Reflective Essay On Outdoor Education

Experiencing the Appalachian Mountains first hand is a discovery of it own reward. Ascending to the peak of the mountain peering over a pond is a feat as much as it is a reward. Many other tourists hike the trail year-round. Walking through a

My eyes peeled open slowly and the bright sunlight flooded into my eyes, blinding me. I heard the sound of running water and felt the cold breeze flow over my body. I looked out of my hammock and in front of me was a beautiful waterfall and several towering, bright green trees. My friends whom were with me shortly awoke and we packed our things and set off on our first true day of hiking in the Appalachian mountains.

As you are no doubt well aware, this entire project has been a labor of love for Matt and I. As a group we ran into one road block after another. If nothing else, this project has taught me that everything will not go smoothly, no matter how good the intensions and how to persevere in the face of adversity.

Outdoor Education in KS3 and KS4 involves different adventurous activities that can be accomplished either as an individual or in a group. These activities include things such as: residential visits, orienteering, climbing, caving, team building, problem solving and many more. It generally provides depth to the curriculum which makes an important contribution to pupil’s physical, personal and social education (OFSTED, 2004; Priest and Gass, 1997). In order for these activities to be successful and meet the National Curriculum (NC), teachers must make sure all KS3 pupils are taking part in these outdoor adventurous activities (OAA), whilst being intellectually and physically challenged (National Curriculum, 2014). The two schemes of work presented are aimed to meet these NC subject content targets. They are two very different schemes of work but they both provide opportunities for pupils which challenge them both physically and mentally. The year 8 scheme of work focuses on a variety of different OAA activities that can be progressed and developed throughout each lesson and over the period of time they are in school. The content challenges the pupils thinking throughout the whole six weeks, developing the way they think to solve particular problems. Whereas, the year 9 scheme of work primarily focuses on the planning and preparation for a Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition which will be carried out at the end of the term.

Just this past summer, under the hot, and sticky sun, we pushed our car to the limit, on our 1,000 mile journey to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, although in actuality we might have pushed our fears to the absolute limit. Flipping through the Colorado vacation brochure proved to have posed some interesting vacation destinations, such as "Big Bear Lake" and Trail Ridge Road. With the intent to get high in the sky, our family headed out the next morning to Trail Ridge Road, which is a road that takes you up to a staggering height of 12,000 feet. Although optimistic, we imagined of the vast fields of green, the glacier-topped mountains, and the valleys that undertake the them. As we climbed up to the peak, it seemed apparent that there

We setout with our nalgines full of watter and we thought that we would not even use halph, But we undermested the heat and the terain of the trail. At first it was nice and shadie walk through nature. There where lots of trees and felids of crops surrounding us, and I loved it. We where all happy untill we had to climb a 200 foot h, and to make things even worst the clouds have moved and now the sun is bakeing. When we made it to the top, we where all

At this point the trail begins to climb more steeply up to the middle falls overlook. This overlook is only 0.3 miles above the first overlook and is well worth the climb. This overlook is considered by many to be the most scenic and is a wonderful place to take photos. The trail gets much steeper from

To begin with, I am afraid of falling off the side of a mountain. Even if the edge is over 100 feet away, I can still picture myself tripping and accidentally going over the edge. Because of this fear, I absolutely did not want to go on the hike. I pouted, whined, and did everything I could to resist the adventure. The hike aside, the car ride to the base of the volcano is terrifying enough because of the twisty, mountainous roads in addition to left-hand side driving. And why was no else concerned that the volcano might erupt while we were on it? Unfortunately for me (at the time), my family and I made it to the starting point of the trail. I trudged up the volcano, trailing behind the rest of my family, and after two terrifying and exhausting hours, we made it to the summit. It was breathtaking. We were literally in the clouds, we could see Saint Lucia in the distance, and seeing the steam rolling off the bottom of the crater was unexpectedly exhilarating. I could never have imagined what a volcano would look like, and I am so grateful that my family forced me to go—I will never miss an opportunity like that just because I do not feel like

After that, I had friends, teachers, and the conductor to lead us to the solo hike. My legs and hands were shaking, I was so scared because I didn’t want to walk alone in the dark. The solo hike was scary but, not scary. The scary part is that I had to walk by myself. The non-scary part was that the solo walk was not that long and you just walk on a path that is straight. Doing the solo hike and going to the right place is hard because I couldn't see anything.

