A New Chapter for Outdoor Learning –

After nearly twelve years of inspiring curiosity, confidence, and connection through nature-based STEM learning, Outdoor Classroom – Tulsa will conclude its field class and camp operations this August and is returning back to the concept from which it was created.

This journey began in 2013 as CampGRiT.org, inspired by Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, Angela Duckworth’s research on Grit, and Paul Tough’s How Children Succeed. Those ideas challenged us to reconnect young people with the natural world while intentionally developing critical thinking, resilience, curiosity, character, and problem-solving through immersive outdoor experiences.

Before launching in Tulsa, exemplary programs across Texas, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Colorado helped shape the vision that ultimately became Outdoor Classroom. For nearly twelve AWEsome years, that vision grew into a program that served schools, educators, families, and community partners throughout northeastern Oklahoma.

We concluded our final Summer Camps of Fun & Sneaky Learning in July, followed by our final field class adventure with the Girl Scouts in early August. Our talented Naturalist Educators now begin new professional journeys, carrying forward the same passion for youth development and experiential learning that defined Outdoor Classroom.

We are humbled and grateful for the more than 35,000 youth, educators, and community members who explored forests, creeks, and trails with us. Together we fostered critical thinking, human-centered design, environmental stewardship, teamwork, and the life skills that help young people recognize their own potential while discovering the engaging classroom found in nature.

Although our programming has concluded, this website will remain as an archive of educational resources, lesson ideas, and inspiration for educators, innovators, and organizations committed to outdoor learning.

Outdoor Classroom was never simply a place, it was, and continues to be, a belief that nature is one of our greatest teachers.

Thank you for being part of our story.

If you would like additional information or are interested in continuing this work through another organization, please feel free to contact us.