Pali Institute

Pali Institute is an outdoor education school and science camp facility situated in the San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Arrowhead, 90 minutes from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, and 3.5 hours from Las Vegas. They offer a customized outdoor program to suit each school's requirements, centered around 3 categories: outdoor education, science, and leadership. Educators can choose a three to five-day program and select from over 30 class modules.
Accreditation
Pali Institute is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and as such adheres to more than one hundred professional standards and guidelines. Pali Institute is currently the only outdoor education program accredited by WASC. Pali Institute is also accredited by the Association for Experiential Education (AEE), which means the institute adheres to an experiential model of learning. To maintain these accreditations, Pali Institute maintains strict standards for education, program governance and operations management.
Facilities
Pali Institute is located on 74 acres in the mountains of Southern California. The location houses 40 cabins, each with built-in bunks, full bathrooms, shower facilities and radiant floor heating. There is a main dining hall which seats 204 at each meal seating. The Institute also has access to trails, 3 high ropes courses, 4 archery ranges, a pond and a quad-zip line. During the summer Pali Adventures operates on the site, and during weekends it is used for the Pali Mountain Retreat and Conference Center.
Staff
Pali Institute instructors all hold Bachelors Degrees in Education, Science, Environmental Studies or a related field as a minimum requirement. Many also possess advanced degrees, teaching credentials, and other certifications. Two licensed nurses are available on campus at all times for 24/7 medical care.
Curriculum
Educators first choose a 3, 4, or 5 day program. They then elect which of the 30+ class modules best fit their students and school requirements. Program staff then customize an educational plan specific to the school group. All classes fall under one of three categories: Outdoor Education, Science, and Leadership.
Outdoor Education
The goal of the outdoor education program is to give students a better understanding of the world around them. Classes are offered in outdoor skills, archery, "Animal Survivor", forest ecology, orienteering, hiking, and art in nature.
Pali Institute provides hands-on field-based activities that teach classroom science in an outdoor setting, focusing on the scientific method. Classes include aerodynamics, geology/engineering, "Kraken Squid Open", "CSI: Pali", freshwater biology, energy issues, weather/meteorology, amphibians and reptiles.
Through group cooperation and team-building activities outdoor school students also work on improving interpersonal skills.
Evening programs include such activities as astronomy, night hikes, games, owl pellet dissection, movies and dance.
Extension Programs
Pali Institute offers schools the option of enrolling in pre and post programs, before and/or after they attend their chosen session. Pali staff travel to the schools to teach related classes to prepare students to come to the Institute, develop what they learned at the Institute further, or a combination of both. Single period, half-day, and full day experiences are available, and are designed to fit into typical 50-minute blocks for the scheduling convenience of the school.

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