Many of today’s outdoor enthusiasts grew up in rural areas and obtained their “outdoor education” firsthand, in the fields, streams, and wooded areas in their communities. According to this article, It appears future generations won’t be so lucky:
If kids don’t have access to the outdoors and aren’t encouraged to experience the outdoors, why should they ever care about the outdoors?
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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the students injured in the recent Alaska bear attack. If you missed the story, you can learn about it here.
While this story is sensational and could lead some to question the safety of some outdoor education activities, here are 2 things to keep in mind. First, this story is sensational in part because this type of incident is so rare. And second, if being outdoors is potentially “dangerous” for students, then so is everyday life.
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The San Antonio Express News recently published the following article:
60 percent of Texas students get suspended, expelled
Ouch! If the headline concerns you, don’t bother reading the article; the news only gets worse. It seems nobody has the answer to the problem. Maybe “the” answer doesn’t exist. But based on our interviews with outdoor education teachers and their students, and our first-hand visits to these classrooms, outdoor education classes could play an important role in reversing this trend.
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Here’s an article that got us thinking:
Google Is Making Us All Dumber
Despite the title, the authors of this study argue that it doesn’t prove we’re idiots. It just shows we’re becoming more adept at knowing where to find the information we may need than actually remembering the information we may need.
But what happens when we lose our Internet connection and cannot access the information we need when we need it? What happens when we’re stranded on the side of a lonely road and we can’t get phone service? What happens when we get lost and don’t have a GPS?
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The support for Outdoor Ed continues to grow as evidenced by this recent victory for residents of Maryland. Please take a moment to read the following Press Release.
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Friends and Supporters
Copyright © 2012 The National Partnership for Outdoor Education
Williams O\'Neil 
Darren Wehner 
Tracy Chandler 
Kinky Friedman 
Joanette Chiles 
Daniel Brock