Camping is definitely one of the activities you can count on as a student of the International School of Samui. Being blessed with many outdoor camping sites to choose from, we see to it that our Senior School students get to experience a few in a supervised environment.
Our most popular destination is right in our backyard: Ang Thong National Marine Park. This small archipelago of 40+ islands is definitely a beaut and a must-see for anyone who can easily hop on a boat and take a ride for under an hour from Koh Samui or Koh Phangan.
And so, in preparation for this great camping adventure, we train our students a few years early by organising camping events in the school. In the last two weeks, Year 4 and Year 5 enjoyed their weekend camping in our school grounds, respectively.
Year 5 initiated these camping adventures on Friday 16th March 2018. They put up the tents during the day and re-assembled at 5pm to start the programme. They played games and team challenges, enjoyed storytelling by their mates and many more activities before calling it a night.
The following week, Year 4 carried out their own camping and had their own version of the team activities building up friendship and camaraderie. Year 4 also added a personal touch on their tents, putting signs outside that contain the name of the occupants and the rules inside the tent. Some of the rules are just creative and hilarious!
Year 4's camping appeared to be a bit more challenging due to signs of rain in the early evening. However, this did not stop the class from having a good time and by the next morning, great fun and adventure was had by all.
** Camping offers a lot of benefits to our health and soul. The activity is known to reduce the risk of depression and de-stresses us just being surrounded by nature. And there is a scientific explanation for this. Camping amongst trees and greenery means getting ample supply of oxygen, which helps your body produce serotonin, a chemical that lowers our stress levels and makes us feel happy.
In addition, the light from the campfire and the sun regulates melatonin to a reasonable level -- a chemical which helps us get to sleep but if produced in great amounts can also cause depression. Check out this article that highlights 9 benefits of going camping.
Needless to say, we encourage our families to engage in outdoor camping activities!
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