DISCOVER
Discover the wild places you never knew existed and the resources to help you explore.
Bushcraft & Survival Skills
Our bushcraft & survival skills course teaches participants techniques that can be used to survive in the wilds. Our interactive demonstrations are then put into practice in a variety of scenarios. Participants will learn the following: Principles of survival and survival mindset Fire lighting using friction and other methods Improvised shelter building Wild foods, flora and fauna Improvised cooking methods Signalling and navigation Knife safety and cutting skills No previous bushcraft experience is required for this course.
Read More →Scottish Wildlife Trust - Montrose Basin Visitor Centre
Montrose Basin is an enclosed estuary of the river South Esk covering 750 hectares, home to over 80,000 migratory birds – including pink-footed geese, Arctic terns, knots and sedge warblers. Our four-star visitor centre offers a great day out for all the family in Angus. When restrictions ease, school visits are available - please contact the centre for more information. This site is host to a regular Wildlife Watch group for children.
Read More →Outdoor Learning (coin value)
We utlised the outdoor green space and the available natural resources to practice coin values to create totals. The materials available to us included stones, twigs, flowers and leaves. I gave each of these items a different value (see images) and gave pupils the task of making a set total (i.e. 10p). The pupils then explored the environment to gather any combination of leaves/twigs/stones/flowers that would create that required total. This familiarises pupils with coin values and also addition of coin values. It reminds them that coin combinations can be varied to achieve the same total value. You can differentiate this by timing higher ability groups or giving some pupils a lower target value to reach.
Read More →Kirkcudbright 3
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Read More →Getting Offsite: Group Management
As an Outdoor Learning teacher I am like a magpie stealing good ideas from all the brilliant professional out there. Here I have compiled a list of resources, strategies, teachers notes and websites that I have found useful over the years. Dynamic Risk Assessment Outdoor Learning Charter Preparing Pupils Establishing Boundaries Call and Respond Gathering Journeying
Read More →Nature Club at the Ross of Mull Community Garden
When covid guidelines prevented rangers accessing school grounds, our afterschool nature club with Bunessan Primary moved location to the new community garden. Children are collected from school by the ranger and volunteers, and together walk along a safe cycle path to the garden. We've planted trees for a new hedge, fruit bushes, beans and peas...and watched them grow. We've investigated how composting works, looked for minibeasts that help the process and created habitat piles with logs. We've taken part in managing the wildflower meadow, looked for animal tracks and signs and learned to recognise birdsong. We've built a den out of branches. In winter we were stargazing and learning about hibernating and nocturnal creatures. Children proudly show visitors their contributions to the garden which is being created by teams of adult volunteers although soon to employ paid workers to facilitate the next developments. A parent-led outdoor playgroup also meets here.
Read More →Signs of Spring Hunt
After a discussion in class pupils in P2 took their clipboards and paper outside to the playground to look for signs of Spring. When they found something e.g. bud on a tree they were to sketch and write what they had found. A great activity for them to really focus on their surroundings and notice things up high e.g. birds nest and down low e.g. worms.
Read More →Beach Wheelchairs at Portobello
The beach wheelchairs are a free service staffed by volunteers. You need to phone in advance to book them. There is a mobile hoist to assist with transfers into the beach wheelchairs. They have a selection of different types and sizes of chairs depending on your needs which you can check out online before booking. The pupils had a great time getting up close to the sea and the sand in a way that they couldn't in their regular wheelchairs. The beach wheelchairs can even go into the water up to a few centimetres so we splashed and raced each other along the shore. It was an exciting and new sensory experience for the pupils and lots of fun for the staff too. Our school bus was able to park close up to the wheelchair hut and there was easy ramped access to the beach.
Read More →Addition using column method
P2 had been doing lots of learning for addition and subtraction using the column addition. We took this outside to further develop our understanding of how to add two numbers together using the column addition method. Pupils worked in pairs to throw a been bag two times to get the numbers they then added together to find their answer. Some pupils were challenged to throw the been bag three times to make their column sum. We also added in some three digit numbers as well to add some challenge. Lots of fun and a great way to assess learning.
Read More →Addition using column method
P2 had been doing lots of learning for addition and subtraction using the column addition. We took this outside to further develop our understanding of how to add two numbers together using the column addition method. Pupils worked in pairs to throw a been bag two times to get the numbers they then added together to find their answer. Some pupils were challenged to throw the been bag three times to make their column sum. We also added in some three digit numbers as well to add some challenge. Lots of fun and a great way to assess learning.
Read More →Measuring
P5 began by working with a partner to find something they thought was about 10cm long. We then spoke about how to accurately measure this and did so using rulers. I then challenged them to find something that was 30cm long and how could they do this. Some recognised that they could use their 10cm object to help them find something that may be 30cm. We got a lot more accurate or nearly accurate estimated objects this time. Their main activity was working in pairs to complete a worksheet that had different things on it e.g. measure something longer than your arm, something green, something that was never living etc. They had to record the measurement using only cm and also m and cm. They had access to rulers, metre sticks and measuring tapes to help them with this activity. Back in class they were going to use this information to put it in to graphs so they could see more easily the differences between longest and shortest etc.
