Tag Archives: Young people

Expressive Arts, Outdoor Learning, Sciences, Uncategorised

It’s Our World – mass participation arts project

Leave a comment

It’s Our World is a mass participation arts project that aims to create the UK’s largest online collection of artwork celebrating the environment, as seen through the eyes of its future custodians, aged 4–19 years.

The purpose is to inspire children and young people to speak out for positive environmental action by creating artworks to bring their local landscape, coastline or neighbourhood to life. Participants are also encouraged to consider their environmental impact and to take the lead in living more sustainably, with online resources available from www.itisourworld.org.uk

It has been developed in support of The Campaign for Drawing with the active involvement of over 20 environmental, educational and arts partners. Amongst those involved are The UN World Environment Day, The Eden Project, The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Keep Britain Tidy (Eco-Schools), The John Muir Trust, Jupiter Artland, The National Society for Education in Art & Design and The Royal Photographic Society.

Subject matter can be approached in a variety of ways including observation, outdoor learning, multiple perspectives that reflect local landmarks and neighbourhoods, critical thinking about environmental impacts and ways in which to lead more sustainable lives. Artworks can Include close up studies of natural forms, sweeping landscapes or studies of urban environments, in any medium including painting, drawing, textiles, printmaking, graphics and photography. Use of recycled and natural materials is especially encouraged in creating collages, mosaics and 3D artworks.

The Online Gallery is now open for submissions until end of May.  Uploaded artwork will be showcased on digital ad screens across the UK from UN World Environment Day 5th June 2015

It’s Our World can be linked across subjects to help deliver curriculum outcomes, and be a creative aspect of any outdoor activity.

For moderation purposes PIN Codes have been issued to every school and college  in the UK to access the gallery and upload artwork.   Please contact patzi@juniper-pre.co.uk if you would like a code to share your students’ work.

‘The John Muir Trust is delighted to be part of such an inspirational and ambitious project. It’s Our World is already stimulating more artwork as part of the John Muir Award. Anything that encourages a sense of place, and helps us to value and care for what’s around us, has to be worth getting involved in.’ Rob Bushby, John Muir Trust

Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Primary

Outdoor Learning in Argyll

Leave a comment

15 primary schools from the Oban area have taken part this year in an Outdoor Learning Programme  delivered by Stramash, the Oban based social enterprise and charity.

“The programme uses the unique environment of the west coast of Scotland to help inspire the next generation to enjoy and engage with all the great outdoors has to offer. The programme offers a range of outdoor experiences for children & young people that challenge and inspire, enrich the learning that takes place inside the classroom and supports the personal, social and emotional development of each individual.  This supports Curriculum for Excellence, providing experiences which stimulate learning, connect to the natural environment and encourage active, healthy lifestyles. The programme is varied and tailored to suit each school. We have delivered the programme in forest, woodland and coastal environments and the children have participated in a variety of activities including hillwalking, orienteering and sea kayaking as part of the programme.” Outdoor Learning Manager, Stramash

Stramash have created a film to tell the story of the programme. To view the film click on this link http://vimeo.com/110570839

Adult Learning, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Uncategorised, Young people, children & families

The search is on for Scotland’s Youth Worker of the Year

Leave a comment

Youth workers and volunteers are being encouraged to nominate entries for YouthLink Scotland’s National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015. The awards will showcase the remarkable work that is being done across Scotland.

Nominations for each of the ten award categories are open now until Thursday 18 December. The winners will be announced and celebrated at the awards dinner in March 2015.

To find out more information about the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015 and to download a nomination form, visit the YouthLink Scotland website

Primary, Sciences, Social studies

‘Our Environment Competition’ resources

Leave a comment

The team working on ‘Our Environment‘ competition on Scotland’s Environment website are beginning to add learning resources to their competition page.

This includes learning journeys, helpful hints about ‘What SE Web can do for you’, a page of useful links when planning your competition entry and briefing notes with helpful information for teachers. More resources and links are being added every week to this.

Remember the compeition is your chance to

  • find an environmental problem that you want to fix (or a potential problem you want to prevent)
  • describe the problem
  • work out what you want to change, how that could make us healthier and happier
  • work out how you are going to make it happen.

…and you could win £1000 for your school or group!

http://www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get-involved/the-big-discussion/

Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Primary, Sciences, Skills, Social studies, Teacher Education, Uncategorised

Big Biology Day Scotland – the Science of Life. Sunday 12th October

Leave a comment

Life, the world around us and the search for extra-terrestrials will be explored though a range of hands-on activities at Big Biology Scotland on Sunday 12th October 2014.

