Outdoor Learning Experiences

Images of children engaging in outdoor educational activities, including marine science experiments, tree examinations, and planting trees for environmental education.

School children examining annual rings of a tree trunk

Floating classrooms onboard a research vessel give children hands on experience with the tools and techniques of marine science California Pacific Ocean

Father, child and paper boat in a river for fun, learning and adventure with support, care and bonding in nature together. Origami, ship or kid with dad at a lake for creative, race or travel journey

School children examining annual rings of a tree trunk

Children get instructions from teacher on how to plant trees in their schooyard. Subjects: Children; Connecting people with nature; Environmental education. Location: Maryland.

Students learn about schoolyard habitats. Subjects: Connecting people with nature;children; Environmental education; Education. Location: Maryland. Collection: Environmental Sciences.

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Subjects: Education; Training; Education outreach; Children. . 1998 - 2011.

Boy watching invertebrates, microscope, Yukon Outdoor School Program, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, DFO, McIntyre Creek hatchery, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, North America

Secretary Gale Norton celebrating Great Outdoors Week on the National Mall, Washington, D.C., joining staff and students from the Wonderful Outdoor World program designed to expose urban youth to outdoor recreational and educational opportunities in their communities

Didactic Beehive Pagoeta Nature Reserve Spain

Junior ROTC cadets help a Kadena Elementary School Safety Patrol student raise the Japanese flag at Kadena Air Base, Japan, Aug. 29, 2022. Learning how to conduct a flag detail instilled a sense of respect in the symbol of the U.S. and appreciation for their host nation in the young students.

Instructor teaching young man to fish

David Withers, a biologist from the Department of Environment and Conservation, shows Union Elementary STEAM students a small salamander habitat after teaching them the importance of hydropower to the local wildlife at the Old Hickory Lake picnic area in Hendersonville, Tennessee on May 4, 2022.

Junior firefighter camp students watch as a fire hydrant is opened to supply water to a fire truck, at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, July 14, 2022. There were 12 junior firefighters who participated in the week-long camp.

School animations for 'The week of gardening'

Kids attending the Gold Star Military Kids Camp in Monticello, Illinois, June 29th stretch prior to engaging in a military physical fitness challenge.

After eight months of designing, building and testing, the middle school, high school and college and university teams launched their rockets as part of NASA Student Launch on Sunday, April 8. The rockets and their payloads are designed to fly to 1-mile in altitude before deploying recovery systems that brings them safely to the ground.

Report on a rescue device specializing in difficult mountain access. Rescuers take the opportunity to relax and revise a little anatomy.

A young boy views the moon through a hand made telescope at VC.

Following two years of virtual events, high school and college teams from across the country return to Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, to compete in NASAs Student Launch rocketry competition April 23.

9-year-old boy learning archery

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Girl Scouts with Troop 296 build bird houses Feb. 22, 2024, before installing them throughout the Environmental Study Area on the shoreline of Old Hickory Lake. (USACE

Group of children exploring invertebrates, Yukon Outdoor School Program, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, DFO, McIntyre Creek hatchery, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, North America

Children really get to experience the life of a bear. One of the many programs available at the refuge. Subjects: Adults; Children; Connecting people with nature; Education; Education outreach; Environmental education; Interpretation; Leisure activities; Public access; Recreation; Vegetation; Visitor services; Wildlife refuges; Work of the Service; Youth. Location: Louisiana. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: BIG BRANCH MARSH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- Staff Sgt. Matthew Erickson, U.S. Air Forces Central Command 'Falcon' Band bass trombone player, helps a Bishkek Boarding School for the Blind and Visually-Impaired Children student play the trombone following a performance at the school, Sept. 28, 2009. Sergeant Erickson and the 'Falcon' Band members are stationed at a base in Southwest Asia and are deployed from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

USA, California, Children examining tools and techniques of marine science onboard research vessel

6th grade students check for a heart beat on a live patient simulator at Alabama's 8th Annual Be Ready Camp. FEMA's Center for Domestic Preparedness brought three simulators for demonstrations on how first responders are trained.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

A student gets up close with a bird at William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge while learning about birding from an USFWS employee. Subjects: Connecting people with nature; Youth; Work of the Service; Education; Education outreach; Wildlife refuges; Employees (USFWS); uniforms; service patch. Location: Oregon. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: WILLIAM L. FINLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

USA, California, Mt. Shasta, Elementary school group students building a trail in woods.

