Fieldtrips and Residentials
At BBS, our teachers believe passionately that learning does not take place within the classroom only. There is a wide range of team-building activities, school excursions and off-site learning experiences during the academic year.
At primary level, pupils are taken on a variety of local field trips. Living in an exciting city such as Berlin is a wonderful resource, and frequent excursions to Art Galleries, Museums, Concert Halls and Academic Institutes help widen the learning experience for all. Year 5 culminates in a four-day residential trip to the Ostsee, where pupil experiences not only include hands- on activities such as sand sculpture on the beach, orienteering and campfire music, but also activities that teach essential life skills. They must choose appropriate clothing for all the outdoor activities and are required to make their own beds and lunches.
Secondary School students also pursue their learning outside the classroom environment on a variety of occasions. Field trips in many subjects, especially Geography and Science, take place both locally and further afield, and form an important part of coursework studies. The Music Department takes every opportunity to involve students in the rich cultural life of Berlin; students of French and Spanish frequently participate in events in the Institute Francais and the Cervantes Institute; and staff in all subjects carefully study the options for stimulating and relevant educational experiences outside the school gates.
For students who are interested in challenging themselves physically, there are many opportunities. The school runs a ski trip each year in February to St Michael in Lungau, Austria. This trip is open to pupils in Year 5 and above. Each day the pupils receive four hours of ski instruction from fully qualified local instructors, and there is also a fun-packed programme of evening activities. Early in the Autumn Term, students in Years 7-10 are invited to participate in our ‘Adventure Weekend’ to Blossin, a youth and outdoor centre 50km south-west of the city. Here, they undertake a short programme of sporting, water-based and team building activities which is an ideal way for new students to become easily integrated into the student body, while having fun in an outdoor environment.
An annual trip is taken to the Lake District of the UK, where Year 7-9 students have the opportunity to do some serious hill walking, and climb to the top of Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in Cumbria. Senior students have also taken part in World Challenge Expeditions; in 2009 a group travelled to Morocco where, in addition to hiking and sight-seeing, they were involved in community work helping to decorate a local school.
