Infomation for Parents - Dates

During the Winter, the children are invited back to our Sussex County, New Jersey site to reunite with their summer group and to experience the natural world during a new season. Instead of living in tipis, hogans, and round-toos as they do in the summer months, children sleep in front of roaring fires in the main lodge. Still, many of the key elements of our summer program are present on Winter Weekends: the value of community responsibility and service learning is reinforced through each child’s completion of a daily job;: appreciation and respect for the natural world are encouraged and enhanced; and the skills and merit of peaceful conflict resolution are stressed and extended. Winter Weekends are an important element in Trail Blazers’ comprehensive network of services-they are designed to enable and encourage young people to set personal goals, improve academic performance, build self-confidence, and make positive choices.

Experiential Environmental Education
On each weekend, time is spent exploring animal tracks in the snow, learning about hibernation and different measures of weather, hiking out to each group’s summer site and renewing friendships. Trail Blazers’ staff members work to make these experiences not only opportunities for fun, but also occasions for educational enrichment, using natural moments of wonder to encourage curiosity and nurture young minds. Group leaders blend learning opportunities into the fun-packed activities of the weekend - hiking through untouched snow, sledding down a powdery hill or walking onto a frozen lake.

Winter Weekend curriculum focuses on teaching children about the winter environment, and features hands-on learning activities such as experiments and discussions of the seasons, shadows and the sun, active bird watching, and investigations into the habitats and food sources of animals in winter. Challenge course initiatives are also introduced as an opportunity to foster the growth of cooperative team-work, effective communication, and problem-solving skills.

Reinforcing Summer Lessons
Our Winter Environmental Education Program, an extension of Trail Blazers’ core summer program, is a vital part of our effort to maintain continued on-going contact with children. These Winter Weekends provide our staff with an opportunity to reinforce the skills and values developed during the summer. To ensure that each child’s Winter Weekend behavior, accomplishments, and challenges are given proper attention in school, social workers and teachers are sent written reports on each child’s progress.

Leadership Training
Another essential element of Winter Weekends is the role of participants in Trail Blazers’ Leadership Training Program (LTP), a four phased initiative focusing on challenge, community service, job exploration and job experience.

The first Winter Weekend serves as an LTP training and community service weekend. On the Winter Weekends of younger groups, LTPers gain hands-on experience working with children – they serve as role models, and help Group Leaders guide children through the weekend’s activities. After her first weekend as a co-leader, one LTPer noted, “They look up to me. I enjoy being their friend and leader at the same time.”

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Registration
Details for each winter weekend can be found by clicking the links below - For the group your child was a member of this summer, click the link below for your pickup location.

Please note: If you received a letter stating that your child needs a reinterview, this must be completed before your child can attend his or her winter weekend. Please call the office to make an appointment

Location Key:
TB - Trailblazers Office
PS 29 - PS 29 Jersey City
EC - Elizabeth Coalition
YSB - Youth Services Bureau (Paterson)

Note: Newark Children will be picked up / dropped off at the Elizabeth Coalition.

Please Fill out and return a Permission slip for your child, they can be downloaded here.

Packing List

You don't need to bring any more than what's listed here! Also, if you don't have all of these items, we will provide warm clothes or boots for you.

The packing list can be downloaded here

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Winter Weekend Dates

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