This free event for all ages, at Mugdock Country Park from 10:00-15:00, will include outdoor activities such as a Bug Hunt, Sun spotting, Rocket making and Bird ringing.



Inside the visitor centre, budding biologists can get busy making Crafty Critters and DNA bracelets. Older visitors can learn more about health with ‘Bacteria Combat’ and ‘Meet a GP’.

The theatre will host films and talks from ‘Meet the Scientist’ and the Cosmic Way Roadshow where you can explore the origins of life in the stars.

To celebrate National Fungus Day (also on Sunday 12 October) Mugdock park rangers will run a Fungi Foray from 13:00-14-30 and Jaw Brew and Battlefield Bakery will be on hand all day to show how the yeast fungus is vital to brewing beer and baking bread.

Big Biology Day Scotland is one of six science festivals taking place all over the country as part of Biology Week 11-18th October 2014, organised by the Society of Biology.

Dr Mark Downs, Chief Executive of the Society of Biology, says: “Biology affects us all: biological research has helped provide food, medicines, vaccinations, and much more. We have organised Biology Week to share our fascination with the world around us.”

For more information visit: https://www.societyofbiology.org/events?event_id=581

CfE, CLD, Community Capacity Building, Community Resilience, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Mathematics, Outdoor Learning, Primary, Professional Learning, Responsibility of All, Sciences, Skills, Social studies, Technologies, Young people, children & families

Free Community Resilience Conversation and Networking Event – Inverness October 7th

Leave a comment

Community Resilience Education – Free Conversation Day and Networking Event

09:30 (for 10:00 start) – 15:00, Tuesday 7th October 2014

Venue: Thistle Hotel, Millburn Road, Inverness, IV2 3TR

Education Scotland is excited to be hosting a second community resilience conversation and networking event with a view to developing a shared, partnership approach to provide 3-18 resilience education opportunities.

The day aims to bring together members of the Scottish Government, emergency planning and civil contingencies teams from local councils, representatives from local education authorities, and members of other key organisations to consider the potential of community resilience as a rich and exciting context for teaching and learning. Key contexts for focus include flooding, severe weather and pandemic flu and the impact they can have on communities and how we can take steps to mitigate against their impact through educating learners.

We would also like to extend this event invite to school representatives (members of management teams, or teachers who have been, or are interested in engaging in community resilience education) to explore how we can take forward resilience education. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Conversation activities will provide delegates with opportunities to network and engage in professional dialogue in relation to developing more resilient individuals, families and communities. Selected examples of good practice will be shared through engaging presentations delivered by Education Scotland, Scottish Government, local councils and schools.

All interested delegates should register online at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N2F3TWC to confirm attendance and inform us of any special dietary or access requirements you may have.

If you have any further questions or your school is/has been involved in community resilience projects or initiatives and you would be interested in presenting at the event to share your practice with others, please contact Jennifer Moore at: Jennifer.Moore@educationscotland.gov.uk

Glow TV, Professional Learning

Unlocking Potential – Developing a Growth Mindset for Success

Leave a comment

Glow TV is delighted to work with the Winning Scotland Foundation to present Professor Carol Dweck’s acclaimed Mindset Research.

Professor Dweck’s research identifies that individuals can approach their own abilities and talents with either a fixed or growth mindset. With a fixed mindset being people believe their basic qualities, like intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time validating their intelligence or talent instead of developing it.

A growth mindset however is people believing their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. People with a growth mindset strive to achieve their full potential through continually developing themselves.

This event is aimed at all teachers – early years/primary/secondary and is part of a live event taking place in Edinburgh on Tuesday 9th September at 5pm. Sign up and join us live or Watch Again!

CfE, Glow TV, Literacy, Literacy and English

Ross Rocks Reading Launch Events

Leave a comment

Ross Rocks Reading is an exciting and innovative challenge for schools and their communities to get more involved with reading.

Glow TV will be joining pupils from various primary and secondary schools in East Lothian as they tell us all about the books that they have been reading and what books they are looking forward to reading.

Join us to find out more about this exciting opportunity and how you and your school/community can become involved in your own Rocking Reading Challenge!

We are delighted to have two separate events on Tuesday 9th September – Primary Event at 9.30am and Secondary Event at 11am. Sign up and join us on the day or Watch Again if you are unable to watch us live!

CfE, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Responsibility of All, Young people, children & families

Today is Playday!

Leave a comment

Playday is the national day for play in the UK, traditionally held on the first Wednesday in August.

