Outdoor Education
Since 1965, YMCA Camp Kern has provided meaningful outdoor learning experiences to students of the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus areas. We serve more than 6,000 students in grades K - 9 from over 100 schools each year. Groups range in size from 12 to 270. Our Outdoor Education program provides a range of benefits; new ways to experience environmental science, early Ohio life and STEM learning; deconstruction of social barriers and cliques; enhanced relationships between teachers and students; appreciation of our natural world and hands on learning. We offer day and overnight programming, and our provide all meals and supplies for programming. Our team of trained educators are dedicated to giving students and teachers an unforgettable, meaningful experience. We work closely with teachers to customize a program that best serves their students. An emphasis can be placed on current Ohio academic content standards, and we are happy to tailor programs to any school's needs.
At YMCA Camp Kern, Students can:
- Explore a thriving ecosystem and its inhabitants.
- Develop team-building skills on our group challenge courses.
- Take part in and experience a reenactment of the Treaty of Greenville with General Anthony Wayne.
- Canoe on our lake (Newton’s laws of motion in practice).
- Grow in their sense of wonder about the world around them.
- Enjoy good food and plenty of it.
- Learn about and gather 500 million-year-old fossils.
- Collect and examine creatures from our pond and wetlands.
- Sing around an evening campfire.
- Meet pioneers as they travel through the Old Northwest Territory looking to settle.
- Experience real world examples and applications of many of the Ohio academic content standards.
- Explore three and a half miles of Native American Mounds built 2000 years ago.
- Be safe, be themselves, and have fun!
For more information on anything regarding Outdoor Education, please contact Dave Moran at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 513-932-3756 x 1527.
YMCA Camp Kern is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization