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
For the last few years the Outdoor Team have worked with the Scaladale Centre to deliver RYA Youth Sailing Scheme Stage 1 and 2 in Harris so this year with the new marina facilities it ran in Tarbert. The new pontoons in East Loch Tarbert Marina made it very easy to run and the facilities are excellent.
The CnES Sailing school were asked by various adults for the opportunity to try sailing. Working with the Scaladale Centre using their Laser Bahia sailing boats, two evening taster sessions were offered in Stornoway Harbour. Although the winds were light and the heavens opened there was loads of good sailing. One of the evenings it was very busy with the coastal rowing boats out and the sailing club using the CnES dinghies.
Tim went to Breasclete School to explore the croft land next to the school, there were plenty of invertebrates including a spider who was ‘snacking’ on a fly. The young people used the Field Studies Council fold out charts to identify the species and plants they found and collated the information using cameras and drawing.
Tim was asked by Tong School to show them how they could use the moorland, a short walk from the school, to look at the fauna and flora they could find there.
The class wrote their own journey plan to get out to the moor and they organised the class to get there. When they arrived at the moor using the Outdoor Team’s environmental box they researched the plants and invertebrates they found documenting them with photographs and drawings.
Tim and Andrew headed to Daliburgh School to run some kayaking sessions. There is a loch next to the school and they are looking at how they can make the best use of it as part of their learning. To see how kayaking could be run on the Loch it was decided to run short sessions for young people across the school.
Although it wasn’t the best weather with the rain the wind stayed away and everyone had a great experience. There was then discussion how they travel forwards and make more use of the Loch.
Tim went into Laxdale School and did a day of fire and camp cooking for a variety of classes from the school. We cooked bannocks and roasted fruit kebabs, polishing off the boxes of fruit Tim had brought.
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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