Horizons Magazine Issue 96

ISSUE 96 WINTER 2022

H O RIZ O N S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN OUTDOOR LEARNING

IN THIS ISSUE

PRIORITISING WELLBEING NATURE AND NURTURE MAKING MAGIC AND DECISION-MAKING

WHAT NEXT FOR THE SECTOR? IMAGINATION, OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES PLUS MORE

ISSN 2634-8799

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HORIZONS WRITE AN ARTICLE Content for publication is always welcome and should be emailed to the Editor. The Editor will attempt to return all unsolicited material but cannot accept responsibility for it. Please read the contributor guidelines before submitting content: click here.

COPYRIGHT of the magazine as a publication is vested in the Editor.

Copyright of articles remains with the individual authors who will receive a copy of their article. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without the express permission of the Editor, who is normally happy to grant requests for educational purposes. Opinions shared in articles are not necessarily shared by the Editor, Editorial panel or IOL.

ADVERTISE Contact Fiona Exon at IOL for information: fiona@outdoor-learning.org For additional details click here.

Advertisers retain copyright for their adverts. Adverts shared in this magazine do not represent endorsement by the Editor, Editorial panel, or IOL.

JOIN OUR EDITORIAL PANEL Having a specialist panel means we have a wealth of experience in different types of Outdoor Learning at our finger tips. This helps ensure the stories we publish are up-to-date, well structured and useful to our readers.

If you’re interested in joining our specialist panel, go to: www.outdoor-learning.org/Good-Practice/Research-Resources/ Horizons-Magazine/Horizons-About-The-Panel

ISSUE CREDITS DESIGN PROOFREADING CByrne

finthepenman@outlook.com PANEL Thank you to the Horizons panel for their continued support and contributions.

Di Collins Daniel Towers Sam Moore Geoff Cooper Ian Healey Marcus Bailie Bob Larcher Suzie Dick Colin Wood Liam Scott IMAGES Front cover: main cover image has been sourced from www.pxhere.com.

Editorial images have been sourced from www.pxhere.com. Photographers and brands retain copyright.

INSTITUTE FOR OUTDOOR LEARNING The Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) champions safe activities and effective learning in the outdoors. We are a professional membership institute working towards an application for a Royal Charter.

Learn about IOL and how to become a member: www.outdoor-learning.org HORIZONS OFFICE IOL, Warwick Mill Business Centre, Warwick Bridge, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA4 8RR. T: 01228 564580 F: 01228 564581 E: fiona@outdoor-learning.org ©2021/22 Carmen Byrne ISSN 2634-8799

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ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

EDITORIAL GET INVOLVED: GET PUBLISHED Horizons looks to share different perspectives, ideas and good practice from across the Outdoor Learning sector.

We’re always interested in hearing about your experiences and ideas for features.

W

ellbeing is something which often features within the pages of Horizons. Perhaps this is due to the complexity of the times we are living through and the challenges / and or barriers being faced — think about the pandemic, climate change, social and economic inequalities as a starter.

within the context of practitioners; sharing guidance on avoiding decision-making fatigue — which of course also can have a direct impact on the wellbeing of groups too.

This winter issue really weaves different strands of wellbeing together. By taking a broad perspective of wellbeing where we look to protect, conserve and nurture our plantary home, you can begin by reading an interview with Marcus from page 29. (This new ‘Inside story’ feature invites readers to take part in a more indepth interview, so get in touch if you’re interested). Marcus answers questions about climate change, some insights from the recent UN Climate Change Conference COP26 and ways to put COP26 outcomes into practice.

There are opportunities for magic moments to be found in the outdoors (from page 33), but with increasing anxiety disorders and mental health in young people today (from page 25) wellbeing in self and others isn’t always straightforward.

Then head over to ‘Nature notes’ from page 37, to get practical tips for looking after winter garden spaces, and ideas on how to enthuse groups. Follow this with a reflecton on how being post COP26 and COVID-19 creates an opportunity for imagination in practice — read a case study about setting up a nature zone in a primary school (page 12) From here, you can enjoy the final in the series of Muddy Puddle Teacher articles, which shares session ideas on how to turn waste cardboard into fun practical things (from page 40).

Bringing our wellbeing theme closer to home, the first in a new series of articles by Loel (from page 16) can be seen to explore wellbeing

Look at our writer’s guidelines, and then have a go at writing an article: click here for details.

Wellbeing can be applied at an organisational level: ‘In the spotlight’ the Chairman of Long Mynd Adventure Camp shares challenges and hopes (from page 9).

There are also updates from the 2021 UK Outdoor Learning Conference (from page 21) and reader viewpoints about staff shortages, plus much more to hopefully support the wellbeing of your organisation too n

EDITOR Dr Carmen Byrne Feel welcome to email any ideas for articles, suggestions for ‘viewpoint’ questions for readers to answer, and to share resource recommendations: horizonseditor@outdoor-learning.org

NEXT

CONTENTS> ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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CONTENTS

SCANNING THE HORIZON

INSIGHTS

Readers share the resources which have influenced their practice.

Catch up with the latest IOL and Outdoor Learning sector news.

PAGES 5 TO 6

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PAGES 7 TO 8

LONG MYND AD VENTURE CAMP Peter Jenkins answers quick-fire questions about the past 60 years+ of Long Mynd Adventure Camp.

PAGES 9 TO 11 NEW SERIES

A MOMENT FOR IMAGINATION A school case study sharing insights about their nature zone and more. Responding to a world post COP26 and with COVID-19.

