the children are developing this year such as independence, resilience, tolerance, patience, self-discipline, cooperation and responsibility. Together the children will help set up camp, prepare food, clean up after meals, collect firewood, support each other on adventures and entertain one another. It is a challenge to rely on one another for 3 days and it will help the students understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses.
Activities: Bush walking, Farm & Co-op Tours
Class 4: Camp and trek at Hamilton Downs for 3 nights.
This camp is about working together to create harmony, fun and food and to learn about the history of the area, including Indigenous history as well as station life of the past. There is an obstacle course and a dry river bed to play in, as well as some good walks. We expect children to take more responsibility for their own belongings and to share in the jobs whilst on camp. Children will be expected to help set up the camp, prepare meals, clean-up afterwards and to care of their belongings by keeping everything together. The children will support each other on adventures and entertain each other, whilst taking care of each other. The students will be able to feel, utilise, develop and strengthen their capabilities of independence, resilience, tolerance, patience, self-discipline, cooperation, responsibility and friendship whilst on camp.
Activities: Bush Walk, Indigenous History, Knot tying, Orienteering/Mapping Activity.
Class 5: Camp and trek the Larapinta Trail for 3 nights.
This year students hike Section 1 of the Larapinta Trail: Alice Springs Telegraph Station to Simpsons Gap. This hike is 24.7kms is grade: 4 - moderate to difficult. This camp ties in with the Class 5 Local History and Geography Main Lesson, as well as our Botany Main Lesson. This camp requires students to be physically and mentally prepared with training they do also during the months leading up to this camp. Students are required to prepare their own food and look after their own belongings.
Activities: Hiking, Orienteering/Mapping Activity, Indigenous History.
Class 6: Camp and trek Uluru-Kata Tjuta & Watarrka National Parks for 4 nights.
This trip is an awe-inspiring educational experience. Students explore Watarrka and Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Parks and take part in immersive cultural experiences along the way. They observe abundant wildlife, Aboriginal rock-art and stunning gorges and appreciate the area steeped in natural beauty and history. The students walk around the base of Uluru and complete the Valley of the Winds Walk at Kata Tjuta. They also complete the rim walk at Watarrka National Park and visit Henbury Meteorite Conservation Reserve.
Activities: Cultural Tours, Swimming, Hiking, Camel Ride.
Class 7: Nitmiluk National Park for 5 nights.
Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge) is a collaborative camp with Milkwood Steiner School from Darwin. The students camp together for two nights in Nitmiluk National Park, venturing off on canoeing and walking explorations as well as learning from the Traditional Owners of the area on a Cultural Boat Tour. Our students also camp at Bitter Springs for the night and explore Cutta Cutta Caves Nature Park developing their geological knowledge. Together the students set up camp, prepare food, support each other on adventures and keep each other entertained. It is a great chance to practice tolerance, patience, resilience, self-discipline and judgement.
Activities: Cultural Boat Tour, Swimming, Canoeing, Caving.
Class 8: Camel Trek at Rainbow Valley Conservation Reserve for 5 nights
With Camel Tours NT students walk from Stuarts Well to Rainbow Valley and back. The students will learn about caring for the camels as their pack animal. At Rainbow Valley students explore this significant cultural site and learn from the Traditional Owners of the area. The students set up camp, care for the camels, prepare food, and support each other on trek. Working with large animals requires greater capacity to practice sound judgement, follow cameleer direction and be responsible for the camels’ wellbeing.
Activities: Cultural Tour, Hiking.
Class 7/8: East MacDonnell Ranges National Park for 3 nights.
Boosting incredible scenery students walk from school to Emily Gap and then onto Jessie Gap along the Yeperenye Trail. They camp for two nights at Ross River Station where they partake in rock climbing, abseiling, and orienteering activities.
Activities: Cultural Tour, Hiking, Rock Climbing, Abseiling & Orienteering.