Blending Orienteering and Geocaching: A Practical Approach to Implementing Outdoor Education in High School Physical Education

School-age youth in the United States spend on average 90% of their waking hours indoors, leading to increased levels of sedentary behavior and the risk of poor health outcomes, such as obesity, attention deficit disorder, and depression. However, time spent outdoors can promote physical activity, boost concentration, and improve problem-solving and communication skills. Schools are a key intervention point to increase youth participation in outdoor activities due to the amount of time they spend on school campuses and available resources (e.g., space and equipment, physical education classes). Outdoor education is an instructional model that uses the natural world as a learning environment. Activities like hiking, biking, canoeing, or rock-climbing can enhance physical well-being and develop teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, orienteering and geocaching offer a beneficial combination of technology and participation in outdoor activities, while achieving National Physical Education Standards. However, there is a dearth of curriculum resources available for physical education teachers to adequately implement these activities within their courses. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide physical educators with a sample unit that sequentially blends orienteering and geocaching. It supplies insights, resources, adaptable lessons, and assessments to incorporate into the curriculum.