There has been recent media debate on who is really looking after the interests of the iconic hen harrier as it fights to re-establish itself on England’s moorlands. Is it the RSPB? Or the grouse shooting industry? Or, is it Natural England perhaps? Such debates are rich ground for educational discussions as they raise a…
Zion Lights, Home educator and writer, discusses her experience of Exeter Forest School, a not-for-profit social enterprise that focuses on outdoor learning. The school was founded in 2012 by Chris White, Tom Lowday and Shevek Pring. Their aim was simple – to bring the outdoors to young children, but they rapidly expanded into catering for all ages…
On Friday 21st August 2015, there will be a networking day at the Chelsea Physic Garden: Engaging science – creating links between science and environmental education. The day will explore how science can be linked to work in informal education such as botanic gardens, sustainability, museums and outdoor education settings. There will be opportunities to network, discuss, debate and…
The Environmental Audit Committee has launched its first inquiry of the new Parliament with calls for evidence on the Government’s approach to sustainable development. Its website says: “Promoting sustainable development – which for the purposes of this inquiry includes protecting the environment, supporting the low carbon economy and improving wellbeing – could be worth billions of…
NAEE has just completed its third year of awarding bursaries to schools. Known as Kenrick Days (after the late Hugh Kenrick), the bursaries are helping Birmingham schools to fulfil Anne Kenrick’s wish to see today’s generation getting outdoors, and learning about the environment, including growing and caring for plants. The bursaries go towards the cost…
Time is running out to register for the Bristol Green Capital ESD Symposium in September. Learning from the Sharp End’ – Implications for sustainability in Higher Education takes place on 7 & 8 September, and the registration deadline is 31 August. The symposium focuses on new ideas to empower students to deliver a more sustainable future and…
Butterfly Conservation is asking everyone whether they have seen the Common Blue this year. The Common Blue is the most widespread of the UK’s blue butterflies but in recent years its numbers have declined and in 2012 reached its lowest level on record. As part of this year’s Big Butterfly Count, Butterfly Conservation has teamed up with the National…
A quick internet search or time spent in this sector tells you that the world is not short of books offering activities to do in the great outdoors. However, credit must be given to the authors of ‘Learning with Nature’ who have written a book which stands out in this sea of titles and offers…
Participants in the BiGGY school-leaver pilots will talk about their ‘green’ projects from 1300 to 1430 on Friday 28th August at the University of Gloucestershire’s Park Campus in Cheltenham. They will focus on their experiences and what they learned and can take forward to their university studies. Blogs detailing the work completed can be found here. For further information contact Meg Baker (BiGGY Coordinator): mbaker3@glos.ac.uk or …
Every day last June, a member of staff from The Wildlife Trusts blogged about a Random Act of Wildness that they did. Did you ‘do’ any such random acts yourself out of sympathy or solidarity, perhaps – or just for sheer enjoyment? If not, there’s still time – in September! Meanwhile, you can read about the random…
As we have already noted, the Royal Society of Biology [RSB] has launched a ‘what’s the nation’s favourite insect’ competition. You might have already voted for one of the 10 insects identified by the Society’s ecologists. Or, perhaps, you’re sceptical of the whole idea. Here’s one such view, taken from our President’s blog.
The Forest Education Network (FEN) was set up in 2012 as the successor to the Forest Education Initiative (FEI) in England. Hosted by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the FEN seeks to engage more young people in forest and woodland environments by supporting education in forest and woodland settings, networking and sharing good…