When people say that children grow up faster today, they are confusing appearance with reality. Children may be avid consumers of adult culture. They may adopt adult mannerisms and styles. They certainly get to grips with new technology far more easily than grown-ups. But when it comes to everyday freedoms--like walking to school alone, or meeting…

Recent empirical research on outdoor education programs describes adjustment symptoms that instructors suffer from after the programs have come to an end. Post-course effects are also documented for students, but those are normally scientifically coded in measured changes in "skills" or "learning effects." In this paper, the…

In this keynote address, Richard Louv laments that today's children lack direct connection to nature. Over the past 15 years, he interviewed families across the country about the changes in their lives, including their relationship with nature. With few exceptions, even in rural areas, parents say the same thing: Most children aren't playing…

The partnership between the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) and the Wilderness Education Association (WEA) grew out of one of the author's own journey (Paul's) to be part of the WEA. In 1983, early in his work with the CCO, the author read a magazine article that Paul Petzoldt wrote about the three goals of an outdoor experience--safety,…