OTF-Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Partnership Already in Place Makes ‘Outdoors Adventure’ Lessons Available Now to All Schools
An Arkansas law passed last month allows all public schools and school districts in the state to offer hunting safety courses to grades 5 through 12. Senate Bill 161 allows schools to incorporate the courses into their physical education, health and safety curriculum.
Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation, the leading provider of outdoor skill, safety and conservation curriculum to schools nationwide, is already partnered with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to make its Outdoor Adventures program available in middle and high schools across the state.
“This great news is made even better as P.E. teachers or school districts will not need to reinvent the wheel and develop a curriculum,” said OTF Board Chair Ricky Fairchild. “Our Outdoor Adventures program is available right now to help engender a love, passion and appreciation of the outdoors in Arkansas’ youth and to promote hunting safety.”
The Outdoor Adventures program is a fun, interactive course where students are taught lifelong skills using an integrated, 34-unit curriculum comprised of math, science, writing and critical thinking skills. The 290 detailed lesson plans cover angler education, archery, hunter education, boater education, orienteering, survival skills, camping, outdoor cooking, challenge courses, backpacking, mountain bike camping, paddle sports, rock climbing, shooting sports, CPR/first aid and fauna, flora and wilderness medicine. OA teachers can pick units specific to their region and local ecosystems.
“As many schools return to in-person classes, this offers a new and engaging way to get students focused after a year of in-home learning,” said Scot McClure, OTF director of education. “Some educators return to the classroom needing to develop entirely new curriculums. Outdoor Adventures has that curriculum ready to go.”
Founded in 1981 in Dallas, Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation is a public nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. For many schools, grant money offsets the cost of the program, plus OTF offers matching funds for equipment as new schools join. Additional grants are available in Arkansas through the Department of Rural Services from fine money collected by AGFC officers. The resulting classes can be taught as a P.E. course, local elective or with agricultural science and wildlife management.
The Outdoor Adventures education program is offered in 657 schools in 41 states nationwide with more than 65,000 students participating each year and 350,000 program graduates. Each OA student spends 180 hours learning outdoor education per year. The program has totaled 11 million classroom hours of outdoor education to date.
For press material, visit www.130a.com
Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation
Since 1981, the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) has made its mission to teach outdoor education and promote wildlife conservation through the Outdoor Adventures program, currently in 643 schools across the country. The curriculum, impacting more than 285,000 students since it began, is accessed by 60,000 students annually in 40 states, including archery, shooting, fishing, camping, first aid, boater safety, hunter education, outdoor cooking and more. The OTF also provides grants for equipment, free workshops and teacher training and is accredited by state parks and wildlife commissions from each state. More info about Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation, and how to bring the Outdoor Adventure curriculum to a school near you, go to gootf.com.
The post ARKANSAS ALLOWS PUBLIC SCHOOL HUNTING SAFETY COURSE FOR P.E. CREDIT, OUTDOORS TOMORROW FOUNDATION HAS CURRICULUM READY TO GO appeared first on Hunting and Hunting Gear Reviews.
Source: Huntinglife
