
Learning in Local Greenspace
Have you discovered the learning potential in your local greenspace?
Have you discovered the learning potential in your local greenspace?
Learning in a local greenspace just a short walk from your school opens up so many learning opportunities and gives pupils and teachers fresh air and space in these days of social distancing.
We have developed two resources to help you identify, access and use nearby greenspace for learning.
The Greenspace Map for Outdoor Learning is an interactive web mapping tool to help you find local greenspaces that may provide outdoor learning opportunities.
Beyond your boundary: easy steps to learning in local greenspace will help you identify, access and use nearby greenspace for learning. It is for educators in all schools working in all subjects and with pupils at all stages.
It will help you to use and improve your local greenspaces and embed outdoor learning in your school curriculum. It also contains links to research highlighting the benefits of learning in local greenspace.
The online resource includes a Learning in local greenspace questionnaire and template to help you develop your action plan. There is also a greenspace audit to help you assess a site's potential for outdoor learning.
To find out why Scotland’s education policy recognises the value of engaging with greenspace and what research says about learning in local greenspace see the ‘More Information’ section of Beyond your Boundary.
Here are some quotes from teachers, parents and pupils that have participated in the Learning in Local Greenspace project:
Funding awarded to 23 projects with the aim of supporting young people to have regular, frequent, structured and progressive outdoor learning experiences.
The Outdoor Learning in Nature Fund has now closed.
Learning in Local Greenspace is a priority project in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Route Map. The aim of the project is to get pupils learning in the outdoors regularly and often by 2020. It has involved 115 schools serving some of the most disadvantaged areas in Scotland across 12 local authorities.
Whilst NatureScot manages the project, we have been working with environmental organisations and local authorities across Scotland to deliver it. The key to its success has been the collaboration between partners to provide sustained support tailored to the needs of the individual schools. By supporting schools over a period of time to help build confidence to take learning out into a local greenspace, we are hoping to embed outdoor learning at the schools well beyond the life of the project.
It is anticipated that the project will encourage lasting change in the schools that have taken part. However, it is also anticipated that the key resources produced to support the project will also be useful and inspiring for other schools well beyond the end of the project:
The Outdoor Learning Directory offers lots of inspiration for learning in your local greenspace.
Citizen science also offers many opportunities to help support and enhance outdoor learning.
Camera traps are a great tool for engaging children in learning about nature and can provide a huge range of learning opportunities. See our schools camera trapping project page for further inspiration.
Please contact the project team at NatureScot for more information on this project:
Sue Munro, Project Manager for LiLG Project (Policy and advice, Greenspace)
Email: [email protected]
Sharon Cunningham (Policy and advice, Outdoor learning)
Email: [email protected]
Penny Martin (Policy and advice, Outdoor learning)
Email: [email protected]
Learning in Local Greenspace project downloads
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