Sow and Grow
This is a great resource for those with green fingers or if your looking for John Muir Award activities:
https://giy.ie/get-involved/grow-at-school/innocent-sow-and-grow.html
Peel Primary Outdoor Learning Days
It has been a very busy week for Outdoor Learning all over West Lothian, lots going on!
We were helping get teachers and classes outside for a couple of days to test the local green spaces around Peel primary last week.
Every class in the school managed to get out over the two days to try some Synonym Orienteering or den building or story telling with magical objects. All worked out very well.
Thanks to the great staff for an excellent couple of days.
Mission: Explore John Muir Resources
Need some ideas for the John Muir Award, this free PDF might help!https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/initiatives/missionexplore-john-muir
Tips: Create a Wonderful Wildlife Garden at School
Top tips on wildlife gardens for schools from Creative Star.
John Muir Award Spring Newsletter
Why Outdoor Learning?
The Natural Connections Demonstration project has published evidence on the benefits of outdoor learning to pupils, teachers and schools.
Children from 125 schools across the South West of England are happier, healthier and more motivated to learn thanks to a new project commissioned by Natural England that has turned the outdoors into a classroom and helped schools transform ways of teaching.
The project, which is funded by Natural England, Defra and Historic Englandand delivered by Plymouth University, is the largest project of its kind in England and has already helped more than 40,000 primary and secondary school pupils get out of their classrooms and into the outdoors – whether that’s a maths lesson in a local park or drama out on the school field.
Read more: http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6636651036540928
18th May: Outdoor Classroom Day
Put this date in the diary and get outside!
Growth Mindset: Be careful
Helping children confront challenges requires a more nuanced understanding of the “growth mindset.” explains Carol Dweck in an new Article in the Atlantic Magazine.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/510845/
Polli-Nation
Polli:Nation is a UK wide initiative supporting pupils from 260 schools to turn their school grounds and other local walk-to spaces into pollinator friendly habitats. To do this schools are encouraged to:
- Survey their patch using the new OPAL Polli:Nation survey (available May 2016)
- Make improvements for pollinators on their patch
- See how well it has worked using the OPAL survey to see the impact the improvements have had.
This cross-curricula secondary and primary school project will give pupils direct hands-on experiences; from creating vertical green walls and night-blooming flower beds to lobbying to change school maintenance regimes and debating pesticide use. Pupils will learn about the role pollinating insects play in eco system services and be able to contextualise this in the choices and actions they take.
Alongside creating a network of knowledgeable and enthused young activists, the ambition of this programme is to utilise school grounds to form local green corridors and ‘stepping stones’, enabling species to move between core areas thereby contributing to the overall aim of the project by increasing numbers and sightings of pollinating insects in the UK.
A great project fro school gardens or as a John Muir Award project!
Find out more here http: http://www.polli-nation.co.uk/
New Research: Get Outdoors!
New research from around the globe on the benefits of being active outdoors. Well worth a read!
