Florida’s Best Outdoor Education Programs Happen at Circle F Dude Ranch
Outdoor Education
Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, & Adults
Welcome to Circle F Dude Ranch’ Outdoor Education Center. A place where adventure, team building, and personal growth meet. Circle F Dude Ranch has been a leader in youth development and outdoor experiential growth opportunities for over 70 years. Our team of outdoor educators are passionate about youth development and work hard to give students an unforgettable educational experience.
Outdoors Education in Florida
Benefits of Outdoor Education For Students
Circle F Dude Ranch Camp’s Outdoor Education Program encourages people to maintain and build a connection with the unique ecosystem of Central Florida. Our natural setting provides one of the greatest gifts to an individual — the opportunity to grow intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically, in a natural environment. The Ranch’s outdoor ed program delivers high-quality, educational experiences for children from private and public schools. Our program serves students through one to five day, residential and day programs, focusing on environmental experiences, team building, adventure activities, personal challenge, and outdoor skills development.
Team Building Activities Encourage Growth
Challenge by Choice Philosophy
At Circle F Dude Ranch we believe in encouraging participants to reach beyond their confrontation points. This is a core value of adventure-based programming, however, it must be done in a way that participants feel safe and supported. At Circle F we allow participants to feel they are in control of their choices and are facing their confrontation point by their own accord. Instructors encourage and push participants to points where they may feel uncertain of their abilities, but never in a way that forces the participants to a breaking point. Participants only need to ask to stop any individual activity for it to end.
Outdoor Education Activities
We provide a wide variety of team building, adventure courses, and environmental classes. Each course delivers distinct benefits and outcomes. Our team will customize our program to best meet your organization or school’s goals.
Outdoor Team Building Programs
The Ranch has a broad curriculum focused on team building that teaches communication, leadership, and group problem-solving with a hands on approach.
- Team Initiatives Course
- Team Elements Course
- Team Development Course
Adventure Programming
Adventure curriculum is designed to not only challenge participants. but provide tangible takeaways that can be used in daily life and school.
- Odyssey High Ropes Course
- Alpine Tower & Giant Swing
- Rockwall & Zipline
- Overnight Trips
- Horseback Riding
- Wilderness Survival
- Fire Building
- Archery & Archery Tag
- Ax Throwing
- Chuck Wagon Cooking
- Paintball
- Canoeing and Kayaking
Environmental Programming
Environmental activities are designed to expose school groups to the Central Florida ecosystems in a fun and hands-on fashion.
- Forest Ecology
- Freshwater and Water System Ecology
- Weather
- Human Sensory Course
- Nature-based Arts & Crafts
- Astronomy
- Night Hikes
- Horsemanship
Evening Program Activities
The program doesn’t stop after dinner! Here is a small sample of our evening activities.
- Campfire and Hayride
- Pirate Challenge Night
- Egg Drop
- Skit Night
Our Instructors
Circle F Outdoor Education Center is especially proud of our staff and instructors. All instructors are full-time staff members that are trained and certified to teach our courses and activities. They have years of experience facilitating team building with all school age, college, and adult groups.
They use their knowledge and training to adjust elements and activities to fit the needs of each individual group. Staff will quickly assess the age, maturity level, and physical ability of a group to best choose how to lead a program. Debriefing after activities provides participants with takeaways that they can use in their daily lives. An instructor’s careful guidance will help every group have a successful, yet challenging experience.
Our staff take pride in their appearance and will always be present in their professional uniform with an approachable friendly smile when working alongside our Outdoor Education groups. All staff that work on The Ranch are fingerprinted and background checked prior to employment. They are also in the Florida Clearinghouse.
Plan Your Adventure
Our team is ready to assist you in designing a custom outdoor education experience for your school or class. You will find our staff experienced in helping design and build custom programs that meet the needs of your school, college, or private group, including the length of the program and scheduling logistics. Our staff will assist you every step of the way to guarantee a fun and easy experience.
When you schedule a program, we work with you to customize your outdoor education activities and program options based on your goals and in accordance with the needs of your students and your school. Whatever program options you choose, we will design an experience that is meaningful and memorable for your students.
Pricing is based on the number of days, meals, students, and the particular curriculum chosen by the school. Submit a request for a quote on your visit.
Things to think about:
- Size of your group
- Time of year you would like to visit
- Length of your stay — overnight, multiple nights, single day
- Goals for your experience — what you want to achieve