Category Archives: Projects

Strone Eco Reps visit the Scottish Parliament on Holyrood Apple Day

Awards, Communities and Culture, Events, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, School trips, Social Enterprise

On Wednesday 18th October, 3 of our Eco Committee attended the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh for Holyrood Apple Day. We went with Merle from the Ardentinny Walled Garden Project to present apples picked from the garden. We had new varieties as well as apples from the old Victorian apple tree in the garden.

Our P1-4 class had been to pick the apples from Ardentinny on Monday and had baked apple flapjacks for people to try. Continue reading Strone Eco Reps visit the Scottish Parliament on Holyrood Apple Day →

Felting at Benmore Gardens

Active Schools, Communities and Culture, Eco Schools, Events, Expressive arts, Forest Schools, Geography, Health and Wellbeing, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, School trips, Science, Topics,

On Thursday 5th September P5 and P7 spent an amazing day at Benmore Botanical Gardens with their teachers and support staff. On Friday 6th September P6/5 and P7/6 also enjoyed a fabulous day at Benmore. Cath and Katie from the Education Service in Edinburgh’s Botanical Gardens were the superb instructors during the visits. Each class got the fantastic opportunity to make felt, incorporating an image of a plant or greenery. These had been freshly picked from the gardens to provide inspiration for the felting project.

Continue reading Felting at Benmore Gardens →

HARVEST SALE @ Kilmartin

Active Schools, Communities, Communities and Culture, Enterprise, Events, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Social Enterprise

Thanks to the help and generosity from parents, children and teachers, our Harvest Sale on Friday 13th September raised £86. We will put this money to good use, buying new resources for outdoor education to continue with our good work in the garden and the woods.

Continue reading HARVEST SALE @ Kilmartin →

What a Buzz!

Awards, Communities, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Science

P7 pupils in Rhu are looking to achieve the John Muir award this term for discovering, exploring, conserving and sharing their work on bees and their local area. They made a great start to their project by visiting a local beekeeper. Fortunately, it was a lovely sunny day and the bees were out foraging for the last pollen and nectar of the season. What a good opportunity to spot the bees busy at work.

Continue reading What a Buzz! →

Achaleven Primary School Helping out Hope Kitchen

Awards, Communities, Competitions, Events, Health and Wellbeing, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects

When we returned from the school holidays we discovered an abundance of crops in our school garden, from peas, giant cucumbers and carrots to a bumper crop of potatoes – which also won first prize in the Connel Flower Show last weekend!
What should we do with all these vegetables? We wanted to help others so we contacted Hope Kitchen in Oban to see if they could use them.

Continue reading Achaleven Primary School Helping out Hope Kitchen →

Dalintober PS Links With Explore Campbeltown

Communities and Culture, Enterprise, Events, Expressive arts, Geography, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Social Enterprise

Pupils from Dalintober PS have been working closely on enterprising projects with local organisation Explore Campbeltown. The organisation is a website which promotes local businesses and their products. Pupils have made posters which will go on display around the town and on the new ferry which links Campbeltown to Arran and Ardrossan. The next enterprise activity for Dalintober PS pupils is to decorate ‘Penny Jars’ to be placed in local shops to raise funds for Campbeltown Christmas Lights Group and CGS4Gambia. The school is delighted to be linked to this very worthwhile venture.

Iona Primary welcomes a very special VIP

Communities and Culture, Events, Geography, History, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, RME

Iona Primary School children were amazed when the Northern Ireland Minister for Justice popped in yesterday to thank them for a gift. David Ford from Stormont Castle came to thank the children for the very special book about Iona that the pupils had lovingly made from scratch (including the paper).
Former Head Teacher, Liz Kennedy, had had the inspired idea for this special book to be transported in the coracle that was sailing to Ireland as part of the St Columba’s Celebrations at the end of term. In memory of the journey of the famous Book of Kells. Continue reading Iona Primary welcomes a very special VIP →

Kilmartin’s amazing coloured potatoes!!

Awards, Communities, Competitions, Early Years, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Social Enterprise

It’s great to start the new school year with exciting news! Kilmartin Primary’s Early level class grew some amazing coloured potatoes in our garden and this summer the potatoes won 1st prize in their category at the Mid Argyll Agricultural Show.The potatoes are a dark purple all the way through. Later in September, the school will be holding a vegetable sale with all of our garden produce and, of course, we will be making some very tasty soup! Continue reading Kilmartin’s amazing coloured potatoes!! →

Lochdonhead Winners

Awards, Communities, Eco Schools, Events, Health and Wellbeing, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Social Enterprise

Lochdonhead Primary School has been very successful recently in two national competitions.
In June we were told that we were the winners of the Total Green School Award run by the Young People’s Trust. In our entry we recorded and reported all the work we have done over the year to improve our school grounds. The results were reported as ‘excellent and the judges were all extremely impressed’. Almost 44,500 children took part in the Award for 2013 which emphasises the scale of our achievement. We were given a certificate and a cheque for £500. Continue reading Lochdonhead Winners →

‘Code Ninjas’ Learn Way of the Python at Dunoon Grammar School

Events, Interdisciplinary, Projects, Science, Secondary schools,

Computer Programming Summer School a Massive Hit
A dedicated, skilled team of young learners from Dunoon Grammar School recently sacrificed a full week of their precious summer holiday to attend the inaugural ‘Code Ninjas’ Summer School held in the school’s Faculty of Business & Computing. Continue reading ‘Code Ninjas’ Learn Way of the Python at Dunoon Grammar School →

Rothesay Post Card Event

Communities and Culture, Competitions, Events, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Secondary schools

Thank you to everyone who sent postcards for the World Record Postcard Event. These are being passed to Guiness for approval.
The Post Cards will be part of an art instillation at the Cabbie’s Rest in the last weekend of July.
We will still accept post cards for the installation over the next month so if you or your pupils have are away over the next few weeks please feel free to carry on writing! Continue reading Rothesay Post Card Event →

Barcaldine & Ardchattan win an Oscar!

