Outdoor Learning in the the Outer Hebrides
The work of the Outdoor Learning Team in the Outer Hebrides; developing Learning for Sustainability and helping soften the classroom walls
Tim heard about the new mud kitchen and music wall Uig Sgoil Araich have had built for them. Made from pallets and other scavenged materials it gives the young people a great new place to experiment and take part in imaginative play. They were built by Phill who lives in Uig and look fantastic.
Tim is now looking forwards to going over to play.
If you have any great things you would like to share please contact either Tim or Isi.
Is mise Koren Pickering, agus tha mise gu bhith ag obair san sgioba còmhla ri Isi agus Tim chun an t-Sultain. Tha mi fileant ann an Gàidhlig agus ‘s e oide-foghlam a-muigh a th’ unnam cuideachd, agus mar sin tha mi an seo ‘son an cuideachadh le dad sam bith Gàidhlig thairis air an t-samhradh.
Tha mo phost maonichte le Bòrd Na Gàidhlig agus ‘s e am plana bunasach a bh’ againn gun cuidichinn leis an leasachadh do na cleasan-sàmhradh tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig, ach leis am bacadh a th’ ann sgàth ‘s COVID-19 tha mi ag obair air pàirtean eile dhan an clàr-teagasg a’ tha ar sgioba a’ lìbhrigeadh.
Tha mi aig Oilthigh Dhun Èideann a’ dèanamh ceum ann an Ceiltis, agus tha ùidh mhòr agam anns an ceangal a th’ aig Gàidhlig ris an àrainneachd ‘s ar cruth-tìre. Tha mi airson an cothrom seo a’ chleachdadh airson foghlam a-muigh am meadhan na Gàidhlig a’ leasachadh ‘s nan Eileanan mar toiseach tòiseachaidh. An dràsta tha mi ag obair air stòrasan ùr Gàidhlig a’ chruthachadh airson ‘s gun urrainn do dhaoine an cleachdadh ge b’ air bith aig an taigh le an clann fhèin, neo san àite obair aca le daoine òga. Tha mi a’ toirt leasanan Gàidhlig do chuid dhan an sgioba againn. Dh’ fhoighnich SAPOE (Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education) dhomh am brath-naigheachd aca, a bha mu dheidhinn mar as urrainn Foghlam A-Muigh a bhith na chuideachadh leis an ath-thòiseachadh de dh’fhoghlam as deidh COVID-19, eadar-theangachadh air an son. Seo am brath-naigheachd-
https://www.sapoe.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20-05-SAPOE-Brath-naigheachd.pdf
Bidh mi fhèin a’ dèanamh tòrr snàmh a-muigh, gu h-àraid ‘s a mhuir. Bidh mi dèanamh caidheageadh cuideachd, ‘s a mhuir timcheall air na h-eileanan agus nan aimhnichean air tìr mòr leis an club air an Oilthigh nuair a tha mi ann an Dun Èideann. Tha mi air ùine a chuir seachad a’ dèanamh ‘s nan ‘Alps’ Fraingeach cuideachd. Tha sèoladh a’ còrdadh rium nuar a tha an cothrom ann.
Uile gun lèir, tha mi coimhead air adhart to bhith nam phàirt den sgioba seo, agus obair a’ dhèanamh airson foghlam a-muigh tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig.
Translation
I’m Koren Pickering and I’m going to be working in the Outdoor Learning team with Isi and Tim until September. I’m a fluent Gaelic speaker and an outdoor instructor as well, so I’m here to help with anything Gaelic over the summer.
My post has been funded by Bòrd na Gàidhlig , the original plan was to help develop the summer activities in Gaelic medium but with the global pandemic I have trying to develop other parts of what the Outdoor Learning team deliver.
I’m studying Celtic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, and I’m very interested in the links Gaelic has with our environment and landscape. I plan on using this opportunity to help develop Gaelic Outdoor Learning in the Islands as a start. At the moment I’m working on creating new Gaelic Outdoor resources which can be used by people at home with their own families, or by people who are working with young people. I am also giving Gaelic lessons to some of the Outdoor team. I was asked by the Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education (SAPOE) to translate their statement on how Outdoor Learning can be used to help with educational recovery from the Covid-19 epidemic. The statement is here-
https://www.sapoe.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20-05-SAPOE-Brath-naigheachd.pdf
I do a lot of outdoor swimming, particularly in the sea. I also kayak in the sea around the islands and rivers in the Highlands when I’m based in Edinburgh with the University Canoe Club. I’ve spent time a bit of time kayaking in the French Alps as well. I enjoy sailing when the opportunity arises.
