These resources highlight hands-on outdoor experiences and activities that you can explore at home or in other outdoor spaces. Learn more about outdoor experiential learning and discover ways to safely get outside, explore nature and approach outdoor experiences with curiosity.
Meet Holly Lynn, Manager of Experiential Learning
Holly Lynn, Temple Ambler's Manager of Experiential Learning, works to make outdoor experiential learning accessible and meaningful for everyone. Her goal is to meet participants where they are and create experiences that support their individual goals.
Lynn also emphasizes the benefits of spending time outdoors, including the healing, restorative and rejuvenating effects of being in a natural setting. Learn more about Outdoor Experiential Learning at Temple Ambler.
Unique Learning Experiences for the Temple Community and Beyond
Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness at Temple University Ambler offers team-building, communication and problem-solving activities for Temple University students, faculty, staff, alumni and community organizations.
The programs use community-building activities, team initiatives and the Ambler Campus Low Ropes Challenge Course to create hands-on learning experiences. Since the Low Ropes Challenge Course was designed and constructed in 2022, it has provided opportunities for participants to develop teamwork and other skills through outdoor experiential learning. Learn more.
The Temple Ambler Low Ropes Challenge Course features 15 permanent elements designed for team-building and experiential learning. Student organizations, classroom teams, research interns and other groups can participate in programs focused on collaboration and personal and group development.
Programs are offered as 2- to 4-hour or 5- to 8-hour experiences and can focus on problem-solving, conflict resolution, communication and building trust within a group or team.
Those interested in booking a program or retreat may reach out to Holly Lynn, Manager of Experiential Learning, at [click-for-email] or 267-468-8107. Learn more.
Temple University students have the opportunity to become Experiential Education Facilitators at Temple Ambler. Facilitators help deliver community-building activities, team initiatives and Low Ropes Challenge Course programs and use debriefing strategies to help participants connect their experiences to real-world situations.
According to Lynn, debriefing is an essential part of experiential learning, helping participants reflect on what happened, what it means and how they can apply what they learned. Learn more.
What better way to enjoy the seasons than being outdoors? In this video, Dr. Steve Sassaman, former Assistant Director of Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness at Temple Ambler, walks you through the steps of setting up a tent! Sleeping out under the stars can be quite an experience but depending on conditions you may want a solid shelter to protect you from bugs and the elements. There are many options when it comes to tents that serve this purpose. This video will provide an overview of how to set up a tent using basic principles and practices that can be applied to any model you may find yourself sleeping in.
This is a particularly high stakes video — it’s all about stakes! Dr. Sassaman, former Assistant Director of Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness, continues his key steps for setting up a tent. An important consideration in ensuring that your tent is set up securely is taking time to stake out your tent properly. This can include choosing to upgrade your stakes to meet varying ground conditions. By taking time to identify a suitable area and driving the stake in precisely at a 45-degree angle one can ensure a secure and comfortable set up.
For the final part of our tent trilogy, it’s time to pack up and hit the trail. Dr. Sassaman, former Assistant Director of Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness, continues his key steps for tent success! Maybe you’re on a multi-day expedition in nasty weather conditions, or you may simply want to create some solid habits while cleaning up your campsite after a great evening outdoors. Taking time to protect your tent as you pack it up will ensure that you prolong the life of your gear as well as help you set up your tent efficiently when you make it to the next destination. Remember when you get home from your adventure to unpack your tent so that it can dry out before storing long term. We recommend storing your tent in a large mesh laundry bag rather than the stuff sack you use to carry on the trail.
Dr. Sassaman, former Assistant Director of Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness, provides an easy way to remember our survival priorities using the “Rule of Three.” The average human can survive three minutes without air, three hours without protection from the elements, three days without water, and three weeks without food. Even for a short day hike, you want to ensure you are prepared with water to stay hydrated and layers to stay protected from the elements!
Dr. Sassaman, former Assistant Director of Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness, shares a broad overview of the importance of layering during outdoor activities. He discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different materials and effective strategies for regulating your body temperature while participating in outdoor activities.
Dr. Sassaman, former Assistant Director of Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness, discusses the importance of being prepared with your ten essentials for any outdoor activity, including short day hikes. The ten essentials include: positive mindset and plan; navigation; light source (headlamp); first aid; shelter; knife; fire-starting equipment; extra food and water purification; additional clothing for changing weather conditions; and signaling device/emergency communication.
In this video, Mary Cortese, former Research Assistant with the Temple Ambler Field Station, explores ephemeral, or vernal, pools and their place in the ecosystem of the Temple Forest Observatory. A vernal, or ephemeral, pool is a seasonal body of water similar to a small pond that fills with rain every season.
What are all of those plants in your yard and in your neighborhood? Can you tell a woody plant from an herbaceous plant; a monocot from a dicot; a compound leaf from a simple leaf? How about a single flower versus an inflorescence? Join Ben Snyder, Manager of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex at Temple Ambler, as he guides you on a scavenger hunt of discovery. Ben will provide information on the different types of plants and tips on identifying plans that you can find right in your own environment. How many can you identify?
Before we go anywhere, we need to learn about “Leave No Trace.” When camping, hiking or simply enjoying the outdoors, it is essential to leave any place you have visited as you found it. In this video, Mary Cortese, former Research Assistant with the Temple Ambler Field Station and PhD Candidate in the Temple University Biology Department, provides an overview of the “Seven Tips for Leave No Trace” from the Center for Outdoor Ethics.
You are ready to head out for a day of hiking! Do you know what you should take along with you? How should you carry it? Where should you store it? Join avid hiker Mary Cortese, former Research Assistant with the Temple Ambler Field Station, as she shares her essentials for a successful day hike!
We’re heading out into Temple University Ambler’s 187 acres to explore creeks and steams on campus with Mary Cortese, former Research Assistant with the Temple Ambler Field Station! Mary will talk about why these streams are important and how you can do your part to protect them!