Read More →Food Chains
P2 had been learning about different food chains as part of their Science. To further embed this understanding we used a variety of different simple food chains outside and playing rock, paper, scissors explored the food chains. We decided on actions for e.g. the grass, mouse, owl etc and then learners would find a partner - do rock, paper, scissors and then whoever won got to ‘consume’ the grass and become the mouse and so on. Not only was it a lot of fun it was a great way to look at different food chains - animals close to home, from the sea and further afield e.g. the jungle.
Read More →Signs of Spring Hunt
After a discussion in class pupils in P2 took their clipboards and paper outside to the playground to look for signs of Spring. When they found something e.g. bud on a tree they were to sketch and write what they had found. A great activity for them to really focus on their surroundings and notice things up high e.g. birds nest and down low e.g. worms.
Read More →AH Biology Fieldwork
The main purpose of this trip was for students to gather data for their Advanced Higher Biology projects, in which they conduct an experiment and analyse the results whilst drawing on knowledge from the biology syllabus. As Benmore Outdoor Learning Centre is situated near forests, woodlands, gardens, valleys and moorland there was a wide variety of locations for students to carry out their projects. Each student chose an area of study before the trip. Day 1 - Pilot studies. Everyone went off to their various locations, where they would be sampling and carrying out their experiments on day 2. This allowed people to carry out their pilot studies. The pilot study is a small-scale version of the full project and is used to determine if an experiment can be carried out in the conditions present, and if the researcher will see any results. The pilot study was useful as it allowed students to refine their project methodologies and make any alterations necessary. Students also took samples from their area, and later identified them back at Benmore House. Days 2 and 3 - Data collection. Students were again out at various locations, but on these days they were carrying out their actual experiments and recording their findings. In addition to noting their findings the students also logged confounding variables which would have an effect on the dependent variable e.g. soil pH, temperature. To ensure that the results found from these experiments were reliable, the students changed location at least once, where they repeated their experimental procedures (replicate). Again, they collected samples and brought them back to Benmore House to be identified. On day 4 - Completion. some students were finishing off their research/sampling/identification, whilst others were allowed to go on an adventurous activity organised by Benmore Centre staff. These activities included abseiling, kayaking, gorge walking and caving.
Read More →Pond bird survey
ideally using clicker to count different species of birds present at the time of the visit, possibly returning at a later date, different season etc to add/compare to the data taken previously and talk about migration etc.
Read More →Wilding Wee Spaces
A collaboration between Edinburgh's Thriving Green Spaces project and local schools has brought this wee idea into reality. The aim is for every learning community to have a wild space that they can use for enhancing learning. Whether that is surveying plants and animals for STEM or using the area to relax and "Take Notice" of nature, this project will give young people in Edinburgh the space to grow, learn and connect with nature. Leith Primary and St Mary's have been involved in planting native tree species as well as surveying the area. By surveying current species schools will be able to measure impact of conservation work over time.
Read More →Spring: Take Notice
Primary 3 have been learning about the John Muir's Five Ways to Wellbeing in Nature: Take Notice, Be Active, Keep Learning, Connect and Give. This week we focussed on Taking Notice: looking at the world around us looking for signs of spring. We have a lot of hazel growing around Castleview and in Craigmillar Castle Park. We were able to identify these trees as they have early catkins and tiny blossom. You might be able to spot the tiny red flower just below the long green catkin. Once this is pollinated by another tree it grows into a lovely hazelnut the fruit of the Hazel tree. The kids were incredibly excited to find this tiny flower and were hugely motivated to try and spot more tiny signs of spring.
Read More →Outdoor Play @ Hopetoun Crescent Gardens
This is a great, small and secure place for OL in Leith. There is a number of willow structures, a circle of stumps to sit on, trees to climb and lots of plant species to learn about. The park has a fence around the outside making it safe for younger pupils. Our Forest Friday group from nursery use this space weekly.
Read More →The Collective - Calton Hill
This free event is currently running from now until March 2023. Schools are invited to book via The Collective website. Pupils were able to play with loose parts and touch different textures within the exhibition. We built this visit into an outdoor learning lesson as we walked up Calton Hill and around the monuments. We spent a long time at the trig point admiring the view!
Read More →More outdoor learning “essential” for young people in Scotland, says study
Experts call to embed environmental learning in all levels of education.More outdoor learning is “essential” for young p...
Read More →Over 2,000 P6 pupils take part in Scotland’s largest outdoor learning event at Holyrood Park
Learners from primary and special schools across Edinburgh have taken part in the Outdoor Learning Challenge, Scotland’s...
Read More →Attainment: The impacts of outdoor learning and play
Discover how outdoor learning and play can improve pupil attainment, and what we’re doing to help schools harness the be...
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