Historical Background of Outdoor Education. Taft Campus Occasional Paper No. 17.

Overview & Synopsis

Although there were camps for children as early as 1861, it was not until the post-depression era that professional educators gave serious consideration to the educational values of camping. By the late thirties school camping was beginning to find a foothold in various sections of the country and during the forties this movement continued to expand. Three school camping projects contributed significantly to the initial development of outdoor education. The Battle Creek, Michigan school camping program exerted widespread philosophical influence and provided a training ground for outdoor education leaders. The New York City Camping Education Experiment provided a basis for evaluating some of the outcomes of outdoor education. The Tyler, Texas Outdoor Laboratory established a pattern for school and community cooperation in developing a desired educational program. Among the pioneers of the development of outdoor education were L. B. Sharp, George W. Donaldson, and Julian Smith. The three stand out as the prime movers in outdoor education. Early outdoor teacher education ventures were the New York Teacher's Outdoor Education Institute, the George Peabody College for Teacher's Experiment, the Brockport (New York) University Teacher's College Course, the New Jersey State School of Conservation, and outdoor teacher education at Northern Illinois University. Historically significant developments include the formation of the Outdoor Education Association, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and the development of environmental education. (DS)