Module 4: Nature and Background of Outdoor Recreation

 Module Coverage:
This module has the following lessons:
Lesson Title You’ll learn to… Core Values Estimated
no. Time
a. Discusses the nature of Appreciate the
1 Nature and different recreational activities outdoor
Background of b. Explains how to optimize the recreational 3 days
Outdoor Recreation energy systems for safe and activities
improved performance
Respect the
nature

 Content Standard:
The learner demonstrates understanding of recreation in optimizing one’s health as a habit; as
requisite for PA performance, and as a career opportunity

 Performance Standard:
The learner leads recreational events with proficiency and confidence resulting in independent
pursuit and in influencing others positively
 Sources:
REX Book store Physical Education and Health Volume 2

DAY 1

EXPLORE

What is outdoor recreation?

Consider the following activities: bird-watching, caving or spelunking, camping, and
snorkeling. When and why do people engage in the mentioned activities? What is a common factor
among them? Answering these questions will lead to answering what outdoor recreation is all about.
Were your answers the same or close to the following?
 Done during vacation or school break
 They want to have fun
 Done outdoors with nature

Putting the answers together, outdoor recreation is organized activities done during one’s free time
for his/her own personal reasons, where an interaction between man and an element of nature is
present.
Let us break the ideas to have a common understanding of terms. When we hear “free time,” what
does it mean to as a student? “No classes” easily come to mind and consequently will be able to sue
the “free time” to do things which you want to do but have been unable to do so because of the “lack
of time,” such as continuing a project or undone homework, or perhaps, going out with friends to
watch a movie. A day can be divided into three parts according to Clayne R. Jensen (2006): the
existence time, subsistence time, and free time. Existence time is time spent for biological needs like
having a meal, sleeping, and other personal care. Subsistence time refers to the hours spent for
economic purposes such a sgoing to work, chores, and for students, hours spent in school, and school

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work. Free time, therefore, is all the remaining time after. How one decides to spend free time varies
from person to person. Perhaps, to those who have been very busy with workload or school work, this
is the best time to do recreational activities, to relax, and to rejuvenate.
Recreation is derived from the Latin word recreate which means to be refreshed. Choices for
recreation vary from person to person. What makes one happy may not be so for others. Therefore,
recreational activities depend on one’s interests, pursuits, and needs which may be reflective of one’s
beliefs and level of gratification. For example, a natural park may serve as a bonding place for a
family to have a picnic, a great fitness area for a jogger, and a place to commune with nature or
mediate for others.
The outdoors in a broad sense is a space ouside an enclosed area. Narrowing it down, outdoors, as
used it in this discussion, includes the natural environment and resources which comprises the land,
water, wildlife, vegetation, open space, and scenery. The outdoors may be in their most natural state
or “semi-natural” state, which is a state where it had gone through some human modification but has
retained its natural features.
People engage in outdoor recreational activities for varied reasons. Some do it for personal
satisfaction and enjoyment. Perhaps, it is a time away the day-to-day routine. Others do it to be in
touch with nature, which they raely have the chance to do, especially for those who reside in highly
urbanized areas. Many do it for personal pursuit such as photography, collecting sea shells, reaching
the top of Mt. Apo, conquering the rapids of Cagayan River, or attaining a certain fitness level. Some
individuals or groups do it as part of outdoor or environmental education, such as bird-watching, plant
naming, etc. Whatever reason tehre may be, people engage in outdoor recreational activity for their
own sake and pleasure, voluntarily, and of their own choice.
In this unit, different outdoor recreational activities will be presented and discussed with the aim of
encouraging you to start living a more active lifestyle that will contribute to your overall wellness.

Benefits of outdoor recreation

What are the different outdoor recreational activites?

The Philippines is rich in natural resources. Despite being in a relatively small country,
Philippines is surrounded by all kinds of land formationa and natural water resources. In fact, it has
been listed in The World Factbook (Maps of World, n.d.) as having the fifth longest coastline in the
world. Its natural environment has so much to offer, whether on land, on water, or even in the air. It
hosts varied outdoor recreational activities, some of which are the following:
Land Water Air
Mountaineering Swimming Parasailing
Trekking/Hiking Snorkeling Skydiving
Camping Diving Paraliding
Backpacking Surfing
Picnic Canoeing
Bird-watching Kayaking
Mountain Biking Whitewater Rafting
Orienteering Sailing
Canyoneering Fishing
Rock Climbing Bamboo Rafting

What are the benefits of outdoor recreation?

