Back to school!

Well I've had the most brilliant 5 weeks! I've met some amazing people and been very privileged to observe some great instructors and organisations at work. A huge 'thank you' to all those who have allowed me to visit, stay, take part in activities and have answered my numerous questions.

'Thank you'

Busy, busy......

Wednesday I was at Merrylands School working with small groups of Year 5 children doing a mapping task. Using pacing alone they managed to plot landmarks on their site with a high degree of accuracy. In the afternoon it was environmental work in the schools wild nature garden, the pupils had to find evidence of life........they found loads! They found evidence of everything from ants, snails, frogs, spiders, birds, wasps to cats and foxes. The pupils were also able to identify many of the plants that were growing there.
Today was a very early start, I arrived at Hilltop Junior School at 6.40am!! It was open morning at their school so I helped BJH convert a gazebo into a camouflaged outdoor learning area with 'Fred' asleep in a hammock out of the sun, we finished setting it up just as the first parents arrived at 9.30am. Throughout the morning we chatted to parents, children and staff about the outdoor learning programme which is based on survival skills and hearing how well it has been received by all. Well done BJH!

Back in sunny Essex

I've been back to KJS, chatted with old colleagues - good to see you all. Today, and for this week I'm with Barry Howard, from Hunter Outdoor Training. First Year 6 transition day. They were soooo quiet to start with but by lunch after making shelters, stretchers, navigating their way through a ground web plus the gutter challenge, you would think they had known each other throughout their primary years, friendships made. They learnt that listening, carrying out instructions were key to successfully completing the tasks. On Tuesday I went to West Hordon where Y3/4 and Y5/6 engaged in their regular weekly outdoor learning activities, they were all kitted out and up for the task. It was so refreshing to see the wonderment in young children as they discovered mini beasts in their natural habitats.
Quick lunch and off to another school for 'maths outdoors', compass skills and mapping of the school site were all carried out in an hours workshop!

Auf Wiedersehen Salem

Well I've packed my bags, yet again! I arrive back at Gatwick hopefully at about 8pm tonight (Friday). Big 'thank you' to all the staff here at Salem, I have been able to see and learn a great deal, a very worthwhile experience.

A busy two days!

Hello! Yesterday I visited Salem International College (Harlen and Spetzgart), both very different to the Schoss and Hohenfels, however the school ethos is very evident. I was able to gain a full overview of all the clubs, challenges and expeditions that they provide their students, very interesting. At lunch I met with several students who are very keen outdoors people, most of whom are doing the International Award Programme (D of E) to discuss their experiences.
Today, Thursday I have been with the international exchange pupils visiting the local area. First we visited a bakery and had a go at making pretzels (bit easier than croissant), then we went to Affenburg Salem which is home to lots of storks, deer, swans and carp. The main attraction though is the 200+ Barbary Macaques who live in the forest, Ben you would have loved it! You walk around inside the enclosure and the monkeys come up very close to you, especially if you have the specially prepared popcorn with which to feed them. Then it was on to the town of Meersburg, right on Lake Constance and has one of the oldest castles in Germany for a fact finding challenge. A great couple of days.

Schloss Salem

Here are some photos of the Schloss Salem. The Salem School is split across three sites all within 20minutes drive of each other. Schloss Salem is the middle school (8th to 11th grade). Amazing buildings, in particular the Minster, which attracts many tourists. This afternoon I'm off to Hohenfels, the lower scchool (5th to 7th grade) to see what they do.
P.S Didn't do the run at 6.30am this morning but did join the school for assembly at 7.45am!

A quick note from Salem.........

Hello! I've managed to get internet access. I've had a busy day! I joined a 9th Grade English lesson where they all spoke good English for the 90 minutes, they seem to know quite a bit about coal mining, steel works and Sheffield (could be why they are going to watch Billy Elliott or The Full Monty tomorrow........mind you they have to do nearly 1000 words about the film and the characters in them all in English for an assessment). Then I went with the service group to a Kindergarten where they help teach English. The theme was 'waterworld', so they looked in the fish tank, drew their own tank and then made play dough sea creatures. Then it was back to Salem and I met with some of the 9th Graders who have just come back from various 2 week expeditions, it was very interesting hearing about their adventures.
I'm up early tomorrow, not sure I'll make the 6.30am run though!!

