Learning outdoors is a key part of our curriculum here in Lochwinnoch Primary School. This year, our Primary 5 and Primary 6 pupils, in recognition of all the work we do in learning outdoors, are working hard to try and gain Lochwinnoch Primary’s first ever John Muir Award!

The John Muir Award encourages people of all backgrounds to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places. The award encourages participants to discover wild places, to explore these locations, to work hard to conserve them, and then to share news of their hard work.

Throughout this school year, pupils in Primary 5 and Primary 6 are working hard to reach this goal. We are looking closely at our school grounds, we are carrying out surveys of the plant and animal life which thrives there, we are then comparing this to truly wild places in our wonderful village, and we are then looking at ways to encourage and increase the biodiversity of our school grounds.

We have visited the RSPB for specialist workshops, we have learned lots about nature and John Muir already, and we aim to share our progress through the award scheme with our school community through assembly, through sharing on Seesaw, and through posting on our school website and on Twitter.

We are very confident that we have the skills to achieve this award, and we are ready for adventure!