Why Outdoor Education Belongs in Every School Curriculum
By Camp Ondessonk Communications Team
For principals and teachers seeking stronger student engagement, healthier school communities, and more meaningful learning, outdoor education is not an extra. It is a practical, research-supported approach to teaching the whole child.
Outdoor education means intentionally using natural settings for curriculum-based learning, personal development, teamwork, and reflection. It can include a science investigation on a trail, a writing lesson beside a lake, a team challenge in the woods, or a multi-day residential experience. The location matters, but the learning design matters just as much. Effective programs connect outdoor experiences to clear academic and developmental goals.
Outdoor education strengthens attention and academic engagement
A major review by researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota concluded that experiences in nature can support academic learning, personal development, and environmental stewardship. The researchers identified several likely pathways: nature can help restore attention, reduce stress, encourage physical activity, increase motivation, and create a calmer, more cooperative setting for learning (Kuo, Barnes, & Jordan, 2019).
That matters in everyday classrooms. In a University of Illinois study, third-grade students received matched lessons indoors and in a natural outdoor setting. After the outdoor lessons, students demonstrated stronger classroom engagement on four of five measures, including teacher ratings and independent observations. Teachers also needed fewer interruptions to redirect attention (Kuo, Browning, & Penner, 2018).
For teachers, that can mean more productive instructional time. For principals, it can mean a schoolwide strategy that supports engagement without adding another isolated initiative.
Outdoor learning supports mental health and child development
Children learn best when they feel regulated, capable, connected, and curious. Outdoor education creates opportunities to practice those qualities in real situations.
A randomized study of children diagnosed with ADHD found that participants concentrated better after a 20-minute walk in a park than after comparable walks in a downtown area or residential neighborhood (Faber Taylor & Kuo, 2009). This does not make outdoor education a replacement for clinical care, but it shows that natural environments can be a valuable support for attention.
A 2022 systematic review examined 147 studies of school-age outdoor learning. Researchers found reported benefits in student engagement, ownership of learning, social and collaborative skills, self-concept, well-being, and, in some studies, academic performance. The authors recommended that nature-based outdoor learning be incorporated into every child’s school experience while acknowledging that program quality and local context matter (Mann et al., 2022).
Outdoor education builds skills that transfer back to school
The strongest outdoor programs do more than teach facts about forests, geology, or wildlife. They place students in situations where communication, problem-solving, perseverance, leadership, and responsibility become necessary.
Research connected to the American Camp Association reinforces this point. A national ACA study involving 80 camps found positive growth in areas including identity, social skills, thinking skills, and positive values, with many gains maintained six months later (Thurber et al., 2007).
More recently, the ACA National Camp Impact Study, conducted by University of Utah researchers, found that high-quality camp experiences were associated with outcomes such as independence, social awareness, perseverance, and affinity for nature. The most effective experiences combined active engagement, belonging, supportive youth-adult relationships, and experiential learning (Spielvogel, Warner, & Sibthorp, 2023).
These are the same durable skills schools want students to use during group projects, classroom discussions, conflict resolution, and future careers.
Teachers and principals benefit, too
Outdoor education can renew teaching by giving educators fresh ways to connect standards with memorable experiences. In an exploratory study of 381 preschool and elementary teachers, educators who practiced school-based outdoor education reported higher subjective well-being than colleagues who did not, although the study showed association rather than proof of cause (Deschamps, Scrutton, & Ayotte-Beaudet, 2022).
For school leaders, outdoor education can advance several priorities at once: academic engagement, social-emotional learning, physical activity, school belonging, environmental literacy, and staff morale. It can also expand equitable access to nature. When outdoor learning is part of the curriculum, participation is not limited to children whose families can independently provide those experiences.
How schools can begin
Schools do not need to move every lesson outside. Start with specific goals. A class might measure stream health in science, calculate distance and elevation in math, write sensory descriptions in language arts, or complete a cooperative challenge tied to leadership and reflection.
A residential outdoor education experience can take this work further by giving students sustained time to learn, solve problems, build community, and practice independence away from familiar routines.
Camp Ondessonk partners with schools to create hands-on, age-appropriate outdoor education experiences that complement classroom goals. Programs can incorporate environmental education, team building, leadership development, outdoor skills, adventure activities, and guided reflection. With intentional planning, trained instructors, and thoughtful follow-through by teachers, a trip becomes more than a field day. It becomes part of the curriculum.
Outdoor education is not time away from learning. Done well, it is a powerful way to make learning more active, human, and lasting.