By Steve Bowles

PAGES 12 TO 15

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DOING RIGHT

WHEN DECISION-MAKING GETS TOUGH The first in a new series of articles, here the focus is on how to handle decision-making fatigue.

By Loel Collins

PAGES 16 TO 19

MUST READ

ARTICLE ARCHIVE ADVENTURES The Horizons archive is full of wonderful articles.

So, whether you want to search for a particular author, topic, or have a browse, your adventures will begin here:

ANXIETY

PROFESSIONAL MATTERS

2021 UK OUTDOOR LEARNING SECTOR CONFERENCE Reporting key insights and outcomes.

https://www.outdoorlearning-research.org/ Horizons-Archive

Discussion on how to address issues of increasing anxiety disorders and mental health in young people today.

By Dr Wendy Caron Gaisford

PAGES 21 TO 24

PAGES 25 TO 28

INSIDE STORY

OUTDOOR DISCOVERIES

FROM GLOBAL TO LOCAL

MAGIC MOMENTS

Interview with Marcus Bailey about climate change and the importance of 1.5°C. Plus ideas for local action.

Second article in the series. This feature shares thoughts about magic moments outdoors and research into childhood play.

By Tracy Hayes and Sam Tremble

NATURE NOTES

MUDDY PUDDLE

WINTER WILDLIFE

GET CREATIVE WITH CARDBOARD

DON’T MISS!

Sharing seasonal wildlife guidance and tips for centres, schools, parks and gardens

By Paul Ritchie

Final article in the ‘how-to’ series. This feature shares how schools can use more recycled cardboard in the classroom.

By Sarah Seaman

See reader viewpoints on overcoming staff shortages in the sector from page 43.

PAGES 29 TO 32

PAGES 37 TO 39

PAGES 33 TO 36

PAGES 40 TO 42

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SCANNING THE

HORIZON

NATURAL WELLBEING

REPORT

Resource:

Natural play: Making a difference to children’s learning and wellbeing by Leslie Groves with Hugh McNish (2011)

Why it’s useful:

This case study has made a big difference to me as a teacher, deputy head in a 3-18 school and now a lecturer in education.

It has done so as it provides a comprehensive summary of the difference outdoor and nature play made in one school over the course of a three year period across areas from physical health to emotional wellbeing, and reducing bullying incidents.

It is a comprehensive overview that has helped me talk to other staff, parents and young people, about why we should promote natural outdoor play and provide researched evidence of the benefits.

Where to find it:

Available for download here: http://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2016/07/naturalplaystudyfull-1.pdf

Recommended by:

Suzie Dick, Lecturer in Education, Queen Margaret University n

International School Grounds Alliance (ISGA) Conference 7 - 11 February 2022 Join experts online for the latest insights about outdoor learning and play from across the world

HOME TO NATURE

BOOK

Resource:

Wild child by Patrick Barkham (Granta Publications, 2020)

Why it’s useful:

This is a beautifully written call to arms to re-engage our children with the natural world.

Where to find it:

Good book stores.

Recommended by: Steve Bowles

Book now: ltl.org.uk 5

ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

See Steve’s article ‘A moment for imagination’ sharing his experience creating a nature zone and embedding Outdoor Learning into the curriculum, from page 12 n

READER RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS

FIND REALLY GOOD RESEARCH If you’re on the look out for the latest Outdoor Learning research, the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning (JAEOL) is a great resource.

Learn more here: www.outdoor-learning. org/Journal

THE JOY OF LEARNING

BOOK

Resource:

What’s the point of school? Rediscovering the heart of education by Guy Claxton (Oneworld Publications, 2009)

Why it’s useful:

Guy Claxton’s book introduced me to the notion of ‘learnacy’, in short the skills of how to learn and the joy of constantly learning. What literacy is to words, numeracy to numbers, learnacy is to learning. We can learn how to learn and it is this that students get from Outdoor and Adventure Education. Importantly, the skills of learning are transferable. A joyous read.

Where to find it:

Good book stores.

Recommended by: Loel Collins

From page 16 learn how to handle decision-making fatigue in the first of Loel’s article series n

THE POWER OF RESEARCH

RESOURCE

Resource:

Directory of open access journals (DOAJ)

Why it’s useful:

The DOAJ has been invaluable in finding full length academic articles which do not require subscription or access fees.

This directory gives the researcher the ability to search for either journals by name or articles within a subject area.

For instance, searching for the term ‘anxiety in young people and children’ brings up 110 indexed articles and ‘Outdoor adventure and mental health’ brings up 25 articles; leading to further research opportunities and articles.

Where to find it: https://doaj.org

Recommended by:

Dr Wendy Caron Gaisford Go to page 25 to read about how to address the issue of increasing anxiety disorders and mental health in young people n

BE ON THE LOOK OUT Find more resource recommendations throughout this issue.

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INSIGHTS ­|||---

OUTDOOR LEARNING SECTOR CONFERENCE ---|||

Thanks to Rab for their support in laying on the Outdoor Learning Sector Conference in November. Unlike the last conference in 2018 and the planned 2020 event lost to the pandemic, the 2021 conference was restricted in size and scope.

The conference explored some key sector development topics with keynotes on nature connectedness from Professor Sheffield of Derby University and a proposed private member’s bill in the Scottish Parliament to ensure all school-age children benefit from an Outdoor Education residential programme, shared by Liz Smith MSP. Further details of the conference and links to recorded sessions can be found on page 21 n |||---

OUTDOOR LEARNING ASSOCIATION CONSULTATION ---|||

The findings of the autumn stakeholder consultation activity relating to the development of the Outdoor Learning Association have been published. The consultation, conducted through online sessions, formal web-based questionnaire and informal meetings led to a strongly supportive voice for the coming together of IOL, AHOEC, BAPA and Outdoor Council to create the single body.

