Engaging Youth in Lifelong Outdoor Adventure Activities through a Nontraditional Public School Physical Education Program

Abstract

Engaging youth in traditional physical education exercises or ball sports can be a challenging task, especially when they prefer novelty, entertainment, or excitement in their leisure-time activities. In addition, many youth are unaware of the opportunities that exist to exercise or recreate in nature, often preferring to spend time indoors connected to screens and virtual realities rather than in the real world outside. This article describes how one public school physical educator addressed this problem by creating an outdoor recreation program as his charter school's physical education curriculum. He engages youth in novel experiences they are intrinsically motivated to try, such as kayaking, bicycling, indoor climbing, and overnight camping. By participating in these activities, students learn not only lifelong leisure activities, but also about safety, risk, decision making, problem solving, leadership, and communication skills while participating in physically demanding activities.