Bon Voyage

A short update from base camp to say that Joanne drove across Scotland yesterday to Edinburgh and is this morning flying off to Switzerland on her way to Salem.

Joanne's main comment about this transfer is 'Why is it that clothes that have been worn do not fold down as small as those that haven't?'. I think that the packing of the case has been a bit of a struggle!

The 'splosh'!

Hello..........another busy and exciting day. This morning I left Hadleigh and my camera behind because I went walking up a river bed, bit slippery in places but great fun. There was a rope swing that when you let go you dropped into the pool below, refreshing on a warm day in what's proving to be a sunny Scotland or you could just do Tarzan impressions! Then a bit more of a climb and we arrived at the 'splosh'! You climb up onto the rocks and then jump into the deep pool below...........yes I did do from the highest point, not just once but twice, it was brilliant, thoroughly recommend it. To see pictures of the splosh and other activities have a look at the Ardroy website and click on gallery at the bottom of the page.
This afternoon I went to a nearby wood on a sensory walk, found a 'magic spot', saw a deers skull, found some wonderful waterfalls which you could walk under and met with the Scottish National Parks Outdoor Learning Development Officer. Plus art with natural materials on the beach this evening . Now I'm off to pack as I leave here tomorrow.
Many thanks to everyone at Ardroy for a great week, I've learnt a great deal.

Exams!

For all of you taking exams this week I wish you the very best, don't panic just remember what you have been taught. For all of you marking exams this week.............not long until the summer holiday!

If you go down into the woods today...............

......................you'll find Hadleigh with his midge net on taking part in a woodland and conservation day 'up' in Cormonachan wood. First we strolled up into the wood finding star moss, spiders, foxgloves, tadpoles and bog moss. Then we had to make a 'smell' cocktail as we continued on our way. Then it was time for fire lighting, followed by using our fox walk, deer ears and owl eyes to listen and look carefully at our surroundings. After lunch we continued climbing up until we found a place where there was lots of rhododenrums (probably spelt wrong!) which needed pulling up. A shelter was built from the plant material. Then followed a very steep climb! The view from the top was worth it though............stunning. Great day, think we shall all sleep well tonight.

Welcome to Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre

I received a very warm welcome from all the staff at Ardroy this morning. Today about 60 pupils arrived from two different schools. One school are doing the John Muir Award, the other a Healthy Mind and Body course. After lunch they were quickly kitted out with fleeces, waterproof trousers, jackets, welly boots (think they may need them for the 'splosh'!) and back-packs. Once all sorted out they went with their group leaders to 'explore' the surroundings. Now they are getting ready for either night orienteering or nightline and labyrinth................should be fun! Think I'm in for another busy week adventuring.

Found it!

Dodgey ethernet cable! Anyway I began my day just to the right of centre of this photo on the far side of the Loch. Now I started to go down, very, very steep so pleased it was dry. Took about 35 minutes to reach the bottom. Think I've walked about 10+km today, a really lovely walk.......think my legs will know it in the morning though!

Shhh, don't tell anyone......

.............I'm having a day off today, I don't have to drive anywhere, meet anyone or pack for anything.
So had breakfast and then headed into the village, which is on the opposite side of the Loch, gloriously sunny, ideal day for a walk. First walked to the village, much larger than I'd thought and a hive of activity today as it was hosting a triathlon (they must be mad, run then cycle ride to Carrick Castle and part way back before launching themselves into the Loch for a swim). I then went to the start of my circular walk on Ben Donich. It starts near the local primary school and goes up..........up.........up and even further up! The views were stunning. It was great just to stand and look at the mountains changing colour as the clouds moved, so many different shades of green. I also came across some Highland
cattle munching away, they look quite fierce. Onwards and still upwards.........then the sound of running water, and lots of it. I spied through the trees some waterfalls. Bit tricky negotiating a better look, lots of moss, ferns, bluebells (yes you read that right, June and the hillside is covered in them) and tree roots. They are where two rivers meet, one being Donich Water, not sure what the
other one is. Photos just don't do the scenery justice. Still climbing up and over the top of the falls, the path was very narrow with lose stones under foot. Finally some flat, again the views were amazing took a view through the trees........oops............it's vanished.............to be continued!

Travelling day today.

