Outdoor living skills program ready for spring training - Brief Article

Camping Magazine, Jan, 2002

Outdoor Living Skills is taking a new bearing and generating a whole new look! The revised edition of "Take A New Bearing" by Phyllis M. Ford, now titled Outdoor Living Skills Program Manual: An Environmentally Friendly Guide, is due to bit the ACA Bookstore in February, just in time for conference and spring training. Designed to teach participants the skills needed to live and play comfortably in the outdoors with minimal impact on the environment, OLS is a perfect program for day and resident camps.

OLS is a progressive program that starts with the basics of outdoor living in level one and then moves to more advanced skills in level five where participants learn to plan and lead trips. Each level teaches skills in:

* basic ecology

* environmental hazards

* first aid and safety

* food preparation and storage

* knot tying

* map and compass reading

* minimum-impact camping

* outdoor hazards

* preparing and planning a trip

* weather

Whether your program is a day or resident camp, OLS is a perfect addition for campers of all ages. Skills can be taught in an independent class or practiced during a day hike or cabin overnight. For more information about the OLS program, please visit www.ACAcamps.org/education/ols.htm or contact Cathy Scheder at 765-342-8456, ext. 320, to discuss setting up a program in your camp.

"Wherever we travel,

whether through a national forest or a city park,

on a short hike or a weeklong

backpacking adventure,

we make choices, both positive and negative,

which impact our environment.

OLS teaches participants

environmental awareness, forges environmental ethics

and promotes environmental responsibility

while learning skills to live comfortably

in an outdoor environment."

-- Outdoor Living Skills Program Manual:

An Environmentally Friendly Guide