The consultation process raised some important concerns that the Interim Management Group for the work are now considering. The findings of the consultation were presented at the recent sector conference and the presentation can be viewed on the IOL website. Click here to read the report n

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LEVEL 5 APPRENTICESHIP ---|||

As we go to press we are advised by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education that the Employer Trailblazers submission for a funded level 5 Apprenticeship, Outdoor Learning Specialist, has passed their approvals panel and is in the last stages of being signed off. We can’t be certain of the final outcome at this stage but the signs are very positive n |||---

OUTDOOR LEARNING APPG ---|||

The Westminster-based All-Party Parliamentary Group Chair (Robin Millar MP) and Vice-chair (Tim Farron MP) met with representatives of the sector in November to consider progress and potential next steps in influencing proposed or potential legislative change.

In addition, work to establish an effective steering group for the APPG has started. It will draw on the members of Outdoor Council and utilise IOL resources as a secretariat n |||---

NATIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD ---|||

The Outdoor Learning sector was represented at a recent Westminster-based National Youth Agency conference. The conference had hoped to announce a change in the funding regime flowing from the recent DCMS spending review.

With an initial emphasis on capital projects and a significant reduction in funding for NCS, it seems likely that there will be limited new revenue funding for youthwork drawing on Outdoor Learning in the short to medium term n |||---

CHANGES IN IOL EXECUTIVE TEAM ---|||

After more than 10 years of leading the central office of IOL, 2022 sees the retirement of Louise Keir, the IOL’s Operations Manager.

The IOL Board of Trustees wish her well in her retirement and thank her for providing a skilful and reliable service to members and the wider sector during her tenure. Louise will remain involved supporting IOL’s work on a part-time basis.

Mike King (IOL Chair) and Mark Lavington (IOL Trustee) have been providing cover since Andy Robinson’s retirement and are well advanced in their thinking. They will be advertising for roles early in the new year – with the possibility of immediate start n

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RESEARCH UPDATES |||---

IOL AND OUTDOOR LEARNING SECTOR NEWS

ENHANCING THE VALUE OF NATURAL CAPITAL AND OUTDOOR LEARNING ---|||

This research project, which brings together IOL, the Brathay Trust and the Outward Bound Trust is progressing very well. So far over 100 hours of interviews and discussions have been undertaken with inputs from across the Outdoor sector. Based on the emerging findings, Matt Healey, from the Global Centre for Eco-Innovation and Lancaster University Management School, has had an abstract accepted for the International Outdoor Research Conference to be held in the Lake District in July 2022.

GO INTERNATIONAL Learn more about the 9th International Outdoor Education Research Conference which brings together researchers, professionals and policy makers concerned with Outdoor Education.

Go to: https://ioerc9.org

This is a great opportunity to share some insights on how the Outdoor Learning sector picks up and mobilises evaluation tools and then employs them to communicate to new and emerging markets as we move towards an economy that values nature in new ways n |||---

OUTDOOR LEARNING ACROSS THE COMMUNITY ---|||

Dave Harvey, from Cumbria Innovations Platform and University of Cumbria, has been researching Outdoor Learning across the community: the development of progression and ecosystem models to enhance engagement.

Although the value of Outdoor Learning is being increasingly recognised, access to Outdoor Learning opportunities is inequitable and depends on a wide range of factors. The project has explored these and the idea of progression in Outdoor Learning in order to develop a model that can help to increase participation.

The research has led to a new progression model and the associated idea of an ecosystem of provision needed to deliver it.

The project is nearing completion, and a series of articles in Horizons, conference presentations and workshops will translate the findings into practice n

CONFERENCE CATCH UP

IMAGES

Images have been sourced from pxhere.com with photographers retaining copyright.

Look to the future of the sector by catching up with the 2021 UK Outdoor Learning Sector Conference. For details on keynotes, sessions and outcomes go to page 21.

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INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE OUTDOORS HORIZONS TALKS TO CHAIRMAN PETER JENKINS ABOUT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF LONG MYND ADVENTURE CAMP 9

ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

60

OVER YEARS

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I am a retired chartered accountant, who has worked in a variety of organisations ranging from professional accounting firms, multi-nationals, and owner-operated businesses, to not-for-profit organisations. I have worked in the UK, Europe and Africa.

I have been married to Ruth for 38 years and we retired from Buckinghamshire to Church Stretton seven years ago, a move we both agree was a really good one. My interests are mountaineering, golf and until recently scuba diving.

How did you first get involved with Long Mynd?

Soon after moving to Church Stretton I joined a local walking group and one of the members was a trustee and secretary, subsequently becoming chairman.

I had not heard of the charity before but when the work they do was explained to me, it became obvious how worthwhile it was.

I was asked to join the charity as both a trustee and the bookings officer responsible for managing the camp calendar and liaising with clients, a position I held for three years. When the chairman stated his wish to step down I willingly agreed to take his place and have been in this position for three years.

Tell us more about Long Mynd.

Long Mynd Adventure Camp, in the Shropshire hills, is a registered charity offering camping and bunkhouse accommodation for young people.

Our camp originated in the 1950s, when Shropshire policeman Bill Williams and his wife Hetty began giving holidays at their home to boys from Wolverhampton, as a way of introducing them to nature and the countryside. In 1959, Bill borrowed farmland and equipment and organised the first camp for 20 boys. The camp expanded consistently over the years and later welcomed girls. It acquired a superb permanent site on the Long Mynd, apparently remote yet only a few miles from Church Stretton.

