Activities & Lesson Plans

Everything in the curricula at a glance.

School Lesson Plans

Grade K-2

• 1 - Safety and Space - Here is where you can go; come back when you hear the signal
• 2 - Search and Remember - Explore to find animal checkpoints
• 3 - Say Where - Search for hidden treasures and describe where you found them
• 4 - Visit Checkpoints in Order - Follow a clue sheet to find checkpoints in order
• 5 - Picture the Space - Draw the space from above
• 6 - Read a Map - Use a simple map to find checkpoints

Grade 3-5

• 1 - Know Your Space - Establish the play area, practice the gathering signal, and explore to find checkpoints
• 2 - Match the Code - Follow a clue sheet to visit checkpoints in order
• 3 - Map Readiness - Bridge from clue sheets to simple maps
• 4 - Map Symbols - Symbols tell you what features are on the ground
• 5 - Visiting Checkpoints - Navigate using a map, visit checkpoints in any order
• 6 - Orienteering Course - Navigate a course visiting checkpoints in order
• A - Indoor Orienteering - Orienteering activities adapted for a gym or indoor space

Grade 6+

• 1 - From Clues to Maps - Accelerated introduction for older students
• 2 - Map Reading - Map symbols, features, and guided navigation
• 3 - Route Choice - Score-O with route planning and strategy
• 4 - From Ground to Map - Find checkpoints and mark their locations on the map
• 5 - Course Navigation - Point-to-point courses with full map reading
• 6 - Race Day - Competitive orienteering in relay and individual formats

Camp Lesson Plans

Camp Intro (3 sessions)

Three standalone activities for camps just getting started with orienteering.

• 1 - Animal-O - Clue sheet orienteering
• 2 - Find Your Way Home - Navigate back to home base
• 3 - Map Treasure Hunt - Score-O with orienteering maps

Camp Skill Development (6 sessions)

Fundamentals of orienteering map navigation in six 70-minute sessions over two weeks.

• 1 - Getting Started - Safety, Animal-O, Symbol Relay, Map Discussion
• 2 - Reading the Map - Map Walk and Score-O
• 3 - Compass and Courses - Compass Basics and orienteering courses
• 4 - Precision and Teamwork - Line-O and Star Relay
• 5 - Compass Challenge - Compass Segments and Poison-O
• 6 - Courses and Relays - Full courses and team relays

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Activities

Core Activities

• Boundary Run - Travel the boundary of the play area
• Gathering - Return to the teacher on a signal
• Explore & Find - Explore to find checkpoints within the boundary
• Clothespin-O - Find hidden objects and describe their locations
• Animal-O - Use a clue sheet to find checkpoints in order
• Geometric-O - Use a simple map to do progressively harder courses
• Symbol-O - Understand map symbols and the features they represent
• Map Walk - Walk a route together, matching map symbols to real features
• Score-O - Visit as many checkpoints as possible in any order
• Poison-O - Visit only the checkpoints shown on your map
• Point-to-Point - Complete a course using an orienteering map

Camp and Additional Activities

• Map Discussion - Discuss how orienteering maps represent the world
• Symbol Relay - Team relay to learn map symbols competitively
• Compass Basics - Use a compass to go in the correct direction
• Line-O - Follow the line and find unmarked checkpoints along the way
• Star Relay - Team up; hand off between checkpoints
• Checkpoint Copy Relay - Relay-race format to practice map reading and simplification
• Window-O - Navigate with parts of the map removed
• Find Your Way Home - Navigate back to home base from an unfamiliar starting point
• Draw the Space - Draw a map of the space from above

Related Activities

These live on their parent activity's page, under the Related Activities tab.

• Reverse Score-O - Find checkpoints and mark their locations on the map (on the Score-O page)
• Basketball-O - Orienteering on a basketball court map (on the Geometric-O page)
• Relay Race - Teams compete in relay format (on the Point-to-Point page)
• Memory-O - Memorize a short course, then run it (on the Point-to-Point page)
• Description Relay - Symbol Relay with control description pictograms (on the Symbol Relay page)
• Map Maker - Students make a map others can use (on the Draw the Space page)