Floating Classroom

Welcome to All Outdoors Floating Classroom! AO Whitewater Rafting is a family-owned California rafting company that began as a classroom extension program for struggling students in the 1960s. Never losing sight of those original educational values, All Outdoors is proud to offer this experiential education program through the most dynamic medium available - a rafting trip down one of California's beautiful river canyons! Students learn about a diverse range of subjects -- including ecology, geology, history and environmental ethics -- while working together to navigate a fun and exciting river. This experience provides middle school students the opportunity to develop teamwork skills, self-confidence, and wilderness appreciation while discovering the unique scientific and human history of the Middle Fork American River canyon.

Download our Floating Classroom Brochure.

Goals of the AO Floating Classroom:

• To encourage a deeper sense of community amongst students and faculty by working to overcome social barriers encountered within school walls.
• To foster personal growth in the areas of individual and group responsibility, outdoor living skills, self-confidence, and environmental ethics.
• To educate students about the significance of California’s river ecosystems and watersheds as it relates to the various cultures, vegetation and animal life that depend on its water and each other. We'll also discuss the current social debate over water rights in California and its effects on the ecosystem.

For complete details about the curriculum menu, example activities and background information, please take a look at our Floating Classroom Brochure!