Emily, right, and Henry Valdez, middle, race against Julian Dickson, Operation Kids Understanding Deployment Operations participants, during Operation K.U.D.O.S. at Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 30, 2022. During Operation K.U.D.O.S., children performed a variety of deployment like exercises to help gain a knowledge of the setting their family may face.

Scouts learn to tie knots during the second annual Asia West District, Tiger Merit Badge University, Boy Scouts of America event June 27 to July 1. The 102 Scouts who participated, had the opportunity to earn at least three of seventeen merit badges throughout the week to include: fire safety, marksmanship, photography, knot-tying or first aid, to name a few.

Park ranger talking to young children as part of the Junior Ranger program at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Crow Canyon

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

Schoolkids at riverside

Granada, Colorado, The University of Denver Archaeology Field School at the World War 2 Amache Japanese internment camp. Camp survivors and descendents joined students in researching the camps history. More than 7, 000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans were held at the site, one of 10 internment camps in the American west

An event leader speaks to a group of teens during the Okmulgee Archery Days event. Subjects: Youth; Wildlife refuges; Archery; Events. Location: Oklahoma. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: DEEP FORK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

Children look at animal skins at the 2011 Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest exhibit tables. Subjects: Children; Education; Education outreach; Events; Exhibits. Location: Pennsylvania. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: JOHN HEINZ NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AT TINICUM.

Interactive children's tour of the Education department.

Young girl watching invertebrates, magnifying glass, Yukon Outdoor School Program, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, DFO, McIntyre Creek hatchery, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, North America

Space Farm 7 Program; NASA Day at the Dell'osso Family Farm, Lathrop,CA for the opening of the Kepler Corn Maze. Lots of fun activities were available and Kepler scientists gave talks and hands on demos to the audience of kids and adults alike to better understand Kepler and it's mission.

Event, with Secretary Gale Norton, former and current National Football League stars, and volunteers from the non-profit organization KaBOOM!, Take Pride in America, and The Home Depot, featuring single-day construction of football-themed Playground of Hope in southeast Washington, D.C.

teacher and pupils

MoonFest From Apollo to LCROSS and Beyond public event at NASA'S Ames Researc Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The day included scientific talks, model rocket launches on the flight line, musical performances, family-friendly activities and more.

Ian Tonglet, 13, (left) and Seth Malley, 13, both of Picayune, Miss., and both participants in the 2010 Astro Stars session at Stennis Space Center, work with an underwater robot during a camp activity June 29. NASA joined with the U.S. Navy for the underwater robotics exercise involving Sea Perch robots, which are simple, remotely operated underwater vehicles made from PVC pipe and other inexpensive, easily available materials. During the Stennis exercise, students used robots constructed earlier in the day to maneuver underwater and collect plastic rings, as seen to the left of Tonglet. Astro STARS (Spaceflight, Technology, Astronomy & Robotics @ Stennis) is a science and technology camp for 13-15 year olds.

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Young woman giving instruction to group of people for climbling crag

Park ranger talking to young children as part of the Junior Ranger program at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

The Fire Department Emergency Services, Camp Darby USAG Italy, organized a fire evacuation drill at the Camp Darby elementary and middle school to promote the fire prevention week. Sparky, the firedog, official mascot of the National Fire Protection Association, meets with the children. Right, Courtney Huff, aid, escorts the children during the fire drill. Camp Darby, Italy, Oct. 14, 2022.

Tornado - Auburn, Ala. , September 2, 2011 - Auburn University students and professors use metal connectors on the rafters of a FEMA DAWG HAUS. The DAWG HAUS or Disaster Avoidance With Good Home Attenuating-Unionization System is a wind-resistant techniques of building. After an outbreak of tornados swept through Alabama in April, Auburn's Integrated Design and Construction students have an opportunity to exchange ideas with FEMA's mitigation team. The university hopes the students will integrate these concepts in future projects, designing and building a safer world. FEMA Photo/Ruth Kennedy. Alabama Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-line Winds. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

160718-N-NZ935-057 SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (July 18, 2016) Aviation Machinists Mate Aubrey Garcia, from Augusta, Calif. and attached to USS Constitution, talks to children at the YMCAs Camp Leif Ericson during a Navy Week event in Sioux Falls, S.D. Sioux Falls is one of select cities to host a 2016 Navy Week, a week dedicated to raise U.S. Navy awareness through local outreach, community service and exhibitions.

