The impetus giving rise to U.S. outdoor education was composed of the organized camping program and educators who saw possibilities of using a camp setting to provide students with real experiences in the out-of-doors, while the major push in Canada came from the public's growing concern with the need for conservation of natural resources. The early period of the organized camping movement in the U.S. (1900-1935) was a reaction to rigidity of the school's curricula. By 1965 school camping had become only one aspect of the outdoor education movement, and federal legislation greatly influenced the growth and development of outdoor education programs. Organized camping also had a strong influence in Canada, where there was a voluntary youth training program in conservation prior to World War II. Subsequently, interest in conservation led to curriculum changes, counselor training programs, involvement of voluntary organizations, and establishment of residential programs in outdoor education. Provincial enabling legislation encouraged schools to own and operate natural science schools and to take field trips. Regardless of the factors that initiated their outdoor education programs, the present concept held in both countries is that outdoor education involves use of the out-of-doors in teaching a school's curriculum. (BRR)