This guide provides basic background information about outdoor and environmental education for interested educators. Collected articles summarize current thought, trends, and practices in outdoor and environmental education. Examples of current programs are selected to demonstrate both the variety and excellence of programming in this area. These programs are found in a range of settings, as self-contained units, or as part of a larger curriculum. Articles included define the field of outdoor and environmental education and its place in the school curriculum. Outdoor or environmental education programs are relevant in a variety of curriculum areas. Programs are adaptable for atypical students including the mentally and physically impaired. The guide lists and describes successful practices in use around the United States at the school, district, and regional levels. Outdoor and environmental education programs are equally applicable to rural schools in the west and urban schools in the east. They can also be implemented in grades K-12 across an entire district, or they may involve a residential facility that serves multiple school districts. Appendices include information about programs available nationally. Also included is a small sample of colleges or universities that provide programs for teacher inservice education and staff development in environmental education as well as programs for K-12 students, and a fact sheet describing outdoor education resources and references. (DHP)