Day 1 (Saturday ) -Welcome to Kentucky! After meeting everyone at the Louisville airport we’ll head out on the town for a big group dinner. Get ready for the local flavors of some old fashioned Kentucky BBQ! After dinner we’ll do a quick orientation and some group games, before heading off to bed at a nearby hotel for tomorrow’s big day.
Day 2 (Sunday ) -Bright and early we will head out to Berea, KY. Berea is home to Berea College and the Appalachian Studies program. After a tour and info session you’ll learn about this region and its history of education. In the afternoon you’ll visit the nearby Save the Children regional headquarters and receive an introduction to the organization and its work. Then we’ll hit the road and travel to our base house.
Day 3 (Monday) -After rising early and eating breakfast at the base house, we’ll head off to Manchester County to the site of the enriched summer program. Today is the first day of camp, where Kindergarten through 4th grade students from local rural schools await you excited and eager for the following two weeks. You’ll be working alongside Save the Children’s literacy specialists and local teachers, all of whom share a common goal of increasing literacy rates and motivating students. Mornings at camp will hold a literacy and math focus, where struggling learners look to you to guide them through reading their favorite books and math exercises. Come prepared to inspire learning! Afternoons will be divided between a science program, where a Lego robotics project will give students a hands on understand of science, and an outdoors program designed to get kids active and exploring nature. You’ll have a role programming outdoors activities, so come ready with your favorite sports and games and be prepared to be in a teaching role. Afternoons will also afford an opportunity for enrichment activities, where you will be sharing some of your personal skills and interests with young students. Whether you’re a dancer and want to teach a routine, or soccer enthusiast who wants to run a skills session, or an avid artist interested in providing students with painting lessons we value your individual skills and are looking forward to seeing what kinds of activities you create and run. After a full 9-3 day of camp, return to the base house to eat dinner, chill out, and relax.
Day 4 (Tuesday ) - The enriched summer camp will run again today from 9-3. After some time to relax, work on your lesson plans, and dinner, we will head out for an evening of bowling.
Day 5 (Wednesday ) - The enriched summer camp will run again today from 9-3. By now you will be familiar with the local students, and their excitement to see you each day will surely be infectious. Hopefully by now you will be finding ways to connect to each student and inspire them as a teacher. This evening gather round the campfire for a storytelling session-something that is an art form in the folk art culture of Appalachia. We’ll pick a theme and tell a few to get you started and then you’ll take it from there. You’ll learn to spin a yarn without notes, tell an engaging tale, and relay your story in an animated way. All skills that you will use tomorrow in your reading sessions with the students.
Day 6 (Thursday ) - The enriched summer camp will run again today from 9-3. Your first week is almost over, and tonight we will be watching a thought-provoking documentary on education in America. The themes addressed in the film will surely hit home by now, and we will be having a discussion afterwards to talk about how this relates to your work in Kentucky.
Day 7 (Friday ) - Today camp winds down for the week, so it’s an opportunity to create lasting impressions on the students that will carry them through the weekend and keep them excited for the following week. Tonight we’ll head out for some ice cream to celebrate a successful, and exhausting, week of work!
Day 8 (Saturday ) - Early this morning we will be hitting the road to travel to nearby Tennessee. Get ready for a weekend of exploration and adventure in the Great Smoky Mountains and on the Ocoee River! After settling into the lodge, there will be an afternoon adventure race and opportunities to swim in the lake.
Day 9 (Sunday ) - Today we head out bright and early for an adrenaline filled excursion of whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River. After a day of rapids, paddles, and some big adventure we will be returning to our Kentucky base house. This evening we will take some time to adjust back into the mentality of leadership, mentoring, and teaching as we prepare for the week ahead of us.
Day 10 (Monday ) - A new week of camp begins today, as we return to the school district for another day of learning, playing, reading, games and challenges. After cooling off at a nearby swimming pool in the late afternoon we’ll head off for an all-American evening at the local ballpark. Get ready to root for the home team, while munching on peanuts and popcorn. Nothing says small town America like baseball!
Day 11 (Tuesday ) - The enriched summer camp will run again today from 9-3. Tonight after dinner we will be exploring a nearby town’s local museum to learn more about the industry, economy, and culture of this region. These types of excursions are meant to give you further insight into the lives of the children you are working with and help you connect to each one of them in the classroom.
Day 12 (Wednesday ) - The enriched summer camp will run again today from 9-3. Tonight you’ll be able to take a break from lesson planning and have fun with some mini golf.
Day 13 (Thursday ) - The enriched summer camp will run again today from 9-3. This will be our final night spent in the region, and we will culminate it with a visit to one of the great attractions of this area-Cumberland Falls. This state park is known for beautiful hiking trails, picnic areas, and gorgeous views. We’ll enjoy a group picnic and then head back to the base to talk about what tomorrow’s final day will feel and look like.
Day 14 (Friday ) - Today’s final day of camp will surely bring smiles, tears, and a lot of fond memories. As you wrap up the day and say good-bye to the friends you have made, know that you have had such a positive impact on this school community and the effects will surely be felt come this academic year. This will be our last full day together in Kentucky, and the end of an incredibly rewarding & challenging two weeks. Let the good memories carry you through the car ride back to Louisville, where we will be spending the evening. Tonight we will celebrate with a special dinner out in the city to culminate an amazing two weeks.
Day 15 (Saturday ) -After breakfast, it’ll be time to head to the airport. Whether you are continuing on to another Rustic Pathways program, or heading back home, we hope that you will take the challenges and triumphs of the past two weeks with you. You will have worked remarkably hard, and should know that you are departing Kentucky having had a meaningful and long lasting impact on the lives and education of its children. On behalf of Rustic Pathways and Save the Children, we thank you.
*** PLEASE NOTE : The itinerary described above is typical but not set in stone as work and optional activities vary depending upon the needs of the communities and schools, as well as the weather. This itinerary is designed to give you a good, general idea of the day to day schedule and activities on this program but may be changed during the summer as staff see fit. Students will work hard on this program, which is all part of the service experience and a small sacrifice when compared with the positive impact this program has on the local schools and on RP participants. ***
