School camping began with three movements in American society: children's camping, which has been traced back as far as 1823; the Nature Study Movement, which is thought to have begun as early as 1839; and the holistic "new education." In 1940, L. B. Sharp opened National Camp in New Jersey and Julian W. Smith initiated the Clear Lake camp near Hastings, Michigan. National Camp, a graduate training center for educators and youth leaders, held until 1959 6-week summer sessions in which participants solved practical problems related to their situations. The Clear Lake Camp served as a national demonstration center for school personnel, provided consultation services to schools, and served as a training ground for camp personnel. In 1955, Smith founded the Outdoor Education Project, which nationally promoted outdoor education and school camping. Until the mid-1950's, school camping programs focused on children's personal and social growth, planned cooperatively around the school classroom unit, and based programs on problem solving, work, fun, and first-hand experience. After Sputnik, however, many camps became more school-like. They did not involve children in planning, included short activity "periods," and involved less fun. Biographical sketches of the authors and an abstract of the 1948 New York City Board of Education research into the relative educational values of residential camping are included. (SB)