rootnode-academy/docs/WINTER_BREAK_CAMP_CURRICULUM_OPTIONS.md

Winter Break Camp — Curriculum Options

Phase 6F Step 20. The question this document answers: what subset of existing READY ROOT_ curriculum makes an excellent, academically coherent, standalone Winter Break Camp — not "how do we fit all 64.2 hours into a week."

A real constraint that shapes every option below

ROOT_'s course prerequisites are enforced server-side, for real, including against direct API attempts (docs/ROOT_V1_PREREQUISITE_MAP.md). A camp curriculum cannot skip straight to, say, Kubernetes for a brand-new student — ROOT 05 is genuinely locked behind ROOT 04, which is locked behind ROOT 03, 02, and 01. Any option below that starts past ROOT 01 is explicitly scoped as a continuing-student camp, not a walk-in-and-start one. This phase does not build a placement/ waiver mechanism (out of scope, see the DO-NOT-BUILD list) — these options work within the real chain as it exists today.

Option A — Linux & Systems Foundations Camp (recommended first camp)

Target readiness: complete beginners; no prior RootNode enrollment needed. Age guidance (not a gate): ~13+ through adult. Content reused: ROOT 01 (Computing & Linux Foundations) + ROOT 02 (Linux Administration & Networking) — 100% existing READY content, zero new authoring. Duration: 353 + 388 = 741 minutes ≈ 12.4 structured hours — fits a 4-5 day week camp at 2.5-3 hours/day comfortably, with room for camp-format activities (breaks, group discussion) around the core content. Hands-on Labs: real Linux shell throughout — filesystem, processes, permissions, service lifecycle, storage/network/DNS diagnosis, structured troubleshooting. Final mini-project/challenge: the existing ROOT 02 assessment (rootnode-linux-networking-assessment) already IS a real, timed, diagnose-and-fix challenge — usable as the camp's own capstone moment with zero new content needed. Staffing: one instructor can reasonably run this for a cohort using Prepare Labs + the classroom Need-Help workflow (docs/ROOT_V1_INSTRUCTOR_GUIDE.md); no specialized TA skill needed beyond basic Linux fluency. Delivery: works in-person, fully remote, or hybrid — no format-specific content.

Option B — Containers & Kubernetes Starter Camp (continuing students)

Target readiness: students who have already completed ROOT 01-03 (e.g., graduates of a prior camp, or a self-paced student continuing over break). Age guidance: ~14+ through adult. Content reused: ROOT 04 (Containers & Docker) + ROOT 05 (Kubernetes Foundations) — 444 + 403 = 847 minutes ≈ 14.1 structured hours. Hands-on Labs: real nested Docker (build, run, network, persist, Compose) then a real single-node Kubernetes cluster (Pods, kubectl fluency). Final mini-project/challenge: the existing ROOT 04 assessment plus a self-contained "deploy your own containerized app to the cluster" framing built from ROOT 05's existing Pod/kubectl Labs — no new content needed. Staffing: instructor should be comfortable with both Docker and basic kubectl. Delivery: remote-friendly (no local Docker/Kubernetes install needed, per docs/ ROOT_V1_STUDENT_REQUIREMENTS.md); works in-person too. Eligibility note: market this explicitly as "Camp 2" or "for students who've done ROOT 01-03" — do not advertise it as a standalone entry point, since a walk-in student would hit a real locked course on day one.

Option C — Build, Break & Fix: Kubernetes Operations Camp (advanced continuing students)

Target readiness: students who have completed ROOT 01-05 (e.g., graduates of Camps A+B). Age guidance: ~15+ through adult. Content reused: ROOT 06 (Application Workloads) + ROOT 07 (Networking & Configuration) + ROOT 10 (Troubleshooting & Observability) — 299 + 356 + 280 = 935 minutes ≈ 15.6 structured hours. Hands-on Labs: Deployments/scaling/rolling updates/Jobs/CronJobs, Services/Ingress/ NetworkPolicy/ConfigMaps, then real diagnose-and-fix troubleshooting using the RootNode framework. Final mini-project/challenge: a real, deliberately-broken multi-symptom scenario drawing on ROOT 10's existing troubleshooting Labs — genuinely operational, not a quiz. Staffing: instructor should be comfortable diagnosing real Kubernetes failures live, since students will hit genuine dead ends by design. Delivery: remote-friendly; works well as a more intensive, fewer-day format (e.g. 3 full days) given the deeper focus per topic.

Recommendation for THIS Winter Break

Option A is the clear first camp: it needs no prior enrollment, needs zero new curriculum authoring, fits a standard week-long camp format cleanly, and gives a complete, honest, standalone learning arc (a real beginner walks in, and walks out having genuinely administered and diagnosed a real Linux system). Options B and C are natural follow-on offerings for returning students later in the year, once a first cohort exists to return.

Explicitly out of scope for this document

Pricing, registration flow, payment processing, and marketing copy — this is curriculum packaging only, per the Phase 6F authorization's own scope fence. See Phase 7 for the business/product layer.