Some readers may remember the successful environmental education project Biosphere Explorers. This Crichton Carbon Centre project ran from 2019 to 2020, thanks to funding from The Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership and The Holywood Trust.
The work that Biosphere Explorers did in schools was unfortunately hit by the pandemic in 2019, as many projects were, but Shalla – project manager – succeeded in producing excellent educational legacy packs.
A Sense of Place contains the classroom workshops, while Out & About in the Biosphere details opportunities for outdoor learning in the Biosphere. Both parts closely follow the Outcomes and Experiences outlined in the Curriculum For Excellence.
The booklets are great for homeschoolers, teachers, or families who love to get out and about. They’re particularly relevant to the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, and include activities like biodiversity survey sheets, day trip suggestions and follow up activities.
We hope to be able to deliver physical copies soon – as part of Biosphere Explorers 2.
Thanks again to the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership, we can launch our continuation of the environmental education project. Shalla is returning to her role, with Carys Mainprize as project support.
This time the project will be focusing more on COP26 and what that means, supporting teachers to feel confident in talking with their classes about the topic. Four summer events for families will bring children outdoors and engaging with the biosphere once again – more information on those events to come.
We’re also really excited to be working closely with the Dumfries and Galloway Education & Learning Directorate’s ‘Learning for Sustainability’ Partnership Group. Many Galloway Glens projects have contributed work to the Learning for Sustainability resource bank, and our Biosphere Explorers packs will join those ranks – the resource bank is to launch on the 4th of June.
Environmental education, sustainability, and climate change, are all becoming larger parts of curriculums as councils and governments recognise their importance. We welcome this recognition and are excited to get back into schools when restrictions allow.
Carys Mainprize – who previously ran an environmental project in Langholm, Wild Eskdale – is supporting Biosphere Explorers 2:
“I love teaching kids outdoors. It connects the theoretical classroom learning with the wider world. Kids have such curiosity and show so much eagerness to learn and engage with environmental education, and it’s so important to work with them to encourage that connection with the outdoors, and specifically the Biosphere.”
There are a lot of great things being planned behind the scenes – to get a good idea of what the Biosphere Explorers project is all about, take a look at this video on the first project by the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership.
You can also read their press release about Biosphere Explorers 2 here.
We again want to thank GGLP for their support in making this project possible.
The Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership Scheme is a suite of projects happening across the catchments of the rivers Ken and Dee from 2018 to 2023. £2.7million of core funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will be matched by a variety of partners to bring over £5million of investment into the area over the 5 years. The area stretches from the uplands behind Carsphairn in the north, through the Glenkens, past Loch Ken, through Castle Douglas and out to the sea at Kirkcudbright. 35 headline projects plus more Small Grants projects all aim to connect people with their cultural, natural and built heritage, and to support sustainable modern rural communities. For more information about the scheme, visit www.gallowayglens.org.