The Long Mynd’s scenery and walking trails are internationally known. It is a heathland ridge (7 miles by 3) and part of the South Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, now largely owned by the National Trust. It has many access points including minor ridges and glacial valleys (called ‘batches’ or ‘hollows’), a waterfall (The Lightspout) and an outstanding view from its 459m high-point, Pole Bank. It is home to a wide range of plants, birds, including the peregrine falcon, and other animals and there are endless possibilities for exploration.

To many young people from towns and cities, the camp’s location itself offers an exciting adventure. Perhaps for the first time, they wake up with trees and hills outside their tent or bunkhouse.

They hear birds and see sheep nearby. Along with the fun and freedom, they can enjoy teamwork, make their own entertainment and maybe learn responsibility. A connection with nature brings a wide range of benefits. Yet many young people have lost that connection.

Who uses the camp?

The first camp visitors were poor boys from Wolverhampton.

Besides their obvious economic disadvantages, some will have had other challenges, associated perhaps with nutrition, physical and mental health and literacy.

Sadly, 60 years later and despite the best efforts of educators and social services, many city children and other disadvantaged young people still need help. Some have to care for their parents and grandparents; some have serious health or learning needs, about which much more, fortunately, is now known. The digital world may not have helped and the pandemic will have made stressful situations worse.

A short trip to the countryside can’t solve these problems, but it can provide respite, show a different way of life, spur the imagination and, with luck, give a lot of fun and pleasure.

Originally, Bill and his teams supervised the visits themselves. Now, although our management and operations are still largely run by volunteers, we let the camp at modest rates to supervised child welfare, social and educational groups, including Scouts, Guides and ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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OVER 60 YEARS

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING? Through the Bill Williams Fund, there are opportunities for free short breaks to Long Mynd for disadvantaged groups.

Get in touch to find out more (about funding, or being a volunteer).

Contact us on the website or email peter_jenkins.7@ btinternet.com DOE. That income, combined with charitable donations, helps us to maintain and develop. And, through our Bill Williams Fund, we can provide free short breaks to disadvantaged groups, who may face economic, family, health or learning challenges. We are always keen to reach more of those groups; there are criteria (and we only have limited accommodation for those with physical disabilities), but we are very happy to discuss any requirements with group leaders.

Thinking about the level of disruption from COVID-19, how have things been there?

BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT Fancy answering some quick questions about your work or organisation? Email: horizonseditor@ outdoor-learning.org

11

Early in 2020, things were looking pretty positive. We had a good level of bookings, a plan for various improvements to the site and had just launched our new website. Within a few weeks, we had to close the camp, while trying to postpone our visitors until later in the year. New enquiries stopped and traffic to our site fell away.

After more postponements, we closed ‘until further notice’ and reopened this summer with a much reduced level of visitors, as schools in particular found it very difficult to manage within the Government framework.

But we’ve also been fortunate. We received very worthwhile grants from Shropshire Council which helped us deal with the loss of revenue. A generous donation paid for a new kitchen. The volunteers who help to manage the camp stayed busy, working

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“

Although we want to adapt and respond to our visitors’ changing needs, we also want to stick to the simplicity of Bill’s original vision, in giving young people an appreciation of the countryside and all it can offer”

on maintenance tasks to keep the facilities working and painted. And bookings for 2022 are excellent.

As is common for charities, new volunteers are always needed to give their time and expertise: ideally, enthusiasts with all types of business and practical skills. Younger recruits with a grounding in social media and IT would be especially welcome. We need trustees — we currently have four — to manage the charity (and meet formally four times a year) and Friends, who offer their varied skills regularly but less formally.

All in all, we are beginning to recover quite well from the crisis. After so many young people have been confined for so long, we believe what the camp offers is more important than ever. One group leader who came after we had re-opened wrote: “I really can’t thank you enough for... providing our Year 6 children with some normality in these difficult times. The camp was perfect.

It gave the children a taste of adventure and had everything we needed.”

What would you like to see happen over the next few months to help Long Mynd?

First of all, we’re hoping for stability in the pandemic rules, so that we can continue to operate. That depends on what happens on a global as well as national scale and is out of our control.

If we are all fortunate, and assuming our bookings remain stable, we would like to make greater inroads into our local and regional communities by increasing awareness, recruiting volunteers and continuing to fulfil and develop our charitable aims.

We’re having a meeting early in the new year to set a strategy for the next five years. We think our operating model is sound and we want to stay small, personal and ‘traditional’. But we also have to be responsive to change, to ensure that we can continue to welcome young visitors well into the future n

AFTER COP26 AND COVID-19

A MOMENT FOR

IMAGINATION?

AUTHOR Steve Bowles Steve Bowles has had an eclectic career which has included research and exploration in the Amazon, film-making (including for the BBC) and environmental teaching, about which he is currently writing a book.

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“

A MOMENT FOR IMAGINATION? If your plan is for one year, plant rice. if your plan is for ten years, plant trees.

If your plan is for a hundred years, educate children.”

CONFUCIUS

must play an important part in that! Immersion in nature as a child certainly had a huge bearing on my outlook on the world and I have worked on environmental projects in some shape or form for much of my life.

Working with an enlightened head teacher In 2014 I was given the opportunity to work with an enlightened head teacher in a state school in a deprived part of the city of Southampton.

