Yester Primary Blog June 23, 2007
Posted by Bill in : Berwick Law, Outdoor Learning, Scrambling, Yester Primary School , add a comment
I have been checking out the fantastic Yester Primary P7 Blog . They have an intesting blog on their visit to Benmore. Great to see schools blogging about their outdoor learning experiences. I was surprised to find the photographs that class teacher took with his phone on our scrambling days on Berwick Law with the P5’s a couple of weeks ago. These images are just fantastic, if there was ever pictures needed to advertise the use of outdoor learning to promote team cohesion and challenge these are the ones. As Mr Purves points out in the blog the P5’s day on Berwick Law is a great warm up for future Benmore trips but it also helps to build confident individuals who can see the value of working together to achieve in a fun way using the local East Lothian environment
A site to add to the blog roll and I will keep reading the blog with interest. Look forward to working with the P5’s next year.
Haddington Infants P3 Climb The Law. March 1, 2007
Posted by Bill in : Berwick Law, Haddington Infants, Outdoor Learning , 2comments
I have just had a couple of days with 2 classes from P3 at Haddington Infants. We have been scrambling up Berwick Law in the wind. A refreshing experience for all concerned. The whole of P3 will ascend Berwick Law over the coming weeks in small groups. It’s great to get P3 out and about. When I first came to the role If found that many schools were using their Outdoor Education allocation for the “orienteering in school grounds option”. Although there is a lot of value in the orienteering there is plenty of “come and try it Orienteering” run by the service - so why not use the days for a more powerful learning experience and do the orienteering in the school grounds with school staff . We can train and advise on how to do this (There are even courses on the OE CPD brochure).
Yes there is sometimes a tear or two when P3’s set out - but the rewards of the day in terms of shaping confident individuals, relating to endless curriculum links, promoting teamwork, encoraging self and group awareness are well worth it. I appreciate that it’s often difficult to get staff cover, transport costs etc, but it can be done and we help out whenever we can in those areas. Lets get the young uns out! all too often in Outdoor Ed we concentrate on the older pupils thinking that the infants are too wee to do stuff- in my experience in OE this has always been proved wrong. Thanks to all at Haddington Infants for making it happen.
I will get a podcast from the next class to see what the pupils think and post it soon- the feeedback during review with the pupils this week has been fascinating - I just need to remember to push the record button.