I’m looking forward to being a part of the team and to be able to work in the Gaelic Outdoors.
Beetroot is easy enough to grow in the garden, and it’s a solid favourite of ours! Your 5-a-day are important, beetroot is tasty and good for you. You can use it in soups, cakes, roast them or put them in salads. I personally like to stick some beetroot on a lollipop stick and eat it like a lollipop.
They’re great veg to grow with kids because the seeds are quite big and so it’s not too fiddly for little hands. They grow best in slightly sandy earth, but they do well in any type of soil. For example, if your soil is a little too acidic, a little lime through it should balance it out. Beets grow best when there aren’t other plants right next to them so make sure it has a little room around it to grow. You don’t even need to plant beetroot in a plot, they’ll grow well in a tub or container of some sort!
If you want the young people you’re helping in the garden to be encouraged, beetroot is a good choice of vegetable for this. It’s easy enough to plant, and it grows easily a lot of the time. There is usually a little bit of time before you start to see it breaking through, but don’t worry as it will still be growing. They take a bit of time to germinate, even if you can’t see them.
We used egg-boxes to start them off in. We chose these so that we could plant them into the ground if we wanted to, however if you don’t have the space to be able to plant them in the ground a reasonably sized container will do. Firstly we put some earth in each little section of the boxes. Little hands will certainly help with this!
As you can see here, beetroot seeds are big enough that little hands won’t have a problem picking them up here. You need one seed per egg divot. Put the seeds in the middle and press it down into the soil, before covering it with more soil. Your helper will be able to do this without a problem!
Your beets should germinate within 14 days, and you might start to see, at the earliest, sprouts from the third day . Make sure you water these at least twice a week so they don’t dry out! When your beetroots begin to sprout you will start to see little purple shoots.
Around then, it’s a good idea to move your beetroots to somewhere with a more room. For example, if you have a little garden space. Cut up your egg boxes and plant them in a little pre-dug plot. If you don’t have the garden space available, a big box will work just as well! The egg boxes will break down as they’re biodegradable anyway.
With this done, all you have to do is keep your beetroot watered and to watch them grow over time.
Then when they are ready it is time to cook them and make lollipops.
Tha biotas furast gu lèor fhàs anns an gàrradh, agus ‘s e fear dha na glasraich as fhèarr leinn a th’ ann. Tha do 5-gach-latha cudrothmach agus biotas blasta agus math dhut. ‘S urrainn dhuibh an cleachdadh ann am brot, cèicichean, an ròstadh neo fiù ‘s ann an salad. Tha e còrdadh riumsa biatas a chur air forc agus an ithe mar ‘lollipop’.
‘S e glasrach sgoinneil a th’ann airson fàs le clann, oir tha sìol aige mòr agus furast gu leòr a chuir sgàth ‘s nach eil è ro dhuilich airson corragan beaga an togail. Tha e a’ fàs as fhèarr ann am talamh le beagan stuth-mathachaidh troimhe, ach fàsaidh e ceart gu leòr ann an diofar seòrsan de pholl le beagan cuideachadh. Mar eisempleir, ma tha ur talamh ro shearbh, cuiridh beagan aol sin ceart dhuibh. Fàsaidh biotas as fhèarr nuair nach eil e faisg air planntaichean eile, dèan cinnteach gu bheil rùm gu leòr timcheall air gus am fàs e. Chan fheum thu fiù ‘s a chuir dhan an talamh ann an gàrradh, tha e comasach fàs ann an soitheach a choireigin!
Ma tha sibh airson misneachd a thoirt don òigridh a’ tha sibh a cuideachadh sa gharradh, ‘s e biotas deagh thaghadh airson seo a’ dhèanamh. Tha e furast’ gu leòr a’ phlanntadh, agus fàsaidh e a mhòr chuid dhan an tìd’. Bheir e beagan ùine gus am faic sibh e briseadh tron an talamh, ach na gabh dragh oir tha e fhathast a’ fàs ged nach faic sibh e!