Tenth grade students from Churchill High School, a public school, studying the water quality of a tributary of the Rouge River and analyzing the dissolved oxygen content of river water with the help of science teacher Debbie Glen, as part of the annual Rouge Education Project in which students monitor biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of the river, Livonia, Michigan, USA, North America

U.S. Air Force Col. William Hunter, 81st Training Wing commander, and children from the Keesler Child Development Center view hand painted stones they made for the Arbor Day Celebration at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, April 28, 2022. A tree planting ceremony and a Tree City USA flag presentation also took place at the event.

Abigail Lust, a social work intern from Campbellsville University, laughs and encourages military children during the Child Abuse Prevention Month pinwheel planting and fellowship that she coordinated for Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital April 4 at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Tornado - Auburn, Ala. , September 2, 2011 - Auburn University students assemble the foundation for a FEMA DAWG HAUS. The DAWG HAUS or Disaster Avoidance With Good Home Attenuating-Unionization System is a wind-resistant techniques of building. After an outbreak of tornados swept through Alabama in April, Auburn's Integrated Design and Construction students have an opportunity to exchange ideas with FEMA's mitigation team. The university hopes the students will integrate these concepts in future projects, designing and building a safer world. FEMA Photo/Ruth Kennedy. New York Hurricane Irene. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

Children - pond dipping

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway - Educational Opportunites Along the Byway. Intrinsic qualities along the byway can continue to be preserved and enhanced through stewardship and education. Providing children with knowledge about conservation will help them understand the importance and true value of our resources. Location: (42.868° N 122.168° W)

Boy Scouts canoeing on the Bowron Lakes circuit. Bowron Lakes Provincial Park. Quesnel, British Columbia

Activities at the National Park Service (NPS)-sponsored National Junior Ranger Day on the National Mall, Washington, D.C., with Secretary Dirk Kempthorne joining NPS officials, volunteers, D.C. area schoolchildren and their families on hand

Lara Armstrong, chief, Field Artillery Half Section, asks the children enrolled in the YMCA Summer Day Camp, ages 8 and 9, why they think all the horses are the same color. There were some good guesses but the right answer was the bay (brown) color blends in better than other horse colors therefore they are harder to make a target.

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

Archaeologist Bill Thompson with the Colorado State Universitys (CSU) Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands who works in partnership with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB) looks over artifacts found during an archaeological survey July 14, 2022, on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. For several weeks in July, Fort McCoy archaeological team members with NRB and CSU held a special archaeological survey and dig on South Post. The team did their survey in the South Post Housing Area, which also happens to be the oldest areas of the installations origins where Camp Robinson and Camp Emery-Upton once were located. In the actual location of the survey, however, the team was looking at areas around old concrete tent pads that were once part of Camp Robinson.

Activities at the National Park Service (NPS)-sponsored National Junior Ranger Day on the National Mall, Washington, D.C., with Secretary Dirk Kempthorne joining NPS officials, volunteers, D.C. area schoolchildren and their families on hand

Visitors at the Archaeological State Museum, Archaeological, Constance, Lake Constance, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, Europe

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - SMITHSONIAN SUMMER CAMP

220516-N-LY580-1011 ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (May 16, 2022) Benjamin Russell High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Cadets (front-back) Dylan Pham, Deandrea Salter, Tyler Sims and Jermaine Floyd develop teamwork through an exercise using wooden boards to move from station-to-station.

Granada, Colorado, The University of Denver Archaeology Field School at the World War 2 Amache Japanese internment camp. Camp survivors and descendants joined students in researching the camp's history. Victoria Wigal, 17, whose grandfather was interned at the camp, takes notes on the excavation of a pond built by the residents. More than 7,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans were held at the site, one of 10 internment camps in the American west.

Children try drawing different types of waterfowl at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum. Subjects: Birdwatching; Birds; Children; Education; Education outreach; Events; Recreation; Work of the Service. Location: Pennsylvania. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: JOHN HEINZ NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AT TINICUM.

Young hiker mother and son with backpacks camping in the woods, looking at an old map with a compass. hiking in nature,

120426-N-SF508-409 QUANTICO, Va. (April 26, 2012) Personnel from Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and their children view a Marine Corps working dog demonstration during the Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day observance at NCIS headquarters. More than 120 children from the ages of 8 to 18 learned about the mission of NCIS and what their parents do for the Navy and Marines Corps.

