Welcome to the outdoor education center!
The Outdoor Education Center (OEC) is a division of the Battle Creek Public School System. We are located on Clear Lake in Dowling, Michigan. The OEC offers a serene rural environment less than an hour's drive from Lansing, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
As the oldest school camp in the nation, we have been offering programs to supplement school curriculum for over 60 years. We currently offer camp programs to 18 schools including five grades of the Battle Creek Public Schools (BCPS). We host weddings, family retreats, and workshops.
With 175-acres of forests, fields, and lakeshore, the OEC is the perfect setting for groups to connect with nature. Come camp with us! It’s a “clear” choice.
Farm Animal Program
Every spring the barn is filled with baby farm animals. Students have the opportunity to touch, smell, hear and feed a variety of domestic farm animals. Students learn how animals are important to us as a source a food and other useful products.
Pioneer Cabin Program
The reconstructed 1800’s pioneer cabin is equipped with tools and furnishings of the period with an outdoor cooking fire, chicken coop, small garden, smoke house and even a replica outhouse. Students can experience the life of a pioneer.
Farm Garden Program
We have a three acre garden that is planted and tended by students. The garden is an ideal setting to learn a variety of environmental concepts such as, how the earth provides us with food and what a plant needs to grow.
School Camp Program
The School Camp Program is the residential camp program offered to fifth and sixth graders. Schools can choose themes from any of our program areas. Schools can camp from one to four nights.
Adventure Camp Program
Adventure camp is a school camp program with the emphasis on individual challenge and teambuilding. We have a high ropes course, tower climb, low ropes course, teams’ course and a variety of group building activities that facilitate these goals.
Did you know?
Clear Lake Camp in 1940 became the first public school camp in the nation.
"no child left inside"
At the Outdoor Education Center(OEC), we ensure no child is left inside! Our mission is to foster human development and promote stewardship of the earth using outdoor education as our methodology and experiential education as our philosophy.
The Battle Creek Public Schools own and operate the OEC, a complete year-round outdoor education facility on a 176 acre site located on M-37 Highway, 13 miles north of the city in the midst of a rural agricultural community in Barry County. Each year approximately 3,000 elementary students in the school district participate in some kind of educational experience at our Center, which is recognized nationally, as a leader in providing model programs for students in an outdoor setting.
Why The Outdoor Education Center?
- College Degreed Staff Hired with School Safety Clearence
- Hands-On Learning Experience with Live Animals
- Modern Boys & Girls Dorms that Sleep 70 Students each
- 175 Acres of Diverse Habitats and Trails
- 184 Acre Lake with a Boat Launch & Canoes
- 24 Hour Health Care by Trained Health Officers
- Family Style Dining with Kid-Friendly Menus
- Social Skills Development Promoting Problem Solving
- Separate Teacher Accommodations
- 3 Cook-Out Sites, Pioneer Cabin, & Nature Center
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