Scout Programs

Schedule a customized scout outing or overnight trip today! Girl and Boy Scouts can participate in fun and educational nature study, wilderness adventures, and team building activities in full-day seasonal programs. Scout visits to Clearpool are available for all ages and tailored by age group.

Clearpool Outdoor Learning Programs Challenge Young Scouts with Wilderness Adventures

Visits are available from September through May; choose the type of activity that will suit your scouts best:

  • 1- to 2-hour adventures for those looking for after school scout outings
  • Day-long programs for troops looking for weekend activities
  • Overnights that create scout memories to last a lifetime

Fees

Program length Group up to 10 scouts Additional participants
1 hour $100 $10 each
1.5 hours $150 $12 each
2 hours $200 $15 each
**Additional facilitator fee of $100 for select activities.

Build a scouting outing to remember!

Select from nature, adventure and evening programs.

Nature

Programs that will not only immerse your scouts in a natural wonderland, they won’t even realize the STEM learning they’re soaking in!

Forest Ecology  science
1 hr 30 mins
Investigate the ecological connections between the forest, wildlife and humans. Our activities focus on the energy cycle, forest succession, food webs and the special features of different habitats.

Forest Exploration Hike  science
1 hr 30 mins
Take an inquiry-based hike where facilitators will help participants look for and share answers to their questions about what they are finding in the woods.

Animal Adaptations  science
1 hr 15 mins
Participants play games that reinforce concepts of evolution. Discuss adaptations as you touch real mammal fur and skulls. Smaller groups (max 45) may also be able to visit our small live animal room.

Pond Study  science
1 hr 15 mins
Take off your shoes and be prepared to get muddy as you use nets to catch organisms ranging from frogs to small fish to arthropods. Discuss the life stages of pond animals and the complex food web that connects them all.

Wetland Ecology Hike  science, technology, math
1 hr 30 mins
Visit and compare the various wetlands at Clearpool. Make hypotheses about how the water quality would differ at the swamp, marsh, bog and vernal pool and then check your theories with water testing kits. Observe how different organisms have adapted to each wetland habitat.

Watershed Connections  science, engineering
2 hrs
We’re sure you all have heard that NYC has the best pizza in the world because of the quality of the city’s water. Now come and discover the incredible journey that water makes to reach residents around the state. Learn the natural components that create the watershed: the topography of the land and the protected forests surrounding large waterbodies. Then see how humans engineered a remarkable aqueduct system that transports the 9 billion gallons of water each day that the state uses each day.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour  science, technology, engineering
1 hr
Take a tour of Clearpool’s own wastewater treatment facility. See the process by which wastewater from our campus’s sewage system is filtered and treated by bacteria until it is ready to be released back into a stream. After understanding the complexity of this process, participants have a vastly greater appreciation for the necessity of water conservation.

Maple Sugaring  science, engineering
1 hr 15 mins – February and March
Visit our sugarhouse and watch how sap is tapped from a tree, and then boiled down to make the syrup we love to put on our pancakes. We’ll teach you about the history of sugaring as well as the science of sap creation within the sugar maples trees.

Compass Challenge and Orienteering  technology, math
1 hr 15 mins
We will cover the basics of how to use and interpret a compass with fun search activities. Then, participants will find their way through the woods on one of our trails using a map and pacing.

Set up Camp!
1 hr 30 mins — Middle/high school only
Have you ever been camping before? We’ll teach you the basics of setting up a great campsite, including how to pack all the right gear, select a great spot, pitch your tent, cook with a campfire and to leave no trace after you leave.

Adventure

Programs designed to support teambuilding and leadership development.

Teambuilding Initiatives
1 hr 15 mins
An ideal warm-up for your trip, our teambuilding program helps participants get to know one another in a fun and high energy setting where each team member has a chance to shine.

Low Ropes
1 hr 15 mins
Our low ropes elements require groups to communicate effectively and to use creative problem-solving. Facilitators will lead groups through reflective throughout the challenge course.

High Ropes
1 hr 15 min – 3rd grade and higher
Participants will bond as a group and push their individual limits as they climb into the trees and take on our high ropes elements. An additional facilitator is required for this activity.

Zip Line
1 hr 30 mins – 5th grade and higher
Each participant will have one opportunity to zip across the Clearpool Lake and then hike back through the woods to campus. An additional facilitator is required for this activity. Limited availability based on group size and trip duration.

Sensory Awareness
1 hr 15 mins
Participants will first practice heightening their senses through a series of games. Once they are ready, groups will navigate through the woods while blindfolded, needing to trust their other senses.

Outdoor Survival
1 hr 30 mins
Participants are asked to think critically about how they would survive in woods. They will work together to build shelters and fires and learn about locating food and water in the wild.

Raft-building
1 hr 15 mins – Sept, Oct, May and June
Construct a raft that can float one team member to a designated point on Clearpool Lake. Building materials are provided, and we will teach some basic knots, but the rest of the problem-solving is left up to the groups. Will their team member return in victory or splash into the lake?! An additional facilitator is required for this activity to serve as a lifeguard.

Boating
1 hr 15 mins – Sept, Oct, April, May and June
Enjoy boating in a canoe or rowboat on the scenic 3.5 acre Clearpool Lake.
An additional facilitator is required for this activity to serve as a lifeguard.

Swimming
1 hr 30 min – June, may also be limited depending on group size and duration of stay
Take a refreshing dip in our designated waterfront swimming area. Roughly 3’ deep. An additional facilitator is required for this activity to serve as a lifeguard.

Evening Activities

Available as part of our multi-day field trip packages.

Campfire
1 hr
Includes the “Three S’s” of a campfire: Songs, s’mores, and stories! Let us know if there is a particular activity you would like to do during this special bonding experience.

Night Hike
1 hr
Brave the night with only the light of the stars and the moon to guide you. Learn about the adaptations of nocturnal animals while listening for their call and pause for a peaceful look at the stars.

Raptor Presentation by Teatown Preservation
1 hr
Representatives from Teatown will bring raptors from their rehabilitation program to educate your students in a close encounter experience with these incredible predators.