Wordsworth Primary School sits at the heart of a catchment that had seen big economic and cultural changes over the years. Today the school is a kaleidoscope of cultures and languages which reflect that change, with a high proportion of children with English as a second language and 33% of the children eligible for free school meals (the national average is around 20%).

Creating a nature zone and integrating learning Our first step was to set up our Nature Zone in a neglected corner of the school grounds with a small group of boys who were struggling in the classroom environment. They were given the title of Tough Mudder Rangers. The pond was cleared of shopping trolleys and tyres, safety fences were erected, saplings were planted and a meadow project was started.

These early sessions were a resounding success. The boys thrived in a small-group setting and loved the sense of freedom and the physicality of the work. Doing something practical and tangible gave them a real sense of achievement — something that rarely happened for them in the classroom setting.

“Being a Tough Mudder Ranger is all about having fun, enjoying nature and helping nature” Adam (2).

A

nyone interested in the environment will have followed the proceedings of the COP26 gathering in Glasgow — mostly with a heavy heart. But one of the more uplifting aspects has been the passionate contributions from the younger generation — it is, after all, their future.

To quote Greta Thunberg: “They (the politicians) can continue to ignore the consequences of their inaction, but history will judge them poorly and we will not accept it!” (1).

If we dare to go beyond the Doomsday mindset and hope that the planet is still habitable after 2030, then it is these young people who will be at the helm of this brave new world. And here there is a paradox, for it is this very generation that have had their education so disrupted by the pandemic. Financial support for COVID-19 catch-up earlier in the year was criticised for being piecemeal and wholly inadequate. But at the end of October, Nadhim Zahawi at the UK Department of Education announced a new financial package for schools to help with catch-up post-Covid.

Now surely if the world’s biggest conference on the environment tells us anything, it is that we need to redefine our relationship with nature in order to move towards a sustainable way of life. And education

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The next step was to roll out a programme where every child in the school would use the area on a regular basis. The Welly Boot days meant that each year group would do a curriculum-linked activity outside the classroom at least once every half-term. With their national curriculum links, our Welly Boot days were unashamedly quite prescriptive in their approach. They had clear objectives and, ideally, they would dovetail with the other activities going on during the day. Over the years we accumulated literally dozens of lesson plans. One week we might do pond-dipping and then look at the life cycles of the creatures in the pond. Another week we would look at the Maya civilization of Central America and the children would light a fire to heat a cauldron of hot chocolate which they would drink around the log circle whilst I would recount a Mayan origin-of-fire legend. Or we might listen to the birds singing in springtime and ask what they are singing about and then produce our own dawn chorus with a set of ocarinas.

There were other projects too. Children in reception and year 1 would plant daffodil bulbs and grow potatoes, carrots and beans, and some of the older children would continue with the never-ending task of maintaining and enhancing the Nature Zone, which included planting a small orchard and coppicing the hazel trees. When adult: child ratios allowed, we also occasionally ran Forest School sessions, where groups of children would spend six or seven consecutive weekly sessions in the Nature Zone following their own interests.

Outdoor learning activities have subsequently become an integral part of school life.

to measure but certainly tangible, that fuels our passion.

Exploring what success means In 2019 we hosted Helena Bird from the University of Southampton who wished to base her final-year project on our Outdoor Learning. She identified some key factors which were essential if an Outdoor Learning programme was to be successful (5).

WATCH THE NATURE ZONE JOURNEY Click the image to watch how inspired the children at Wordsworth Primaary School are about their Nature Zone.

1

An area where Outdoor Learning can take place — or at least access to one (some schools have little more than a small area of tarmac playground at their disposal!).

2 3

A senior leadership team/ headteacher which is supportive.

Coping with COVID-19 Whilst much of the country ground to a halt during the pandemic, schools had to continue. And here we were in a fortunate position since, pre-vaccination, other than washing hands regularly and social distancing, the strategy that helped minimise the risks of coronavirus transmission was being outside!

Full lockdown, when the school remained open for key worker and vulnerable children, was something of a test run with many of the activities being shifted outside into our Nature Zone. And to help the children who were stuck at home maintain their engagement with the school and with the natural world a series of short films — Notes from the Nature Zone — were produced and then posted on the school’s YouTube channel. One of the projects, produced originally as part of British Science Week, was such a success that it merited a remake of the film as the year progressed! (4).

With school reopening we formulated a plan to push extra lessons outside. This was not without its challenges, but, overall, everyone considered it to be a big success. Perhaps, most importantly, it helped develop the confidence of some of the teaching staff to take the lessons outside themselves.

Sharing ideas Over the years we have had regular visitors come to see ‘how we do it’. Some have asked ‘how do we afford it’ and others have asked ‘how do we manage the risks’. Risk assessments are sometimes regarded as the bêtes noure for any activity outside of the norm — a reputation which I think is ill-deserved as none of us want to have an accident and they can provide a useful framework for assessing any activity. But, there is a more enlightened view of them. Rather than it simply being a question of risk, they need to be seen in terms of risk-benefit … so … using a bow-saw obviously carries a risk of injury through cutting yourself, but there are benefits including building resilience and developing a sense of teamwork (bow-saws are often used by two people at a time).

But without exception our visitors have been overwhelmed with the enthusiasm of the children. For those of us lucky enough to work in Outdoor Education this is no surprise, as it is that enthusiasm, hard

An approach whereby Outdoor Learning is integrated into the curriculum and not just an ‘add-on’.

4

Staff, or at least an individual, who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Outdoor Learning to drive the programme (imagine a music lesson with a teacher who has no knowledge of or interest in music!).