Awards, Communities, Competitions, Events, Expressive arts, Geography, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Topics, Training, ,

Over the last few months Sam Harrison of Open Ground has been working with several schools on making outdoor films. The project involved children exploring their own habitat and then when back in the classroom decide how to make and produce their own film. Sam Harrison joined each school for two days when one day was spent exploring their own landscapes and then acting out their ideas. When Sam Harrison came back for his second visit, schools then had an idea of where their film was going and all Sam had to do was film it. Continue reading Barcaldine & Ardchattan win an Oscar! →

Interplanetary Pioneer – Fergus Glen-Lee

Events, Geography, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Science, Secondary schools, Training, ,

Fergus Glen-Lee from Oban High School has been invited to join Fuselab at Edinburgh University to plan life for future civilizations in the event of an evacuation of Earth.
Fergus saw the avert on SAL for the opportunity for young Scots to join the team made up of business and academia from North West European Communities. Fergus had to demonstrate his creative and divergent thinking to get through the selection process and has been chosen to spend a week at Edinburgh University.
Continue reading Interplanetary Pioneer – Fergus Glen-Lee →

GROWING OUR OWN AT OHS SUPPORT DEPARTMENT!

Fundraising, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Projects, Secondary schools, Social Enterprise, Training

In October 2012 we took charge of a supersized poly tunnel which was erected in the grounds of Glencruitten Hostel. This was the first step in our plan to grow and sell produce to parents, staff and the hostel kitchen! In our Tech classes we have made six raised beds for the tunnel and plan to make more for outside. We have planted potatoes, onions, herbs and blackcurrants so far and have also been improving the hostel grounds by planting hedges and trees!
Continue reading GROWING OUR OWN AT OHS SUPPORT DEPARTMENT! →

Port Ellen Pre 5 Units Beautiful Butterflies

Early Years, Events, Geography, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Science, Transition

The children in Port Ellen Pre 5 unit have been very busy looking after some exciting new pets from our donated butterfly farm. The children transferred all the knowledge and skills that they have gained during our minibeast topic and used this to take care of our butterflies. We were all very excited when our tiny caterpillars arrived through the post. During the week they ate more and more and they grew very big and very fat – just like The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

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Total Green School Awards 2013

Active Schools, Awards, Communities, Competitions, Eco Schools, Events, Forest Schools, Fundraising, Gaelic, Health and Wellbeing, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Science

The pupils and staff at Lochdonhead Primary School are delighted to hear that they are the winners of the Totally Active category for Scotland in the Total Green School Awards 2013. Our entry was about all the work we have done in our school grounds over the last year. We had to decide what we wanted to do with our grounds, work out how to achieve it, and we have ended up with a ‘story glen’ based on an old Gaelic tale ‘Iolaire Loch Treig’.

Continue reading Total Green School Awards 2013 →

Craignish Primary launches new Enterprise Project!

Communities, Eco Schools, Enterprise, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Social Enterprise

Craignish Primary launches new Enterprise Project: Craignish Primary Plants.

After the successful building of our new poly tunnel (thanks to the help of parents and community members) we have now launched our new Business Craignish Primary Plants. The whole school have been involved in planting our crop for after the holidays.

Continue reading Craignish Primary launches new Enterprise Project! →

Forest School Sausage Sizzle @ Kilmartin

Active Schools, Eco Schools, Events, Forest Schools, Geography, Health and Wellbeing, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, Projects, Training

The children in P.5-7 at Kilmartin Primary School finished off their Forest School activities for the year with a sausage sizzle in the woods around the campfire. The children also made damper bread on sticks and cooked them over the fire before dipping their tasty treat into cinnamon and sugar. The older children have had a wonderful environmental experience this session, learning about the native plants and trees throughout the seasons, building a den and making wooden toys as well as developing teamwork skills.

Continue reading Forest School Sausage Sizzle @ Kilmartin →

Snapberry makes Nature of Scotland awards shortlist

Communities, Competitions, Events, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Projects, School trips, Secondary schools,

On Tuesday 18th June representatives from the Snapberry group attended a reception at the Scottish Parliament for the RSPB Nature of Scotland 2013 awards. Various groups and individuals were nominated in several categories from across Scotland and Snapberry were absolutely delighted to be placed in the finalists’ shortlist in the Community Initiative category – a real testament to how the project has evolved to include the school, SNH, ArtMap Argyll and the Lantern Parade over the last five years. Continue reading Snapberry makes Nature of Scotland awards shortlist →