Advice: Starting an Outdoor Education or Adventure Program in Your School

In addition to working for The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE), I’ve had the good fortune to assist public, private, and charter schools in setting up outdoor education programs for the past 25 years. During that time, I’ve developed a few winning strategies for educators embarking on such adventures.

Some of my more successful programs have included launching a learning farm for a public school system with 32,000 students, transforming schools into outdoor learning labs as a model for a school district, and even helping former inmates return to the world beyond bars by diving deep into outdoor experiences. (You can learn more about some my school-related work by reading “Taking Learning Outdoors: Merrick-Moore Elementary” on The Great Trails State Coalition website.)

None of these projects were easy, but they can be done. In this post, I offer insights on how to start an outdoor education or adventure program for your classroom or school. Let’s begin with planning and dreaming.

Have a Dream, Plan Your Work, and Work Your Plan

To successfully launch an outdoor education program, it’s important to start with a clear vision and follow a structured plan. Here’s an approach I’ve developed based on both my experiences and the wisdom of my mentors

1. Start with a Vision: Have a clear and inspiring goal. For example, my teachers, Mr. Bolinger in 8th grade and Mr. Buechler in 12th grade, each had a dream to engage students deeply by getting them outdoors. Their passion and vision for outdoor learning profoundly influenced me.
2. Engage Students through Hands-On Experiences: Practical, hands-on activities have the potential to engage kids in their own education, which has always been a struggle for us educators. Mr. Bolinger took us to a swamp behind our middle school, where we collected samples and conducted experiments in the lab. Though the lab reports weren’t exciting, the hands-on experience was. Similarly, Mr. Buechler had us write poetry about our muddy adventures in a nearby marsh, making the learning process engaging and memorable.
3. Create Relevant and Accessible Outdoor Activities: Start with simple, manageable activities that are relevant to your students’ environment and your school’s curriculum. In my first year as an inner-city teacher, I used a fallen tree in a nearby park as a natural challenge course. This accessible outdoor activity broke down barriers and generated positive experiences for my students, while simultaneously reinforcing the school’s curriculum.
4. Plan and Execute Thoughtfully: Develop a detailed plan that outlines your objectives, activities, and safety measures. My initial outdoor education attempts were straightforward and easy to manage, which ensured student safety and program success.
5. Reflect and Adjust: Continuously reflect on your activities and gather feedback from students and staff. This will help you identify what works and what needs improvement, ensuring the program grows and evolves effectively.

Start Small, Be Smart

As I mentioned above, one of my first outdoor education attempts as an educator involved using a downed tree. It was easy, convenient, and I could manage the site and safety elements. That was starting small.

When I say be smart, I mean don’t let your objective of taking students outdoors backfire because of accidents or negative experiences that bring unwanted scrutiny or an end to your dream.

Start small, design an experience, and dive deep. You don’t need an enormous lesson or too many moving parts. You can start with a single lesson, do it well, and learn from your experience. Then involve students in reflection and future planning.

Create and Share Documents

I don’t own a cellphone, I’m not on social media, and I’m not going to start now. So how do I pull strings to entice those in charge to help me deepen and grow my programming? Direct and thoughtful interactions.

I photo document and write about programming. I make slideshows called “A Week in Review.” On Fridays, when time allows, I send the presentation to members of my district’s Board of Education and administrators. The response is amazing! Through sharing, I have created a group that looks out for me, finds funding, and shares the work I am doing locally with the school I work for, and nationally and internationally at NCOAE.

In my mind, the power of thoughtful, laser-focused sharing has a greater return for me than my peers who share every single day on social media. Supporters, decision-makers, and allies alike look forward to Friday at 2 p.m. when I hit SEND using my school’s email.

As a result of consistent sharing, I recently had the Governor’s office for Latino Affairs visit my school with state and federal education experts. My students led conversations, showed off skills, and were able to answer questions about our programs openly and honestly. 

Use Reflection to Refine and Improve Your Programming

Taking time to reflect, look back, talk to students, and talk with peers creates a powerful tool. It allows time to look for patterns of excellence and amplify; to look for holes or failures in programming and fix or do away with certain elements. And it also allows me to identify obstacles and create solutions to the obstacles I can overcome.

Pro Tip: Don’t compare your work, efforts, or progress with that of others. Instead, create your outdoor education program around your interests and expertise, as well as your school’s existing assets and focus. Believe me when I say students recognize passion and respond in positive ways.

Reflect on your abilities, areas you may need training, and how to move forward in positive ways. Identify outcomes and move towards them in a highly thoughtful way. Bring others into the fold and invite them to give you feedback and have group reflections. Take advantage of your documentation, photos, and student feedback to guide you.

Here at NCOAE, where I serve as the Director of School Partnerships, my colleagues and I assist private, independent, public, and charter schools in various ways. From conceptualizing and operating custom outdoor education programs for schools across the United States to assisting teachers and schools in launching their own programs, we’re here to help. Get in touch to learn more about our custom outdoor education programs for schools.

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About the Author: Stephen Mullaney is the Director of School Partnerships at The National Center for Outdoor & Adventure Education (NCOAE). He has worked domestically and internationally with schools, organizations and wilderness programs. His classrooms have ranged from dilapidated trailers at overcrowded, underfunded schools to the Himalayan mountains and everything imaginable in between. His past students include gang members/prisoners, education majors, college and university professors, and pioneers in the field of outdoor and adventure-based experiential education. Stephen’s philosophy is to focus on the development of positive working and learning environments. He brings more than a quarter of a century of education experience and understanding of human nature to any organization, whether it is an education institution or a private company. His writing has appeared in adventure sports/education journals, magazines and on the web. Stephen prefers to arrive by bicycle and sit in the dirt.