None of these factors are black or white. Even a small space can provide wonderful outdoor learning opportunities - perhaps some planters for growing potatoes or beans. And all Outdoor Learning practitioners will have a different skill-set to bring to their school. Just the same, it provided a very useful way for us to evaluate our project.

Having a vision Over the years there have been multiple accolades. Wordsworth consistently won the award for Garden for Learning from the annual Southampton in Bloom festival and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Wilder Annual Award School of the Year by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

But now, if we return to that notion of redefining our relationship with nature, and how that must start with education, perhaps our Southampton school offers us an inspired vision of how things can be.

“

Whenever I come here it gets my mind active. I can hear the birds and then I put that in my writing. It makes me a good writer ­— hooray!”

Afjal (3)

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A MOMENT FOR IMAGINATION? Charlie said: “You learn a lot about saving the planet and global warming and keeping the environment healthy” (6).

Afjal shared: “It’s helping people understand, so maybe, when they grow up, they will make a difference” (7).

The challenge is how to roll out a similar programme in other schools around the country. Certainly, there are other schools who have some form of Outdoor Learning programme but it is definitely the minority.

Wordsworth Primary School has shown what can be done with a vision of a stronger connection to nature, even on a tight budget. But money will inevitably be an important factor.

In 2020 the Nature Premium Campaign (8), championed by the Forest School Association, was launched to fund regular nature experiences for every child within the school setting.

The model for the Nature Premium Campaign is very much along the lines of the Sports Premium which was launched by the Government in 2013, in part as a legacy to the 2012 London Olympics, to improve the provision of physical education and school sport in primary schools across England.

Government funding for the Sport Premium was originally to the tune of £160 million/year and in 2017 this was doubled to £320 million/year with additional money from the sugar tax (the soft drinks industry levy).

WHAT NOW? Go to the interview on page 29 for a summary of COP26 and practical suggestions for change.

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Even the modest funding afforded by the Sports Premium could have a major impact on the provision of Outdoor Learning in our schools around the country. It would enable them to employ skillful Outdoor Learning teachers, train their own staff, develop their grounds, and fund visits to local nature reserves.

The idea is not without its challenges but, surely, with a little imagination, the recent announcement from the Department of Education offers a wonderful opportunity for our children and for our environment.

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Sarah Lawfull, Chair of the Forest School Association, believes that, “...the Nature Premium would improve children’s mental and physical wellbeing after lockdown and demonstrate a positive investment in their future development as part of the Green Recovery” (8).

And from a broader environmental perspective the argument is no less compelling. To quote Sir David Attenborough, “No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced” There will be many who will be feeling despondent in the wake of COP26. But most people who work in Outdoor Education will be optimists by nature — no pun intended!

We’ll end as we started with another Chinese proverb which says, “May you live in interesting times’” We certainly live in interesting times right now: a climate emergency, COVID-19... It is an age of uncertainty and confusion which touches us all. But, with imagination, there are opportunities too n

REFERENCES

1. Thunberg, Greta (2021). Speech to Glasgow COP26 rally, 5 November.

2. Adam. Life in the Nature Zone. https://vimeo.com/244715708 3. Afjal. Life in the Nature Zone. https://vimeo.com/244715708 4. Notes from the Nature Zone 5 — Birdbox update. https://vimeo.com/559636053 5. Bird, Helena (2019). Characteristics underpinning successful Outdoor Education programmes in primary schools. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of BSc (Hons) Education — University of Southampton.

6. Charlie. Life in the Nature Zone. https://vimeo.com/244715708 7. Afjal. Life in the Nature Zone. https://vimeo.com/244715708 8. https://www.naturepremium.org/

IMAGES

Images have been supplied by the author who retains copyright.

NEW SERIES

TOUGH WHEN DECISION-MAKING GETS

DOING RIGHT

HANDLING DECISION-MAKING FATIGUE

“

No matter how smart or diligent we are, our ability to make good decisions eventually runs out” Oto (1) ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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WHEN DECISION-MAKING GETS TOUGH

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t’s 3:30 on Thursday; you were duty instructor last night, and you are covering for a colleague who has called in ill. The weather isn’t great, the group are tired, and you’re making little headway into the wind that has picked up. You need to make a call if you are going to be back on time.

How good will your call be?

Studies have shown that a phenomenon called decision-making fatigue will directly impact the quality of the decision you are about to make. For an Outdoor instructor, that can be a safety call, a tactical call, or a pedagogic or leadership call. The theory of decision-making fatigue is premised on the notion of self-control; importantly, our ability to force ourselves to choose to do difficult things when a more accessible and easier option exists.

Decision-making fatigue results when we have overdrawn the limited internal resource that fuels our self-control, self-discipline and decision-making. More challenging decisions make greater demands while easier decisions less, but all make demands on a finite resource. When this resource runs low, we make poorer decisions.

Decision-making fatigue: The theory Decision-making fatigue draws on psychological notions of ego-depletion (2) and cognitive load (3). We constantly choose between suppressing our basic urges to act on our needs for food and rest, for example, in favour of other activities.

This executive function — weighing up options and managing priorities — we believe is unique to humans and takes place in the prefrontal cortex. Every time we make demands by exercising these executive functions, we use up our internal cognitive resources, and our executive function diminishes. In short, we become less

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capable of overcoming our basic desires; consequently, our decision quality suffers.

