A new resource for teachers and outdoor educators produced by the John Muir Trust shows how its educational initiative, the John Muir Award, can be used to help deliver the Curriculum for Excellence. Groups undertaking the Award can complete a range of activities across curriculum areas, such as building bat boxes in technology, measuring trees in mathematics, or surveying wildlife in the school grounds for science.
The resource, an eight-page guide (pdf) complete with visual mind map that’s been endorsed by the Chief Executive of Education Scotland, was launched on Friday 9 March at Lochgilphead High School by Michael Russell, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning. Mr Russell also took the opportunity to congratulate pupils from the school who had recently achieved their John Muir Award and presented them with their certificates.
The John Muir Award is a highly successful environmental award scheme that encourages people to connect with, enjoy and help care for wild places. Four challenges lie at the heart of each Award, with participants required to discover a wild place, explore it, do something to conserve it and share their experiences with others. Nearly 5,000 school pupils in Scotland complete a John Muir Award each year.
About The John Muir Trust
• The John Muir Trust is the leading wild land conservation charity in the UK. We love wild places and are dedicated to protecting and improving them for people and wildlife. Over 10,000 members support us in our work. Find out more at www.jmt.org.
• Through the John Muir Award, the John Muir Trust encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places. Since 1997, more than 100,000 people across the UK have achieved an Award. Read more about this educational initiative at www.johnmuiraward.org.
• We currently own and look after some of the finest wild areas in the UK including Ben Nevis, Schiehallion, Sandwood Bay, part of the Cuillin on Skye, Quinag in Assynt and 3,000 acres on the remote Knoydart peninsula.
• We manage our properties according to our wild land management standards, which focus on habitat improvement and encouraging a more natural landscape and ecosystem. See www.wildlandmanagement.org.uk for more.
• The UK’s remaining wild land is disappearing under development at an unprecedented rate with implications for our environment, economy and quality of life. The John Muir Trust is campaigning for greater protection for wild land across the UK through its Wild Land Campaign. Read more at www.jmt.org/wildland.
• We take our name and inspiration from John Muir (1838-1914), the pioneering, influential Scots-born American conservationist who was passionate about the wild. Muir dedicated his life to protecting wild places and he campaigned successfully for the establishment of National Parks to safeguard vast tracts of wild lands, including Yosemite Valley in California.
The Cabinet Secretary blogged about the event and was pleased to be visiting Lochgilphead High School again http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1812215 and the John Muir Award have uploaded an article about the launch at http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-news.asp?s=2&cat=Award&nid=JMT-N10649
I think this is a great idea. I had heard of the award before when another Primary School mentioned it and asked why we had never considered it when we met up with them on a residential experience. You have now “replanted” the idea in my head. I am definitely going to start to work through it with my Primary 7 class starting in August. The children will love the challenge. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
A visit from the Cabinet Secretary – wow!!
Many thanks for the response. Since the launch we have now become official partners of The John Muir Award and have 5 pupils currently involved in the award scheme whilst doing their Managing Environmental resources course at Argyll College.
I would certainly be willing to assist in any way that I can – please keep in touch.