Once we said goodbye our guide we headed over to Sandon BC to go head up Idaho peak. After the 12 km drive from Sandon to the top parking lot of Idaho Peak we walked to the top of Idaho Peak. At the top there is a clear view of Slocan Lake, Kootenay Glacier, the Selkirk and Valhalla mountain ranges. Once everyone had gotten to the top another student gave a presentation about the history of Idaho Peak, the tower and the geography of the

We got out of the bus after a two hour trip of loud music and talking at a trail that lead into the towering green trees covered in drops of rain from the recent downpour. We unpacked the seventy pound bags and strapped them on. The first day of hiking was exhausting. We traveled over ten miles over slippery rocks, steep hills, and thick woods. Though tiring the sights were amazing. But none of the views were as spectacular as the one at our campsite. The site had a beach on the shore of Lake Superior. The beach was a steady slope of flat rock descending into the frigid water and the lake was a complete spanse of only water except for one gigantic rock about a fourth of a mile from the shore. The sun was just setting and the view was amazing. I was astonished by how amazing nature can be. Another time during that trip that I was amazed at the beauty of nature was when we began our hike along Big Carp river on the fourth day. The trail lead up a steep cliff and to the direct right about 50 feet below was the roaring river. This alone was amazing but when we reached Rainbow falls my mind was blown. I had seen waterfalls like these in picture but seeing it in real life was a whole new level. The moment alone was amazing and I tried to take as many pictures as I could but nothing could truly capture its real essence. Thinking about this I realized some of the most amazing things on our planet were made by nature and that many times we take advantage of them. This realization helped me to respected and never take nature for granted. Making the decision to change the part of me that may have not cared as much about nature has helped me become a better

I believe that adams 12 should bring back outdoor ed and sports because kids where and parents in the future will probably look forward to it and then they find out that they don't

My head was deciding whether to be scared to death or to be enjoying the experience. Trying new things for me is never easy. There is always something that I regret or complain about. If I paused in the middle of the zip line all those people would staring into my soul. My eyes widened as I glanced at my surroundings. Far off to my right, I saw the most magnificent sight; a massive lake that surrounded an island. At that moment, I finally appreciated my daring courageousness and the risk of going on this life threatening zip line. The pictures that my family took will always stay memories from the moment I rode this zip line to the moment I die. This memory will give me hope and confidence whenever I may be feeling down or upset. Trying new things allows us to fully understand and realize who we are when we are put to the test. If I had thought of going on the zip line, and all I thought of the ride was whether or not I was going to fall, I wouldn’t of seen the beauty in the lake, island, or the trees. As I glanced back as we were walking back, still thinking of the new memory formed in my head. This is a time where I had the courage to do something that most people don’t get a chance to do at a

Looking back on that event 4 years later, I’m glad that I managed to overcome my fear of heights. Now that I’m no longer afraid of heights, I have been able to enjoy so many more things. Now I can climb up a tower and enjoy the view. That’s why it’s so important to face your fears and to conquer them. If I hadn’t of went on that zip line, I would still be looking at towers from below instead of looking at the city from above. I wouldn’t of been able to experience the priceless sensation of gliding through the air either.

No matter how many mosquito filled miles I had to hike or how unbearably cold my feet have gotten. All the outdoor activities that I do push me to try even more new things. When I stand at the top of the ski hill and look down on jumps and rails I get a rush of energy and adrenaline that pumps though me. Yes, I’m scared too, but I have learn if you don’t push though that fear then life will you push up back.