Many of us recognise that we make ‘poor calls’ when we’re running out of energy. Human factors cause most accidents; understanding how to manage decision-making fatigue is a critical factor. Our decision-making has safety implications, but the evidence is that the impact may be more significant in the less apparent decisions those that are less safety-critical — the judgements about the choice of a teaching strategy or leadership style, for instance. Evidence in other similarly demanding professions suggests we can manage the cognitive resource at the heart of the issue, a point highlighted in recent research of Outdoor instructors.

Decision-making fatigue: Implications for Instructor practice Given its significance, increasing awareness of decision-making fatigue would seem prudent. It is important to consider: >

That any time you commit to a decision to deplete that resource highlighted above, you have less to draw on next time.

>

How this drain on resources is proportional to the significance and complexity of the decision.

>

The bit that drains you is not the consideration of options, analysing the problem or the process of in-action reflection; it is the commitment to a particular course of action.

>

We can tolerate short-term depletion of the resource, going into ‘overdraft’ for critical tasks so big calls are less affected.

However, it is decisions perceived as less critical that are prone.

How does decision-making fatigue manifest itself?

The most effective way to manage decision-making fatigue is self-awareness. Telltale signs are; >

Avoidance or procrastination.

>

Choosing the easiest accessible option may include doing nothing, or it may be the first actable option that emerged.

>

Selecting options that satisfy the basic demands (satisficing).

>

Applying inappropriate assumptions or priorities.

>

Acting impulsively.

The relationship with the heuristic traps we may recognise in avalanche terrain is inescapable.

The implications Although decision-making fatigue can affect anyone, Outdoor professionals are especially vulnerable. Instructors working in natural environments with high degrees of autonomy are ripe for decision-making fatigue. They have high levels of responsibility, high degrees of autonomy to make decisions in response to the environment and group demands, and frequently work in isolation.

An instructor working in a typical adventure setting has to contend with the vagaries of a ‘hyper-dynamic’ environment, the demands of the group, and their own abilities.

In addition, it is not just the ‘big calls’. We know the resource is ‘ringfenced’ for these. It’s the multiple smaller-scale demands that have a cumulative effect: incremental losses. It is the numerous small calls that have the most significant impact. Karabiners not done up, waist ties on buoyancy aids not checked, are possible signs of decision-making fatigue.

How can we manage decision-making fatigue?

We see in good decision-makers that they actively manage the resource by using a range of strategies. They aren’t tougher or

have greater strength of character; they manage the resource by minimising demands on it via a range of proactive coping strategies (4). These strategies develop over time and have several elements: internal control, planning, reflection, self-regulation and social support (5).

In practice, the single best way to reduce the decision-making load is planning and habituating aspects of the decision-making, minimising demands by creating checklists and generating good habits — because habits make no demands on the resource.

Notably, they don’t routinise all their practices because the environment and groups continually make demands that constantly vary. The checklist plans and habits free resources for use when it counts. Frequently we relate our professionalism to our capacities to make good calls under pressure.

MANAGING THE LOAD If you want to read more about decision-making, this article by Loel Collins and Dave Collins is worth a read: Managing the cognitive loads associated with judgement and decision-making in a group of adventure sports coaches published by JAEOL. Click here for details.

We can also form appropriate habits that underpin our practice, enabling us to have resources to utilise under pressure.

We see that instructors who demonstrate good proactive coping strategies can cope with the varied demands of the environment and group, showing initiative and professional agility. Moreover, instructors who exercise proactive coping strategies also accept responsibility more quickly because they appear to operate cognitively and practically.

FIND MAGIC To reflect on outdoor magic moments and changing trends in childhood play go to page 33.

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WHEN DECISION-MAKING GETS TOUGH The strategies Some simple strategies may include:

1 2

Following the same morning routine, the drive to work, the timings, etc.

Having universal kit, a typical instructor can work across a range of activities and perhaps only needs to change footwear, headgear and decide whether to wear a buoyancy aid. In addition, waterproofs, thermals and emergency equipment (first-aid kit, shelter, spare clothing, emergency food and its bag) can all be universal.

3

Don’t put things off; you push the decision back into points of the day when you have made demands of your decision-making resource, and it ‘rail cars’ all those decisions together.

4

Eat and drink well, regular good quality food, ‘a good breakfast’ and supplement with glucose and water in the field if you identify the need; the evidence is that glucose fuels the decision-making process.

T O TO D O DO AUTHOR Loel Collins, Researcher and Trainer.

Loel has worked in the Outdoor sector for over 35 years.

He is currently an independent researcher and freelance trainer. His doctorate and research interest lie in judgement and decision-making in complex environments.

Loel.collins2@gmail.com

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5 6

Build-in rest. 10 minute break, food and water, a ten minute power nap recharge the batteries full according to one study!

Plan in adaptability; making detailed plans requires a great deal of energy that never survive reality once you’re out. The adage ‘no plan survives first contact’ is true, so create adaptable plans appropriately ‘fixing’ only what has to be fixed.

7

Making necessary checks with a call and physical examination, linking the cognitive, physical and verbal, will make essential safety checks in critical situations less demanding.

We can make the ‘big calls’ in overdraft; however, the quality of our more routine decisions is also vital and to support those we may benefit from forming appropriate habits and flexible plans that ensure we have the resources at hand to make them n

REFERENCES

1. Oto, B. (2012). When thinking is hard: managing decision fatigue. EMS World. 41. 46-50.

2. Baumeister, R. F. & Tice, D. M. (2016). Uncertainty depletes self-regulatory resources.

Tallahassee, FL: Florida State University.

3. Sweller, J. (1998). Cognitive load during problem solving: effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12, 257–285.

