The Odell Buckenflush Chronicles are a collection of river tales garnered from a career in the field of outdoor education. Throughout the Odell Buckenflush Chronicles, experiential-learning is mated with humor and addresses our environmental impacts and consequences of actions. While most of the tales have a humorous slant, each tale has a lesson directed at those who venture to the outdoors via our waterways.
The tales provide fun examples for outdoor leaders, teachers, camp counselors, and resource managers to utilize in an ever-shrinking outdoor environment, making this book a tool for both education and entertainment. After all, the outdoor educator is in the business of "edutainment."
In the Odell Buckenflush Chronicles, circumstances unfold and decisions must be made that have consequences. Through the decisions we make, hopefully we learn from our experiences, gain wisdom, and develop good judgement. The great outdoor educator, Paul Petzoldt once noted, "People in outdoor settings should learn from their experiences; however, many must have what "just happened" explained to them, otherwise they keep making the same mistakes over and over." There are a wealth of examples of "what just happened," in these tales.
While this compilation is not a treatise on learning theory, it does provide different examples of learning. We all learn differently as the great American humorist, Will Rogers expressed, "There are three kinds of (people): Those that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
Have fun with these tales! Odell does the "peeing." As the reader, all you have to do is enjoy!
