About Outdoor C.A.R.E.

Our Mission

We hope to instill a healthier lifestyle, lifelong appreciation and stewardship of nature, and elevated character education through a nationally recognized integrated curriculum of science and physical education.

 

Our Vision

Students participating in Outdoor C.A.R.E. will:

 

- Achieve a healthier lifestyle with non-traditional fitness through exposure to unique outdoor recreational experiences.

 

- Be exposed to an innovative balance of traditional classroom learning and hands-on application of their knowledge through real-world field experiences.

 

- Gain a broadened view of the world through nature elevating their sense of personal responsibility and stewardship, thus making them stronger citizens for their communities and the planet.

 

Our Goal

We want to improve the health and lives of children through the implementation of the Outdoor C.A.R.E. curriculum in all schools.

 

With a heightened awareness around the concept of Nature Deficit Disorder, it is becoming increasingly important to expose children to the benefits of being outside. From that alarming fact, Outdoor C.A.R.E. was born. The Outdoor Education curriculum—The Outdoor C.A.R.E. product—was created in 1999 at Rogers High School in Rogers, Arkansas. It was the result of Jeff Belk’s master thesis at the University of Arkansas that led him to find a creative way to teach students science while exposing them to nature and a healthy lifestyle.

 

 

This unique Outdoor Education Program is designed to provide one-half credit in Environmental Science and one half-credit in Physical Education for your students.  It is approved by the Arkansas Department of Education and adopted and supported by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Through its innovative, hands-on approach to learning through experiential and class to field based instruction, students are “tricked” into learning. By taking students on field experiences, the students learn and retain information at a greater capacity than traditional classroom learning. They can apply what they have learned and bridge the gap between the classroom and the real, natural world.