Playday 2014 is on 6 August.

On Playday thousands of children and their families get out to play at hundreds of community events across the UK.

woods

Playday is a celebration of children’s right to play, and a campaign that highlights the importance of play in children’s lives.

Click here to find out more about Playday.

Play ‘boosts children’s development and happiness’

A report out today, for the Children’s Play Policy Forum, found play improved children’s physical and mental health, as well as their emotional well-being. It also helps boost children’s language development, problem solving, risk management and independent learning skills.

Click here to read more about the report from BBC News.

CfE, Early Years, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Young people, children & families

National Play Strategy: Review of Inclusive Play in Scotland

Leave a comment

A Review of Inclusive Play in Scotland was identified as a high priority within the National Play Strategy Action Plan (2013), recognising that all children in Scotland have the right to play. The Plan particularly mentions the play rights of disabled children and young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Please take part in this important review by completing our SURVEY and encourage others – adults, children and young people – to do so.

We hope to find out about:

  • the existing barriers to inclusive play in Scotland
  • the aspirations about inclusive play
  • approaches, tools, practice and strategies that work well in ensuring play experiences and opportunities are inclusive

The adults survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/reviewofinclusiveplayinscotland

The survey for children and young people can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/childrenandyoungpeoplessurvey

Closing date for SURVEY Wednesday 27th August 2014

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/10/9424/0

In this review we will gather information in four ways: using existing information, an online survey, interviews and conversations, and three consultation events.

We hope that you can become involved and share your experiences, information and views.

You can contact us at

Theresa Casey theresa.playreview@gmail.com

and

Anne-Marie Mackin amm.playreview@gmail.com

Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Young people, children & families

Digi Dan- Internet Safety for 9-12 yrs

Leave a comment

As part of their Stay Safe Online programme Police Scotland have developed a website for youngsters based around the character of Digi Dan, an internet explorer.

On the site you can see Digi Dan’s top tips, download his ibook, find other people who can help you stay safe online and take Digi Dan’s quiz to win some great prizes.

Find out more on the Digi Dan website.

Health and wellbeing, Responsibility of All, Young people, children & families

Stay Safe Online

Leave a comment

Police Scotland’s ‘Stay Safe Online’ campaign is now targeting teens with vital advice on how to be web savvy and avoid the dangers of cyber-bullying and sexting.

‘Selfies’ are big news at the moment with many famous people taking them and posting them online including at big events. But do you know just how far to go and what the consequences can be if your photograph was posted maliciously online?

That’s just one of the aspects of the campaign which also features a hard-hitting Police Scotland commissioned video produced by the Leith Agency starring pupils aged 13-16 from Clyde Valley High School, Wishaw and Ross High School, Tranent, East Lothian who recount their personal online experiences.

The nationwide Stay Safe Online campaign aims to help children, parents, teachers and carers improve their knowledge and understanding of how to keep children safe while they are online.

To see how teenagers react to their private posts being made public look at this YouTube video.

Supporting Learners, Young people, children & families

FREE TRAINING DAY – Recognising and Realising Children’s Rights in a Global Context

Leave a comment

SATURDAY 7th JUNE – 10.30-4.00
Godfrey Thomson Hall Thomson’s land Moray House School of Education, The University of Edinburgh, Old Moray House, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ

A GATHERING OF PEOPLE

A gathering of people with a commitment to develop rights-­based values, attitudes, skills and practices in working with children and young people. This will be of particular interest to teachers, community

leaders and workers and all those who are committed to the development, formation and support of young people in their own and in a global context.

IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT

Twende Pamoja seeks to promote the development of a global vision, in the context of relationship. It supports partnerships between communities, schools and places of learning in Tanzania and Scotland. In the past 3 years Twende Pamoja has conducted workshops enabling young people in both countries to articulate their vision for the future.

ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE AND WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE

Seven Tanzanian young people who have been working as young leaders are presently in Scotland and along with seven young Scottish counterparts will take part in the day.

IN A DAY THAT AIMS TO

• raise awareness and develop knowledge/understanding of the UNCRC

• reflect with young adults in an international context about these issues

• enable individuals and establishments to self evaluate their practice in the light of the UNCRC

• support improvement planning within communities and institutions

• encourage reflective dialogue in the midst of busyness

AND FOR WHICH THERE IS NO CHARGE

If you would like to register for the day e-­‐mail the following information to

margo.morris@edinburgh.gov.uk

Tea/coffee will be provided. Participants should bring their own lunch. Having taken part in this event you may be interested in coming to the Conversation on 21 June.