Fun and pleasure are perhaps the immediate answers of the majority who have experienced
outdoor activities. However, there is more to it than just the fun. Studies have shown that being close
to natural environment is healthy. Aside from the fresh air and the amazing sight of nature, the
outdoors have positive effects on the general wellness of an individual most especially if it is done
with regularity. Wellness encompasses the general state of a person (physical, social, psycho-
emotional, and spiritual) and in the end contributes to a better quality of lfe.

Physical Health Benefits

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 Being outdoors prevents a person from having a sedentary life. It allows people to move,
whether by walking, running, swimming, biking, paddling, etc. With the surge of electronic gadgets,
more and more people (children and adults alike) are unconsiously getting stuck with a sedentary life,
contented with playing with their computer games, tablets, or cellphones, or watching television for
hours. Green space is now called “screen space.” Unknowingly, a great part of their day was spent
sitting or lying down with gadgets in their hands. The outdoors is a great distraction from these
gadgets. It helps people to be on the move. It gets their hearts pumping and their bigger muscles at
work. Such movements expend energy, promote cardiovascular and muscular fitness, and improve the
function of the immune system. In fact, the physical activities done in outdoor recreation may range
from average to vigorous levels of intensity. Many people have documented the benefits of staying
active that include reduced obesity, reduced risk of disease, enhanced immune system, and increased
life expectancy. The following is a guideline taken from Centers for Disease Control abd Prevention
(CDC) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM):
Moderate activity 3.0 to 6.0 METs* Vigorous activity Greater than 6.o METs*
(3.5 to 7 kcal/min) (more than 7 kcal/min)
 Walking at a brisk pace of 3-4.5 mph  Walking – 5 mph or faster
 Hiking  Jogging or runnung
 Biking with kevel terrain or few hills (5-9 mph)  Climbing brisky uo a hill
 Recreational swimming  Backpacking
 Snorkeling  Mountain climbing
 Aquatic aerobics  Rappelling
 Water skiing  Mountain biking
 Canoeing (at less than 4 mph)
 Surfing (board and body)
 Sailing
 Kayaking on lakes or calm water
 Fishing while walking along the riverbank
 Horseback riding

Psycho-Emotional Benefits
Engagimg in outdoor recreational activities helps people to rest, relax, de-stress or unwind,
and feel revitalized. In fact, some research showed that too musch artificial stimulation and time spent
in purely human environmentas can exhaustion and loss vitality.
Nature has its own way of positively distracting a stressed mind and calming it down. As Kuo
and Sullivan (2001) explained it, “natural setting and stimuli such as landscape and animals seem to
effortlessly engage our attention, allowing us to attend without paying attention.” This alone helps
reduce stress and prevents some cases of depression and anxiety.
Being outdoors also improves our self-esteem, confidence, and creativity. There is a sense of
“feeling good” whenever one achieves the goal in a particular activity such as reaching the epak of a
moutain or learning a skill of paddling in canoeing.
Lastly, outdoor recreational activities contribute to one’s personal and spiritual growth. It
allows and individual to discover his/her inner spirit and sense of self, creating new behaviors and
identify. A person identifies with the activities that he/she does such that he/she becomes “biker,”
“diver,” and “mountaineer.” Then, that individual identifies more with who he/she is at work. In the
end, enagging in these actviites contributes to satisfaction in life and makes life happier.

Social Benefits
Outdoor actvities are ways for famillies to become closer. They can be a “family-bonding
activity” as each family member participates in an activity, achieves a common goal, and goes
through the same experience.
Spending time outdoors also allows one to meet and interact with others who share the same
passion for outdoor recreation. Participating in a team will help form lasting friendship and develop a
community.
Outdoor recreation also promotes stewardship. Activities done outdoors in the natural setting
help in making people realize the great things that nature provides mankind. Increased knowledge and

Module 9: Nature and background of Outdoor Recreation 3

appreciation helps them undestand how personal actions can strongly affect the environmenta. Thus,
people’s feelings and connection with nature are the greatest motivation for them to care for the
natural environment and advocate for its preservation.

Economic Benefits
People who have a relaxed body and mind tend to be more productive at work. This translates
into effeciency at the workplace.
“It’s more fun in the Philippines!” as the Department of tourism slogan goes. Indeed, it is
more fun as well as for everyone involved in ecotourism activities in the Philippines. It has been
rewarding for the local folks as ecotourism in the country created jobs and other economic activities
which have, one way or another, contributed to our economic growth.