Hello one and all. Not sure how far I've travelled since yesterday but it's pretty much from one side of Scotland to the other. The A82 was a bit like being on a one carriage motorway, fast, lots of overtaking but with very sharp bends plus the odd halt to let boats pass! Stopped at Fort William, glimpsed Ben Nevis despite the clouds, drove through Glen Coe, had lunch close to Glen Etive, no phone signal since Loch Lommond (and unlikely for the next week!!). Then I arrived at 'The Rest and Be Thankful', after all that I thought I can see why it's called that, have a feeling it's called that for another reason...............my destination, 6 miles away, ohhh my goodness what a 6 miles, I've never driven or been driven down/up/along something quite like this, Nick you'd have loved it and Ben too, Jake you wouldn't! Safe to say now I'm here I'm not venturing 'out' back up that road until I have to (week Saturday).
Thanks for all your mails, texts and comments, really good to hear from so many of you.
Quick note for the Challenge Club - yes there were animals (birds, bears, wolves, lynx and elk) but didn't see anything other than mosquitoes, yes we lit fires and cooked on them, food has been good except my pancakes at the lake!, didn't see Nessie, if Mrs Franceschi wants to take up weaseling (bit difficult to find somewhere near us) then fine but count me out!!

Nessie Ahoy!

Hi there from Loch Ness!

There is no Internet here so this update comes from base camp.

However we do have picture texts, .

The view from Joanne's room

Hadleigh and Joanne are currently scanning the dark waters of Loch Ness for Nessie (the Loch Ness monster). Of course, any reported sightings will be captured and posted!

Administration Note: If you are adding a comment using the Anonymous option - please do add your name to the text so that we know who you are. Thanks :-)

Out with Year 5

Hello!! What a day I've had.........Up and out ready to go before 8am. Met with the two instructors I was going to be with for the day, we then drove through the Scottish countryside for about 90 minutes to Loch Duntelchaig where we met pupils from Aberlour who were on a weeks expedition. Helmets on and one group were off micro-caving or weaseling, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about you have to wriggle, scramble and squirm like a weasel through a labyrinth of tunnels, voids and tight spaces under a jumble of vast boulders that have lain undisturbed since the ice-age, fancy having a go? (Really not for me so when the groups swapped I stayed above ground). The other group helmets and harnesses on, scrabble up the hillside, bit slippy after all the rain we had yesterday, to the top of a craig. Then expertly one by one they abseiled down to the botttom. The outdoor education department at Gordonstoun very much believe in impelling their students, and visiting teachers, into new experiences. Yes I abseiled for the first time ever!! Was I worried? Hmmm, trust in a couple of bits of rope to stop you falling?? It was great! I really enjoyed it, would recommend it and love to do it again.

My few days at Gordonstoun have been excellent. Yet again I have seen, learnt and experienced so much. Many thanks!

A few photos.

Hadleigh Bear at Culloden.

The battlefield at Culloden.

The big house at Gordonstoun.

St Michael's Kirk on the silent walk.

It has been a very interesting day and I've spoken to many people about how Kurt Hahn's (founder Headmaster) philosophy still influences Gordonstoun today. As well as all the outdoor aspects there are many elements of service i.e giving your time freely to help others, for example special boat service, helping the coastguard, conservation, ski patrol, mountain rescue, life guard and they have their own fire station which gets called out about 40 times a year. Tonight I have been with the young carers, they come from the local area and have a couple of hours of fun playing sport, swimming with students from Gordonstoun, the project has been running for about 8 years now and is very worthwhile. On my way back to Homewood (the house I'm staying in) I visited one of the girls boarding houses to see what they were like - impressed!

Hello from Gordonstoun.

Evening! I have just got back from the 'Silent Walk' to St. Michael's Chapel taking in the beautiful school grounds. Big thanks to the IT department, I can now blog, just as well as I can't get a mobile phone signal!
I visited the Culloden Battlefield this morning. I found out that the Mackenzies' fought for four different Clans all on the Jacobite side. There was only me on the long tour/walk, quite eerie in the mist but Hadleigh Bear kept me company, until I got back to near the visitors centre where there were more people doing the shorter tour.
I arrived at Gordonstoun at about 3pm and was meet by the Head of Outdoor Learning, lots of chat about what goes on in his department and the rationale behind it. I have a very busy couple of days starting with chapel at 8.15am , then a tour of the school, followed by a day of meeting and talking to people who all have an important role to play in the running of this school. So my day will end about 7.30pm. Then an early start on Wednesday for abseiling and weaselling (?) with Year 5 pupils who are currently on a week long expedition over Inverness way and we shall join them.