Chleachd sinne bucais-uighean. Thagh sinn iad seo gus am b’ urrainn dhuinn am planntadh dhan talamh as deidh druiseag bheag fàs, ach mar nach eil rùm agaibh airson sin a’ dheanamh ni soitheach meadhanach mòr an aon rud. An toiseach feumaidh sibh beagan poll anns gach pìos dhan am bucas. Cuidichidh làmhan beag leis an seo co-dhiù!
Mar a chì thu an seo, tha mìol biotas mòr gu leòr ‘s gun tog nan làmhan beaga iad an airde cuideachd. Feumaidh sibh aon phìos mìol anns gach roinn den bhucas. Cuir gach pìos mìol am meadhan am poll agus brùth sios air le ur chorrag mus cuir sibh poll air a mhullach. Tha sin furast’ gu leòr airson làmhan beaga ur cuideachadh.
Bu chòir don bhiotas ginideachadh ann an ceithir latha deug, agus chì thu duilleagan beag as deigh timcheall air trì latha aig a ‘char as tràithe. Chan fheum thu ach bùrn a chuir air turas neo dhà gach seachdain gus nach fàs iad tioram. Nuair a tha nam biotas a briseadh tron am poll chì thu duilleagan beag purpaidh.
Timcheall air an àm seo, ‘s e dèagh smuain a th’ ann nam biotas a ghluasad gu àite anns a bheil beagan a bharrachd rùm. Mar eisempleir, ma tha beagan gàrradh agaibh, geàrr an airde na bucais-uighean agud cuir iad dhan an talamh ann am plota beag. Mar nach eil comas gàrradh agaibh, nì bucas mor le poll a chùis cuideachd! Brisidh nam bucais-uighean sìos oir tha iad bith-chnàmhach co-dhiù.
Leis an seo deànt, chan fheum sibh ach air burn a chuir air ur biotas bho àm gu àm, agus cumail sùil air mar a tha iad a fàs thairis air ùine.
Tim delivered a train the trainer course to allow practitioners to be trainers for the Forest and Outdoor Kindergarten SCQF level 7, the plan is to embed this training throughout the authority. As in the last post on this training it is based round exploring the three areas of People, Place and Pedagogy; the Who, Where and Why of good practice.
The training was delivered at the Water Wheel Building in the Castle Grounds and the surrounding area and although it was chilly it was a great space to play in.
We started by discussing fun important memories from growing up, and although we were in an outdoor setting most of people memories had an outdoor element to them.
Even with the theoretical content which was needed we tried to make the course as practical as possible to illustrate how the learning through playing can be taken outside.
The aim is for the participants to grow their confidence to take the principles into their nursery setting and encourage others to spend more time outdoors with the young people.
Juliet Robertson makes some great recommendations for being outside with early years and primary school pupils in this video.
The comment we like is ‘weather is an adult’s perception not child’s perception’ (8’50”). From the comfort of your desk it looks like a terrible day but when you are out it is rarely wet all day. Preparing to be outside is the important thing.
Hopefully you find her comments as useful as we did. For more information on Juliet her web site is Creative Star
We are in the middle of the busy season, with the team out and about working with schools and young people in the outdoors. There are often questions about ticks and Lymes disease, we thought it would be useful to post some information about what to do if you are bitten by a tick and things you can do to prevent being bitten.
It is important ticks should not stop you going outside but to take a few sensible precautions to prevent being bitten and if you are, what to do about it.
Lymes disease if carried by ticks which latch on and then take a blood meal. The Comhairle have produced a leaflet with information on the disease (CnES Tick leaflet). More information can be found on the Lymes Disease Action web site.
There is an excellent YouTube video produced by NHS highland on how to remove a tick with Dr James Douglas
There is also good advice from the NHS Scotland web site:
Ticks are small spider-like creatures that can be found on bushes and undergrowth in Scotland’s countryside, parks and gardens from spring through summer and well into autumn. Most ticks that bite people are unlikely to be carrying the germ that causes Lyme disease, but there’s no way of knowing at the time. So, it is best to:
You can reduce your chances of being bitten by ticks by:
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