CfE, Technologies

Kodu Cup Scotland 2014

Leave a comment

The Kodu Kup is open to anyone from a Scottish school aged between seven and fourteen. Children must be entered as a team of three, forming a mini “game studio”.

Follow @KoduKup on Twitter or ‘Like’ us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KoduKup) to receive regular updates, including dates of free training sessions!

You can download Kodu Game Lab and other useful resources from the Microsoft Partners in Learning website www.pil-network.com. Project Spark can be downloaded from Project Spark

There will be three winning teams in both Primary Secondary sectors. All 6 winning teams will receive a Kinect device, plus a copy of the official Kodu for kids book and a wireless XBOX360 controller with PC USB wireless receiver for their School.

One overall winner will be selected and they will receive the Scottish Kodu Kup and an invitation to present their game to a panel of judges from the games industry at Microsoft Headquarters in Reading. The winners of each category in the UK final will each receive a Surface RT tablet and one overall winning team will take home the UK Kodu Kup! Download more information about the Kodu Cup Scotland 2014

CfE, Languages, Literacy, Literacy and English, Literacy and Gàidhlig

Get pupils excited about reading with Book Trailers

Leave a comment

Creating Book Trailers is a fantastic way to enthuse your learners about reading and develop their critical skills. This year, Scottish Book Trust are running our first ever book trailer competition for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards, and have published a wealth of resources to help you get creative with trailers. Closing date for entries is February 7.

Make your pupils’ voices heard in the Scottish Children’s Book Awards

Every year thousands of children of all ages vote for their favourite book in the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. Why not get them writing reviews of the books to help them make their decision? Our review competition is a great opportunity to win some fabulous prizes, including book tokens and a visit from one of the shortlisted authors. You can find more details in the Get Involved section of SCBA. Closing date for entries is February 7.

CfE

Scottish Education Awards 2014

Leave a comment

Nominations for the 2014 awards are now open, visit the Scottish Education Awards website for more information and to submit your nomination.

The Awards celebrate the hard work and success in Scottish education. They recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcase the value work and innovation in learning environments across Scotland.

There are 15 categories including new categories for Creative Learning, Innovation in Literacy and Numeracy and 2014 Commonwealth Games – Games Legacy Awards.

If you know of a school or teacher that deserves to be recognised for their hard work let us know and submit a nomination today. Nominations must be submitted by Friday 21 February 2014.

Additional Support for Learning, Young people, children & families

Autism-friendly Disney’s The Lion King Performances

Leave a comment

Disney’s THE LION KING is working closely with The National Autistic Society to create a friendly and supportive environment to enjoy this award-winning musical which is currently playing at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre.

The specially adapted performances will be suitable for people with autism, with trained staff on hand in dedicated quiet and activity areas should anyone need to leave their seats.

For more details about these performances please visit the The Lion King -Autism Friendly website.

CfE, CLD, Health and wellbeing, Outdoor Learning, Young people, children & families

Festival of Dangerous Ideas 13th – 21st June 2013

Leave a comment

The brilliant folks from the College Development Network have put together another wonderful programme for this year’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas. The festival was created to ‘re-establish the importance of dangerous ideas as agents of change in education – to shift the axis of what is possible!’ There is a real focus on adventurous approaches to learning, especially in the outdoors, which fits completely with our work in professional learning and Adventures in Improvised Living. More information about the week and the overall programme of events which are suitable for a range of educators can be found on the CDN website: http://bit.ly/Vw0nzT

There are two outstandingly innovative events which feature outdoor learning prominently. The first is a repeat of the most excellent Edible Edinburgh Breakfast at the Botanics Event which takes place in the Royal Botanic Gardens on 19th June. Check out the details: http://bit.ly/109G01s If you enjoy a stimulating, delicious and nature connected start to your working day, this event is a ‘must’ for you!

The second is a fabulous whole day event at West Highland College UHI in Fort William: Celebrating Failure and Success http://bit.ly/YZLfy1 In the first part of the day, the West Highland Way Walkers who will just have completed their 5 day walk, led by young people from West Highland College will exhibit the dangerous ideas that grew during their journey in the wild. In the second half of the day, Outward Bound will lead a session that will explore how they have used the research on Mindsets to develop their work with young people. Mindset is a model developed by Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford University. At its heart is the distinction between students’ perceptions of their abilities. The belief that you have innate, unchanging capabilities is called a Fixed Mindset. The belief that you can develop your capabilities through hard work and practice is called a Growth Mindset. The implications of these two are significant, and will frame this workshop.