What are the important things that should ne remembered when participating in an outdoor
recreational activity?
It has been established earlier that outdoor recreation is an interaction between man and
nature. The interaction should come with care and respect. It is important that in using and enjoying
what nature offers, an equal responsibility in conserving and preserving it must be consciously
employed by the people. This way, everyone can continue to go back and have future generations
experience the great things in nature that the current generation has. The “Leave No Trace Seven
Principles” is a set of universal outdoor ethics that guides one in the activities to do with nature. It
also provides the framework for making decisions in outdoor recreation.
The Leave No Trace Seven Principles
Principle 1: Plan Ahead and Prepare
 Before going to a place, check if your planned activity is ermitted. Make sure to know the rules,
guidelines, and safety procedures they have set. Some places require certain permits or clearances.
 Make sure you have the needed equipment for your activity and the skills needed to undertake the
activity.
 Plan how to cope in case eergency arises.
 Check the weather forecast and be prepared for changing weather conditions.
 Learn when areas are most crowded and try to avoid those times.
 To minimize environmental impact and for safety reasons, keep group numbers small.
 Repack food to minimize watse.
 When trekking, maps and compass must be used to avoid markings or leaving of marks on rocks
and the like.

Principle 2: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

 Walk, run, bike, or camp on durable surfaces like established tracks, rocks, gravel, and dry
grasses.
 Avoid walking on soft surfaces like soft plans. You might be trampling on a young tree or pasture
and this will cause vegetation damage.
 Use existing trails or campsites, no need to build a new campsite thatw ill alter the environment.
 To avoid erosion, walk in single file in the middle of the trail.
 Avoid places where impacts are just beginning to show.
 When camping, keep the campsite small and discreet.
 Camp at least 200 feet from lakes and rivers to protect the waters.

Principle 3: Dispose of Waste Properly

 “Pack it in, pack it out” means evrything you brought should be brought back with you including
left-over food or fruit peel. Nothing should be left.
 When camping, cat holes are dug (6-8 inches deep) for human waste and covered just the same
with soil and weeds or leaves on top.

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 Dishes should be washed 200 feet away from lakes and use biodegradable scatter strained
dishwater.

Principle 4: Leave What You Find

 Examine archeological structures, old walls, and other herritage artifacts but do not touch nor
leave marks on them.
 Leave nature as you found the. Do not take any plant, rock, plants, or marine animal with ou.
 Avoid introducing non-native plants and animals.
 Do not build structures, furniture, or dig trenches.

Principle 5: Minimize Campfire Impacts

 Use lightweight stove for cooking; campfires can cause lasting impacts.
 If fires are eprmitted, use fire rings or mound fires that are already set-up.
 Keep fires small and use only sticks from the ground than can be broken by hand.
 No burning of plastics or other substances that emit toxic fumes.
 Burn all wood ash and make sure fires are completely out. Scatter the cool ash.

Principle 6: Respect Wildlife

 Observe wild animals from a distance and they should be avoided during sensitive times such as
mating, nesting, or raising the young.
 Do not feed wild animals or birds as it is not their natural food. The food might damage their
health or alter their natural ehaviors and even expose them to predators.
 Protect wildlife and protect your food as well by storing and securing the trash well.
 In case youd ecide to bring your pets along, make sure it is allowed and you can control them.
Otherwise, do not bring them with you.

Principle 7: Be Considerate of Other Visitors

 Respect people who live and work in the countryside.

 Respect other visitors and let them have a momentous experience as well.
 Allow the sound of nature to prevail, not your noise or your radio.
 Be courteous; yield to others on a trail.
 Camp away from trails and other visitors.

FIRM-UP

Your goal in this section is to determine an outdoor recreational activity.

Activity 1: Determining an Outdoor Recreational Acivity

Football and soccer are activities done outdoors and on grass are they outdoor recreational
activities? Why or why not? Defend your answer.

Module 9: Nature and background of Outdoor Recreation 5

 End of Firm Up
You were able to answer the exercises and determine an outdoor recreational activity.
For the next part of this module, you will be going to deepen the knowledge you have gained by
doing some exercises.

DAY 2

DEEPEN

Activity 2: Left a Trace

From your observation, whether first hand or from ther sources (news, documentary shows,
narrated by friens, etc.) which among the Leave No Trace Seven Principles usually not being
observed in the Philippines? Explain your answer. You may cut and post a news article or a personal
picture to back up your explination.

Explination:

Paste a picture here!

Module 9: Nature and background of Outdoor Recreation 6

 End of Deepen
You were able to use what you have learned about the leave no trace seven principles of the outdoor
recreational activity, while showing your skills by accomplishing different tasks. It shows that you really
have a deeper understanding on the topic. Be ready for the next section of this module. Good job and
good luck, students!

DAY 3

TRANSFER

Activity 3: Choosing an Outdoor Recreational Activity

Given a chance, what outdoor actvity would you like to try? Why? Where? Who do you like
to be wuth? Research, surf the internet, and read blogs. Print a picture or cut out a picture then post it
below and write something about it.

Explination:

Paste a picture here!

Module 9: Nature and background of Outdoor Recreation 7