Leading Outdoor Recreation

• Organization: National Foundation for Educational Research (https://www.nfer.ac.uk/)
• Date Published: April 1, 2005

The research was carried out by a team from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), King’s College London and the University of Bath. The aim was to extend research-based understandings of educational activities using the outdoor classroom in a rural context. More specifically, it focused on the processes and impacts and the planning and evaluation of outdoor learning. These issues were explored in three outdoor learning contexts: (i) school grounds and gardens; (ii) farms and city farms; and (iii) field study/nature centres. The study involved identifying case studies of effective practice, observing students and teachers at work in school grounds, on farms and in outdoor study centres across England.

http://www.bath.ac.uk/cree/resources/OCR.pdf

• Author(s): Lynn Dominguez, Mary Lou Schilling

• Organization: World Leisure Journal

• Date Published: January 1, 2011

This article presents the results of a pilot program conducted in the area of environmental awareness and outdoor recreation skills for people with special needs. The program was created to meet the needs of people with disability to form connections with the natural environment and obtain experience with outdoor recreation pursuits. It was implemented in the public school system at the middle-school level by college undergraduate volunteers.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/04419057.2001.9674237

• Organization: Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association http://eepsa.org/
• Date Published: January 6, 2007

The Environmental Learning and Experience (ELE) Guide, developed by EEPSA and partners, is a cross-curricular framework for environmental and experiential learning in BC. This guide is provided to assist British Columbia teachers of all subjects and grades to integrate environmental concepts into teaching and learning. Designed as a support framework to guide teachers in their education planning, the guide also aims to support the implementation of many of the curriculum packages and will be complemented by web resources to support environmental learning in diverse subjects like science, social studies and language arts.The Ministry of Education has fully approved this curriculum framework, and is now hosting it on their website. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/environment_ed/

http://eepsa.org/

• Author(s): Canadian Wildlife Federation (http://www.cwf-fcf.org/)

• Organization: Canadian Wildlife Federation (http://www.cwf-fcf.org/)

This program is described by its developers as an engaging collection of videos, lesson plans, activities and tips from artists, photographers, filmmakers, environmentalists, education, and students from across North America. The intersection of science, creative arts and 21st century media technologies creates powerful conduits for connecting young people with nature. We hope these resources will help you use art to connect your students with nature and develop more meaningful connections to local flora and fauna.

http://www.get-to-know.org/best-practices/

• Author(s): Outdoor Ed

• Organization: Outdoor Ed

• Date Published: January 1, 2011

The purpose of OutdoorEd.com is to provide a rich community for professional outdoor and experiential educators to come together and share their knowledge, ideas, questions, and issues. We’ve gathered some of the best people in the business to create and build this site, including you….

This web-based resource combines articles relating to varied topics including equipment, safety, and sustainability, while also having an active forum where educators meet, discuss, and support the development of outdoor education programs.

http://www.outdoored.com/

• Author(s): Geoffrey Godbey www.geoffreygodbey.com

• Organization: Resources for the Future: Outdoor Resources Review Group

• Date Published: May 2, 2009

The research literature on outdoor recreation as it relates to human health is vast and growing. To help policymakers take new and emerging findings into account when designing recreation and park services and initiatives for the 21st century, this paper summarizes the salient issues and identifies research gaps. It considers how being outside in natural surroundings may improve health and how outdoor physical activities benefit participants. Particular attention is given to children’s health problems that can be mitigated through outdoor play, sports, and nature study. The paper describes approaches to measuring physical activity and recent trends in park visitation and outdoor activity participation. It looks at variables that affect participation in outdoor activities and considers the projected demographic changes that will affect policy making in this arena. The findings of this literature review point to potential new directions for outdoor recreation policy, as well as new policy questions to be explored.

http://www.rff.org/documents/RFF-DP-09-21.pdf

• Author(s): Paul Shirilla, Michael Gass, Sara Anderson

• Organization: Education

• Date Published: January 1, 2009

The use of experiential education and adventure-based programming in United States education can take many forms, including the use of challenge course programmes and expedition-style outdoor trips. While these programmes can be beneficial for students’ personal growth, organisations such as Project Adventure have begun the process of bringing adventure into the school environment as an important next step in the use of experiential methods in US education. Project Adventure is a non-profit organisation supporting the use of adventure-based and experiential programming in both schools and other youth organisations.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004270802291905