educators

Welcome educators!

Looking for a new, engaging way to teach environmental science? Into the Outdoors offers free, downloadable, open-source content for educators nationwide, whether you teach from home or at school. Environmental stewardship is at the heart of our mission, with a highly qualified team of educators and producers who collaboratively create content that promotes a positive appreciation of Planet Earth.

The Into the Outdoors Educational Network (ITO) produces long format half-hour educational television shows, short format classroom videos and accompanying lesson plans for youth (middle and high school aged), all of which are open source for educators to utilize in their curriculum.

As the nation’s only 18-time Emmy-winning youth education television series with over 25 years of media education experience, our team specializes in empowering young people to think critically about their relationship with the outdoors and how our natural resources are cared for and utilized.

Our unique by kids, for kids format encourages youth to be their own educational guides by teaching them investigative skills while simultaneously educating them about our environment. Our program uses the potential of peer-influence by empowering youth hosts to actively interview subject matter experts and participate in hands-on educational activities. 

This helps students see science concepts through the eyes of their peers in an exploratory way, which is very conducive to different learning styles. Depicting real situations along with fact based curriculum standards, our program helps students enhance their understanding of ecological systems, teamwork, problem-solving, and personal growth.

Choose from full-length episodes or shorter classroom videos, which each focus on a specific subject and critical learning standard. Educate youth by exploring a wide range of topics, from renewable energy systems and sustainability to vital fish and wildlife conservation. Pair each episode or video with a corresponding lesson plan to foster greater comprehension and form the next generation of stewards.

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View our video library here:

Predator in Paradise

Predator in Paradise

It’s hard to believe that an invasive species, a prehistoric throwback that’s been around for 340 million years ...
The Forest Products Lab

The Forest Products Lab

From mass timber buildings to bioenergy from wood waste, explore the innovative ways forest products are being ...
Turning Crude Oil into Fuels

Turning Crude Oil into Fuels

Have you ever wondered where the fuels that power our vehicles comes from? Or, have you thought about how they ...
Soybean Sustainability

Soybean Sustainability

Sometimes, we think that the food we eat just pops out of the ground or appears magically at our supermarkets, but ...

explore our content

Outdoor Recreation and Adventure

Earth & Environmental / Space Science

Wildlife Conservation

Energy / Physical Science

Natural Resource Science

Careers in Science

Select the content that suits you and your classroom needs from our diverse collection, arranged by category–Outdoor Recreation, Earth & Environmental Science, Wildlife Conservation, Energy/Physical Science, Natural Resources Science, Documentaries, Outdoor Initiatives, and Careers (in Science).

how to use ITO Curriculum

Into the Outdoors strives to simplify teaching, providing resourceful, engaging tools you need to educate the youth on all things outdoor education and sustainable stewardship. Simply search our episodes or classroom videos for lessons by grade and learning standards. We take the guesswork out of lesson planning and offer our own, free, accessible, and downloadable to educators across the globe. 

What today’s educators are saying about Into the Outdoors

“These kinds of videos are scientifically based and they’re using real-world issues right now that students are interested in.”

“It connects kids with science and it connects kids with nature.”

“Into the Outdoors takes them right out to their environment where they’re learning, so you can learn about tropical forests or you can learn about your own forests.”

“There’s a great educational lesson plan that’s coupled with every video.”