MEDIA REVIEW

Teaching Lifetime Outdoor Pursuits (2010)

media review written by David Robertson

Target Audience/Purpose:
The book is intended for professionals in the fields of physical education (k-12 teachers and university instructors) and personnel in charge of programs in parks and recreation (local, state, and national organizations). There are 12 topics related to outdoor adventure pursuits in which persons over the age of 10 can take part. There is a CD that accompanies the book that provides a unit plan for the activity, lesson plans for the unit, and assessments that can be used or adjusted to meets the needs of the learning situation.

Content:
The editors have put together 12 topics that involve outdoor activities centered on the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) standards for physical education. These topics are pursuits that encourage lifetime physical activity in the outdoor environment. A guiding theme for the outdoor pursuits is "Leave no trace," and the activities help students and those who have had little or no exposure to lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests to know that it is important to preserve and protect the outdoor environment so activities can be appreciated for many years to come.

The editors have compiled an impressive list of individuals that have specific expertise and provide extensive information associated with the following chapters:

• Overnight Hiking (Daniel L. Chase)
• Bouldering (Kristen Csiacsek)
• Rock Climbing (Ryan Hammes and Ryan Olson)
• Caving (Steven J. Eggerichs)
• Canoeing (Mark Zmudy)
• Coastal Kayaking (Michael Odberg)
• Orienteering and Geocaching (Daniel L. Chase, Jeff Steffen, Jim Stiehl)
• Mountain Biking (Jeff McNamee and Stacy Birdsall Claus)
• Cycling (Gay L. Timken and Amy Lutz)
• Snowshoeing (John T. Saunders)
• Nordic Walking (Malin Svensson)
• and Knot Tying (Tim P. Taylor)

Strengths/Limitations:
The book is in a format that is easy to understand, and each chapter/topic has the same headings with supporting material. Each chapter has an introduction that explains the activity and how it can benefit students and families. Then equipment, planning, basic skills and techniques, environmental factors, and safety and etiquette needed for the activity are discussed. At the end of each chapter are recommended websites and books related to the topic, as well as a unit plan to guide teachers and instructors of outdoor pursuits. There is a concerted effort within the chapters to explain each activity and how students learning can be weaved through the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective learning domains to enhance each student's learning experience given a variety of learning situations.

The book is well written, and has a solid progression of activities. The activities are put forth so teachers can select and enhance their physical education program with the activity. A program's geographic location will dictate which activities will be of benefit to the physical education program. It is important to note that teachers and instructors may want to invest in specific certifications to better facilitate some or all of the activities presented in this book. These are challenging and specific activities that students will need to be given thorough instruction, and they will need to be assessed to ensure they are ready to participate safely in the activity. It is mentioned in a number of the chapters to seek out individuals who have specific certifications to provide assistance and guidance for a safe and meaningful outdoor pursuit experience.

Summary:
This book will be a benefit to any physical education teacher or parks and recreation administrator for enhancing curriculum and programming related lifetime outdoor pursuits. The information contained in this book is invaluable for helping students and adults realize how important being outdoors among the lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests is to living a healthy and active life. The book focuses on being physically active throughout one’s life. Also, the selected chapters show individuals that they can participate in activities that are challenging and facilitate lifelong learning.

Recommendation:
This book is a must read for anyone in charge of planning physical education curriculum in schools, program planners for parks and recreation organizations, and university personnel teaching outdoor adventure pursuits. This book is targeted to middle school and high school physical education instructors so that students are given a different curriculum that focuses on outdoor activities for being physically active for a lifetime.

The book also is targeted to university level physical education instructors to expose pre-service physical education teachers to specific curriculum that focuses on activities that are not the usual sports and activities taught in physical education classes. All of the activities in each chapter can be modified to specific physical education program needs. The chapter materials can be used as a guide to develop physical education curriculum based on outdoor pursuits at the middle school or high school level. The final recommendation for this book is that it gets students outdoors working with others, and accomplishing tasks that they may have thought impossible.

reviewer bio: Robertson, David A. Lecturer. Education: A.B.D. (Curriculum and Teaching in Physical Education), Teachers College, Columbia University. M.A. (Physical Education), Eastern Kentucky University. B.S. (Physical Education K-12/Health education 5-12), University of Louisville. Areas of Specialty: Physical Education Teacher Education and Classroom Management and Discipline in Physical Education.

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