We live in a country with massive bodies of water, towering mountains and forests with tree lines that run for eternity. Children with special needs spend more time in hospitals and special classrooms than the average child. Their special needs should not limit them from experiencing nature during childhood. This presentation is simply a guided tour of what is available and a description of the therapeutic benefits that the outdoors has for children with needs.

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbjorn/2613710834/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/dbjorn/2613710242/ http://www.simpresca.net/photos/images/02_jpg.jpg http://www.painetworks.com/photos/im/im1256.JPG http://www.westmisummercamps.org/i/home-rotate/default.jpg http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/GetResource.aspx?file=camp_fires_5.jpg By : NB0658483 The Outdoor’s Impact on Children with Special Needs

6. http://www.coeo.org/conference.htm http://www.coeo.org/curriculum.htm http://www.coeo.org/character.htm http://www.coeo.org/wellbeing.htm http://www.coeo.org/contactus.htm

8. http://or.ucr.edu/images/pictures/centers/FamilyStudies.jpg Rosalyn Sears of Brooklyn said that she had reservations about letting her sons, John, 10, and Darren, 12, go to camp a few years ago, but feels different now. ''For the first time,'' she said, ''John does not need my help, I know he is safe here and has learned to do things for himself.'' John, paralyzed on the right side of his body from a stroke he suffered as a baby, walks with a limp. But he can do most things for himself at camp. Simple provisions like handles in the bathrooms help him complete a daily routine. ''I like it here,'' he said. His older brother, Darren, described his favorite camp activity, environmental science. ''It teaches you about the environment: how to take care of bugs and worms and snails, tadpoles,'' he said. ''I want to be a scientist.'' Darren and other budding scientists can see nature up close in the environmental lab, equipped with microscopes attached to projectors that magnify specimens for children who are visually impaired. Or they can hike through wooded grounds, an experience that parents and children on the weekend retreat enjoyed before heading back to camp to create puppets, go boating and visit a miniature farm. In the afternoon, they rested and then reunited for an evening of singing and games. For the children, learning is not limited to professional instruction. The camp promotes activities that teach children to learn from one another. For example, deaf children teach sign language to hearing children.

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