OWL project will live on through new resources

  The CALLP Outdoor and Woodland Learning (OWL) project came to a close on 28 September, with CALLP Education Managers Kat Martin and Fiona Saywell presenting local schools with copies of the Outdoor Learning Guides which they have produced to help support teachers to deliver outdoor learning themselves in the future. It was a fitting end to the project that

Woodland Activity Leader Training (WALT) August 2021

It has been just over 1 month since I returned from my woodland activity leader-training course. Otherwise known as WALT.  The training took place at Wild-Things! An environmental education charity based in Findhorn on the Moray coast. My colleague, Lucy, came with me for the 7- day course and we had a fantastic week. There were 10 participants on the

Our Living Landscape: Communities Leading Change Conference

On 18 August 2021 we held our free, virtual conference, Our Living Landscape: Communities Leading Change, to celebrate the end of our five years of National Heritage Lottery Funding. There were 24 presentations from partners and funders, sharing their learnings and the outcomes of their projects. Over 200 people from all over the UK and beyond registered for the event,

Wild fires in the Highlands – more of a problem than you think

There is something relaxing about sitting around a camp fire.  It does create a feeling of well being, sitting there chatting with friends and family and focussing on the flickering flames between you. For many who have been cooped up indoors for several months, the thought of getting into the great outdoors and being able to do something as basic

Christmas 2020 with the OWL project

Our theme for December this year – Christmas of course!  Its been a very festive month for Lochinver and Achiltibuie Schools and where better to celebrate Christmas than outside in the cold and frosty air (well, we had a few soggy and windy days too!) Here are some of the activities the pupils and school staff have been helping us

A snapshot of the Outdoor & Woodland Learning programme

It was a relief to return to outdoor learning with the schools as they resumed for the 2020/21 academic year back in August. Since then we’ve been busy with Achiltibuie Primary School and Lochinver Primary School every week. Here is a snapshot of what we’ve been getting up to: Explorations up hills… … into the woods… … and by the

Meet your feathered neighbours…

While we collectively remain tucked up safely in our homes, spring is bursting into life all around us. These past couple of weeks, Fiona, Vickii and I would ordinarily have been bursting into a flurry of activity ourselves; through organising, overseeing and delivering aspects of the Ullapool High School S1 Isle Martin residential with various partner groups and individuals. The

Sharing the OWL project with Scourie School

Since March this year the OWL project staff team has been working with Scourie Primary School pupils and teachers to assist with their expanding outdoor learning plans. When we were first asked to visit Scourie school the whole school and nursery had embarked upon a weekly morning outdoor session. The school was extremely lucky to have been offered the use

Going Wild in the Woods

Last week our 7 day Woodland Activity Leader Training came to an end. This is a little sum up of the week! What are the benefits of outdoor education?: exercise, resilience, learning coping strategies, risk awareness, sustainability, build immune system, develop skills such as problem solving, confidence, suits different learning styles, love and respect for natural world, knowledge, personal development,

Sounds around Suilven

The crunch of gravel underfoot… leaves rustling in the breeze… birds singing… the odd giggle (or scuffle!). And the quiet stillness in between. If you happened to be down at Glencanisp yesterday afternoon, you may have been surprised to suddenly happen across eleven mostly-silent 8-10 year-olds. It was certainly a surprise for us to discover how quiet they could be,

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