Focusing on outdoor education and recreation for the young child (ages 3 to 5), the paper addresses the meaning of outdoor activities, their attractiveness for young children, preschool and outdoor activities used at St. Andrew's in Columbus, Ohio, and characteristics of young children. Outdoor activities are defined as all pursuits that provide an inherently meaningful human experience that relates directly to a particular outdoor environment, i.e. air, wind, woods, lakes, snow, etc. Reasons for the outdoor environment's attractiveness and appropriateness for learning with 3 to 5 year olds include: providing a new, innovative, practical setting which incorporates an element of excitement or adventure; making it possible for children to be totally immersed in the environment; and allowing adaptation to service individual needs. Teaching techniques to use with young children include: developing a safe program (two rules are: stay in designated area and ask before touching); providing an important programmatic factor--flexibility; using a multi-sensory approach in teaching outdoor activities; engaging adult interaction with children; using positive reinforcement; and using pre-reading experiences when teaching activities. (ERB)