Update from Scotland

Just to let you know that despite EasyJet delays and SatNav incompetance, Joanne has arrived at Culloden. Unfortunately, there she no internet access today normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. (Nick)

Quick note.

Well Hadleigh Bear and I have managed to pack for the next 3 weeks, just. We fly to Inverness tomorrow, stay near Culloden, then on Monday morning I hope to visit the Culloden Battlefield (family connections) and then it's onto Gordonstoun in the afternoon.

I hope you are all well and, for all the teachers and pupils, enjoy the start of the last half term of this school year.

Photos from Vaskivesi

A brief glimpse of my forest adventures.

I'm home now till Sunday, frantically washing, packing, route sorting etc. Thanks for all your comments, mails and texts. For those of you on holiday I hope it has been a good one!

Welcome to Vaskivesi Primary School!

And what a welcome it was! I joined Andy, a teacher from Birmingham, George (Yr7) and his family, both who had won a competition on Kidzone. We were met at the school gates by the Head teacher Antti Leppanen and his staff plus 36 flag waving pupils (the whole school). We were treated to music and song by the children, then we all had a delicious lunch together, nothing like the school dinners I had as a child.
Now it was time to go to the forest! The school was left 27 hectares by an ex-teacher in their will, any profit made from the forest is used to buy computers or musical instruments. It's probably the only school in Finland that has its own forest. After we had settled into our tents we went and planted spruce tree seedlings, not as easy as it sounds believe me, everyone worked hard. I was then introduced to 'Everyman's Rights' and the pupils also demonstrated their first aid skills, including stretcher making and CPR. Time for tea ........pupils were shown how to use trangias to cook pasta bolognaise, yummy. Once we had all cooked and eaten it was off to the lake for games, sauna, swimming if you were brave enough, (no I wasn't) and pancakes. Once back in the forest time for bed in my heated tent, still light, it just doesn't get dark.
Next morning was very busy too, we visited some forestry association workers who explained how the forests are managed, then back to camp, where we embarked in trust games, identifying forest plants, accuracy with an axe and making a bird house from a log with the given tools (wire, nails, hammer, two squares of wood, saw and a small axe).
Sadly it was then time to say goodbye and head for Nokia.
I have had a brilliant time, learnt loads and made new friends. An excellent start to my travels. Vaskivesi school and forest are very special places. Big thank you! Finland is a beautiful country and I hope to return soon.

Photos will follow tomorrow, when I've unpacked the camera.

Just a short update from the UK support team.

Joanne is having a great time in Finland and when she gets an WiFi signal more information will go up on the blog.

If you do wish to post a comment and you do not have a Google account you can scroll down on the "Comment as" box and pick 'anonymous'. Just remeber to add your name to your comments so we know who you are!

Tampere

I've arrived in Finland after a good journey, found the bus I needed and my Hotel without any problems, had to use my imagination about the meeting point for tomorrow morning but found it eventually. I've been for a stroll round the city and along the waterfront, it's very industrialised but with lots of green too. I'd had trouble booking a room in the city for my return journey so thought I'd ask at reception if they had any rooms available for Tuesday........they all looked at me as though I was mad........'Tuesday?!' We are full you won't find any rooms anywhere (dramatic pause) AC/DC are in town', they must have some following over here. I told them I'd got a room in Nokia (16km away) and they were amazed I'd got that.
Well I need to repack my bags, and Hadleighs, for the next couple of days as we will be in the forest and then I think it will be an early night.

Meet my travelling companion.

Let me introduce you to Hadleigh Bear. He will be accompanying me on my 5 week adventure which begins tomorrow at 4am!! Yes you did read that right. For those of you who don't recognise Hadleigh, he is the St. Michael's School globetrotting bear, travelling with pupils and staff wherever they may go. His case is packed and I'm sort of packed (decided only to take hand luggage on this short jaunt but forgot how much space a bear with luggage needs). We fly out tomorrow from Stansted to Tampere in Finland. Then very early Monday we journey northwards to Vaskivesi, join with pupils from Vaskivesi Primary School for a wilderness course in the forest, I've opted to stay in a 'heated' tent overnight, hmmm have to see what that's like.