Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs often involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges such as hiking, climbing, ropes courses, and group games. Outdoor education draws upon the philosophy and theory of experiential education and on environmental education.

Outdoor education is closely related to terms such as adventure education, expeditionary studies, challenge education, experiential education, and environmental education. These terms, however, all represent slightly different emphases in philosophy and method. Adventure education, for example, focuses on participating in activities with perceived risks and does not necessarily occur outdoors. Consensus about the meaning of these terms is somewhat loose and varies between cultures.

Some typical aims of outdoor education are to:

1. learn how to overcome adversity

2. enhance personal and social development

3. develop a deeper relationship with nature.

4. Outdoor education spans the three domains of self, others, and the natural world. The relative emphasis of these three domains varies from one program  to another. An outdoor education program can, for example, emphasize one (or more) of these aims to:

• teach outdoor survival skills

• improve problem solving skills

• reduce recidivism

• reduce recidivism

• enhance teamwork

• develop leadership skills

• understand natural environments

• promote spirituality

Other fields that are related to (or part of) 'outdoor education' include: adventure therapy, adventure recreation, adventure tourism, and ropes courses.