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Edisto Island National Scenic Byway - Edisto State Park Interpretive Center. Visitors learn about the Edisto State Park from a park ranger at the Edisto Beach State Park Interpretive Center, which has talks, activities and outings that introduce visitors to the internationally-known ACE Basin. Visitors can learn about this fragile ecosystem through hands-on exhibits, touch tanks containing live sea creatures, and nature walks. Location: Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina (32.508° N 80.306° W)

The children are wondering what is in the bag during U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service presentation at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Subjects: Buildings, facilities and structures; Celebrations; Children; Connecting people with nature; Education; Education outreach; Emblems; Employees (USFWS); Environmental education; Events; Exhibitions; Interpretation; Public access; Recreation; Service patch. Location: Florida. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: ST. MARKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

U.S. Faculty Scholar, Dr. Lee MacDonald, Providing Training in Hydrology for the Vietnam Forestry University in Hanoi, Vietnam. Records of Scholarship and Fellowship Granting Foundations, Agency Officials and Events.

Children and siblings of Louisiana Soldiers and Airmen spend five days attending the fun, military-style summer camp, Camp Pelican Pride, at the Feliciana Retreat and Conference Center in Norwood, La., going through different tracks, such as marching, rock wall climbing, fishing and paddling, and resilience and medical preparedness training from June 27-July 1, 2022. The annual LANG military kids camp, often called Kids AT, began in 1997 and allows youth to build relationships with other children who understand experiences that are unique to children of service members, both deployed and stateside.

Department of Interior officials and staff joining counterparts from other agencies in explaining government programs, and promoting Take Pride in America initiatives, at the Boy Scouts of America National Scout Jamboree, Caroline County, Virginia

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

Japan, Kanazawa, shogi players

Children studying natural history during a class field trip, table covered in leaves, twigs and fruit collected from trees, Walcheren, Zeeland, Netherlands, Europe

Operation Junior Expeditionary Team (OpJET), June 17, 2022, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. OpJET provides children the opportunity to see a mock deployment and gives them an idea what their parent experiences when they report for duty away from home, as well as the process when they return.

110721-N-VO219-002DETROIT (July 21, 2011) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) 2nd Class Carl Tramel, a recruiter assigned to Navy Recruiting District Michigan, volunteers at the Detroit City Camp, a summer camp for local youth, during Detroit Navy Week 2011. Detroit Navy Week is one of 21 Navy Weeks this year across the country. Navy Weeks are intended to showcase the investment Americans have made in their Navy and increase awareness in cities that do not have a significant Navy presence.

220517-N-LY580-1005 ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (May 17, 2022) Benjamin Russell High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Cadets Gizell Diaz (right) and JhMyia Thomas use boards to move from station-to-station during a teamwork exercise.

Children of the members of the 120th Airlift Wing go Easter egg hunting, April 1st 2023 at the Montana Air National Guard Base, Great Falls, Montana. Events like the Easter egg hunt build an inclusive environment for military members, families and civilians.

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge visitors gather for a presentation about the Red wolf, endangered species. Subjects: Adults; Artifacts; Captive breeding; Celebrations; Children; Connecting people with nature; Crafts; Education; Education outreach; Emblems; Employees (USFWS); Endangered species; Environmental education; Habitat conservation; History; Illustrations; Inter. Location: North Carolina. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: ALLIGATOR RIVER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center students and other participants pose for a group photo during a DLIFLC Spiritual Resiliency Hike at Point Lobos Natural Preserve, Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif., Aug. 20.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - SMITHSONIAN SUMMER CAMP

This boy looks like a firefighter already, as he practices putting out the fire. Subjects: Adults; Children; Connecting people with nature; Education; Education outreach; Environmental education; Interpretation; Leisure activities; Public access; Recreation; Teens; Vegetation; Visitor services; Wildlife refuges; Work of the Service; Youth; Fire. Location: Louisiana. Fish and Wildlife Service Site: BIG BRANCH MARSH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Yosemite National Park, California, where he joined National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and Yosemite staff in leading classroom activities at the Yosemite Valley School, followed by Park touring with the students

Operation Kids Understanding Deployment Operations participants roll barrels as part of Operation K.U.D.O.S. at Yokota Air Base, Japan, April 30, 2022. Operation K.U.D.O.S. consisted of pre-deployment processing and mock deployment scenario to help children understand what it is like for their parent to deploy.

Myers Miller, a student delegate representing North Sevier High School, waits for his team members in order to complete an obstacle on the Leadership Reaction Course as part of Freedom Academy at Camp Williams, Utah, July 11, 2022. Freedom Academy promotes the ideals and principles of the United States of America, a sense of patriotism, and motivation to actively participate in preserving our freedom.

School class on bridge, Bourke's Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, South Africa, Africa

Teenagers in environmental professional training

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