PEH

• Recreational activities


  Activities that people engage in during their free time to refresh their bodies and minds and make their leisure time more interesting and enjoyable
• Recreation


  Derived from the Latin word "recreare" which means "to be refreshed"
• Time categories


  • Existence time (biological needs like meals, sleeping, personal care)
  • Subsistence time (economic purposes like work, school)
  • Free time (remaining time after existence and subsistence)
• Recreational activity types


  • Indoor Recreational Activities
  • Outdoor Recreational Activities
• Indoor recreation


  Located within a building, activities that can be done inside a room or building, does not require large spaces
• Outdoor recreation


  Organized activities done during one's free time for personal reasons, where an interaction between man and an element of nature is present
• Popular outdoor recreational activities

  • LAND: Mountaineering, Trekking/Hiking, Camping, Backpacking, Picnic, Bird-watching, Mountain Biking, Orienteering, Canyoneering, Rock Climbing
  • WATER: Swimming, Snorkeling, Diving, Surfing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Whitewater Rafting, Sailing, Fishing, Bamboo Rafting
  • AIR: Parasailing, Skydiving, Paragliding
• Reasons for engaging in outdoor recreational activity

  • Personal satisfaction and enjoyment, time away from routine
  • Being in touch with nature
  • Personal pursuit (photography, collecting, reaching goals)
  • Outdoor/environmental education
• Benefits of outdoor recreation for young people

  • Improved emotional wellbeing
  • Improved self-esteem and self-concept
  • Improved health (healthy growth and development)
  • Improved mental health (concentration, anxiety/stress management)
  • Enhanced social skills (cooperation, teamwork)
  • Increased capacity for learning and productivity
• Benefits of outdoor recreation for young adults

  • Reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
  • Reduced risk of developing high blood pressure
  • Reduced blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure
  • Prevention of some cancers
  • Reduced risk of becoming overweight
  • Improved muscle flexibility, strength, and endurance
  • Reduced risk of dying prematurely
  • Reduced risk of falling, and improved mobility and strength for older adults
  • Improved quality of sleep
• Physical health benefits of outdoor recreation

  • Prevents sedentary lifestyle
  • Improves immune system
  • Promotes cardiovascular and muscular fitness
  • Prevents onset of diseases
• Psycho-emotional benefits of outdoor recreation

  • Helps people rest, relax, de-stress, and feel revitalized
  • Improves self-esteem, confidence, and creativity
  • Contributes to personal and spiritual growth
• Social benefits of outdoor recreation

  • Facilitates family bonding
  • Helps form lasting friendships and sense of community
  • Promotes stewardship
• Economic benefits of outdoor recreation

  • Ecotourism creates jobs and economic activities
  • Improves productivity at work
• Spiritual benefits of outdoor recreation

  • Stirs up spiritual values
  • Brings calmness and healing
  • Strengthens the individual
• You do not need to be athletically fit to participate in outdoor activities, but you need to be physically fit
• Leave No Trace Seven Principles


  A set of universal outdoor ethics that guides one in the activities to do with nature and provides the framework for making decisions in outdoor recreation
• Things to consider while travelling on durable surfaces


  • Use existing trails or campsites, no need to build new
  • Walk in single file in the middle of the trail to avoid erosion
  • Keep campsites small and discreet
  • Camp at least 200 feet from lakes and rivers
• Things to do when camping

  • Dig holes 6-8 inches deep
  • Wash dishes 200 feet away from lakes or rivers
• Things to avoid when camping

  • Do not touch or leave marks on archeological structures, old walls, and other heritage artifacts
  • Do not take any plant, rock, or marine animal
  • Do not build structures or furniture, or dig trenches
• Things to remember for campfires

  • Use lightweight stove, not campfires
  • If fires are permitted, use fire rings or mound fires already set-up
  • Keep fires small and use only sticks that can be broken by hand
  • Never burn plastics or other substances that emit toxic fumes
  • Burn all wood to ash and make sure fires are completely out, scatter the cool ash
• Things to remember for wildlife


  • Observe wild animals from a distance, avoid them during sensitive times
  • Do not feed wild animals or birds, as it damages their health and alters their natural behaviors
  • Protect wildlife and your food by storing and securing trash well
  • If bringing pets, make sure it is allowed and you can control them
• Things to remember for respecting others

  • Respect people who live and work in the countryside
  • Respect other visitors and let them have a momentous experience
  • Allow the sound of nature to prevail, not your noise or radio
  • Be courteous, yield to others on a trail
  • Camp away from trails and other visitors
• Snorkeling


  Peeking through life underneath water by swimming with the aid of a snorkel and a mask
• Health benefits of snorkeling

  • Tones and trims the body through flutter kick and diving
  • Builds greater lung capacity from holding breath underwater
  • Good cardiovascular workout that increases heart rate and strengthens heart muscle
• Basic equipment in snorkeling

  • Mask (for viewing, equalizing pressure)
  • Snorkel (for breathing at surface while face is submerged)
  • Snorkeling fins (for locomotion and energy conservation)
  • Snorkel vest (for buoyancy, not a substitute for life vest)
  • Skin protection (rash guard, wetsuit)
  • Swimming cap (to keep hair out of face)
  • Mask defogger
• Steps in setting up snorkeling gear

  • Clean and defog mask
  • Attach snorkel to mask
  • Put on mask and adjust strap
  • Put snorkel in mouth and adjust height/position
  • Put on fins
• Safety tips for snorkeling


  • [Not provided in the material]
• Kayak


  Has a covered deck, kayaker extends legs and is seated low or on the deck, uses double-bladed paddle
• Canoe


  Has a wide open deck, canoer sits on raised seat or kneels on bottom, uses single-bladed paddle
• Basic parts of a kayak:

  HATCH - Covering on the deck where food and gears can be stored

  DECK - Top half of the kayak.

  FOOTBRACE - Found inside where feet rest.

  COCKPIT - Opening in the kayak's deck where the paddler sits. It can be covered with a spray kit or waterproof kilt that is placed around the waist then slip over the cockpit's rim or coaming.

  HULL - Bottom half of the kayak.
• Basic parts of a canoe


  YOKE - a beam in the center of a canoe that allows the canoe to rest on a person's shoulder when portaging.

  STERN - rear end.

  THWART - crossbars reinforcing the canoe and prevents sides from pulling apart under load.

  GUNWALE - acts as structural support and it defines shape of boat.

  SEAT - for paddler at the bow part (if in tandem).

  BOW - front part.
• Guidelines in choosing a paddle

  • Wider/taller kayaks need longer paddles
  • Smaller build needs shorter, lighter paddle
  • Measure canoe paddle while standing
  • Wider blades give more acceleration but more resistance
  • Narrower blades use less effort per stroke
  • Curved blades increase power of each stroke
• Activities using kayak or canoe

  • Sea kayaking (in open waters)
  • Whitewater kayaking/canoeing (on rapids)
  • Flatwater recreation (calm rivers, oceans, lakes)
  • Sailing
  • Surf kayaking
  • Marathon racing
• Steps to start canoeing/kayaking adventure


  • Learn how to get in and out of the boats
  • Learn the correct posture
  • Learn the proper way of holding the paddle
  • Learn the basics of making the boat move forward
• Health-related benefits of paddling

  • Improved cardiovascular fitness
  • Stronger muscles and muscular endurance (back, arms, shoulders, chest)
  • Development of torso and leg strength
• If you were only given five items to put in your backpack for a trek or hike, the five essential things would be...