Orienteering
Orienteering for schools
School and youth groups can try orienteering at Cumulus Outdoors Residential Centre. This activity involves navigating around a predefined course, to find control points hidden among our residential centre’s grounds. Sometimes we run this activity at Durlston Country Park, a stunning location where students will have a chance to admire the scenery and learn more about the historic landmarks.
Orienteering is great fun and draws on a variety of skills, including physical fitness, team work and geographical awareness. It’s a great way to put classroom learning into practice and encourage students to explore their surroundings.
KEY INFO
- An outdoor sport that requires physical exercise and careful planning
- Involves basic navigation and map orienteering
- Encourages team work and exploration of the great outdoors
Navigation and map work
At the start of each session our instructors will teach students the basics of navigation and map orientation. They will help students familiarise themselves with a basic plan of our site and show them how to use buildings and other points of interest to determine their location in relation to the map.
Once the group is confident understanding the map and key, they will be split into smaller teams and given an allotted period of time to prepare. Students will be challenged to think strategically and plan a route that enables them to reach all the checkpoints as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The teams will compete against each other in a friendly and supportive environment. The aim is to be the first team to complete the route having successfully found all control points.
Exploring the Cumulus Residential Centre’s grounds
Orienteering takes place within the safety of our grounds and there are 3 maps of varying difficulty to complete within a session. If there is a particular interest in this sport, it is possible to arrange opportunities for further learning with navigational walks in the local area.
Learning outcomes
Orienteering, like all the activities we offer at Cumulus Outdoors, has opportunities for learning outside the classroom. This fun-filled navigational activity can support skills taught in Geography lessons and help children apply them to a real-world situation. Orienteering has many transferrable skills and can encourage leadership and creative thinking.
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Team work
Students will complete the orienteering session in small teams and are required to work together to plan and execute their chosen route in record time. They will need to listen to the input of all members of the group when deciding which paths to take and ensure they keep a steady pace, which is suitable for all members.
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Physical Education
To add a bit of friendly competition to the session, we challenge students to complete the route as quickly as possible. They will need to run around the grounds to be in with a chance of topping the leader board.
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Planning
Careful planning is required to complete the session successfully. Teams are required to find all of the control points hidden around the centre to amass enough points to win. Groups that fail to plan out a route will have to double back on themselves and add precious time to their run.
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Orienteering FAQs
Where can I find your orienteering certificates?
If you would like to see all our orienteering information, including risk assessments, policies, emergency procedures, insurance and affiliation certification, please ask. You will be sent a link to our website with a password to access and download as much as you need.
Are you insured for orienteering?
Yes, we are insured for orienteering and we have £10 million public liability insurance. We are accredited by: Institute of Outdoor Learning, National Coasteering Charter, Adventure Activities Licensing Service, DofE Approved Activity Provider and Learning Outside the Classroom.
What happens if there is bad weather before orienteering?
Rarely is the weather bad enough to cancel an orienteering session. However, if we feel we need to cancel or change the session, we will be in touch at least 2 days prior to the activity. We will however always do our best to deliver the activities as per the agreed programme.
What if my child doesn’t want to do orienteering?
During the orienteering session we challenge the students to participate voluntarily, to push their comfort zone and test themselves. We operate a ‘challenge by choice ethos’, which allows the students to choose the level they are comfortable with.
What is the instructor to participant ratio for orienteering?
The instructor to participant ratio for orienteering is 1:20.
What kit do students need to bring orienteering?
Students will need to bring clothing and footwear suitable for the outdoors, full set of waterproofs, rucksack with an extra layer, snacks, something to drink and any personal medication.