4. Collins, L. & Collins, D. (2019). Managing the cognitive loads associated with judgment and decision-making in a group of adventure sports coaches: a mixed-method investigation, Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, DOI: 10.1080/14729679.2019.1686041 5. Greenglass, E. (2002). Chapter 3, Proactive coping. In E. Frydenberg (Ed.), Beyond coping: meeting goals, vision, and challenges (pp. 37–62). London: Oxford University Press.

IMAGES

Images have been sourced from pxhere.com except for author profile image which has been supplied by the author. Photographers retain copyright.

www.adventureclimbrescue.co.uk

REPORT

2021 UK OUTDOOR LEARNING SECTOR

CONFERENCE

SPONSORED BY

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PROFESSIONAL MATTERS

WATCH THE CONFERENCE Visit the IOL website to watch the conference keynotes and workshops See the full series here: www.outdoor-learning. org/Events/2021-UK-OLSector-Conference OR go straight to the keynotes now: WATCH:

Y

arnfield Conference Centre hosted the re-scheduled and reduced scope Outdoor Learning Conference in November.

The event was designed to explore some key sector development topics and contained a selection of keynote speakers and workshops to enable this.

It was time to get together. It was time to consider some of the more difficult questions facing Outdoor Learning across the UK. It was time to identify the key strategic development priorities for Outdoor Learning and the role we might all play to deliver them.

Our sector is at a unique time in its history and has never been stronger or better placed to consider these themes. The coherence and shared working celebrated in 2018 is well rooted now as we move to merge organisations and improve services and support for members.

This event needed to be slightly different from previous sector conferences and had restricted attendance as a form of Covid risk management. Consequently, it was specifically aimed at individuals who are engaged in development of the Outdoor Learning sector across the UK or who represent key stakeholders in the Outdoor Learning community.

We aim to get back to normal next year to offer a full conference with workshops that provide CPD opportunities for all levels of Outdoor Learning practitioner.

CONFERENCE INSIGHTS Keynotes The conference was enriched by two excellent keynote speakers: Liz Smith MSP and Professor David Sheffield of Derby University.

Given the timing of the event with COP26 finishing in Glasgow the week prior, David Sheffield’s topic was particularly appropriate. He explored the evidence for specific positive wellbeing, conservation and learning benefits associated with being truly connected to nature.

He outlined the Derby University team’s research into how increased nature connectedness is achieved in order for increase in benefits to be realised.

WATCH:

Liz Smith joined the conference via Zoom and described her experience as a teacher taking children to remote locations and her realisation of the crucial role that Outdoor Learning in residential settings can play in a child’s development.

Liz Smith MSP Professor David Sheffield

Liz talked the conference through her proposal to get the Scottish Government to formally commit to entitlement to Outdoor Education through a private member’s bill in the Scottish Parliament. In her own words:

“

All young people should have the opportunity to experience Outdoor Education, which has a proven track-record of success in developing life skills and building self-esteem.

The general principles of the Bill, to deliver at least one week of residential Outdoor Education for every pupil, would provide the greatest benefits to more vulnerable and disadvantaged young people, who have lost out so much during the pandemic.”

Supporting the keynote speakers the conference provided a range of workshops to support further exploration. Thanks go to Rab for their sponsorship that made this streaming and recording possible.

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PROFESSIONAL MATTERS

workshop also had input from Mark Williams, of Lindley Educational Trust, and Steve Turner who is leading the Your Outdoors project.

Workshops and speakers To enable wider participation, elements of the conference were live streamed (see page 22 for details on how to access) — including keynote addresses and the following workshops. >

Future footprints Exploring how to achieve a carbon neutral Outdoor Education centre. Led by Jo Barnett, Outdoor Education Group Manager, Telford & Wrekin Council.

>

INclusivity in the OUTdoors Reviewing the work to date on the cross-sector initiative to develop understanding and promote action to improve equality, diversity and inclusion. Led by Gina McCabe, Director, Place Innovation.

>

Engaging communities Featuring a case study of The Outdoor Partnership, presented by TOP Chief Executive Tracey Evans, this

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>

Inspection regimes A panel of representatives made up of Tim Morton (Adventure RMS – AALA inspection provider), Martin Smith (AdventureUK), Paul Kenwright (BAPA) and Jim Whittaker (AHOEC Gold) discussed the current and potential future approaches to inspection schemes in the sector.

>

Outdoor Learning Association Martin Smith (Outdoor Council) presented the progress made in the formation of a single body to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of sector development, voice and member services, as well as a summary of findings from the recent consultation with the sector. He was supported

by Andy Robinson (IOL), Brian Kitson (BAPA) and Jim Whittaker (AHOEC).

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS There’s a whole community at your fingertips.

Find your local network here: https://www. outdoor-learning.org/ Communities

CONFERENCE OUTCOMES In addition to a wealth of individual and small-group commitments to development activity, the conference concluded with a provisional list of sector activity priorities:

7

Merging AHOEC and BAPA accreditation schemes This work will take place in the coming months, with important consultation with AdventureUK to ensure join-up with the work of considering an alternative to AALA, known as Option 3.

Visible leadership and ownership of EDI To drive the change being identified by the sector development activity around equality, diversity and inclusion requires sector leaders and key stakeholders to visibly take ownership and drive the change required.

2

8

1

OLA governance and structure To enable the establishment of the Outdoor Learning Association in 2022.

3

Workforce development strategy (standards and growth) This priority recognises the ongoing challenges facing many Outdoor Learning providers in recruiting, training and retaining staff.

It will be in addition to the recent progress made in establishing a level 5 Outdoor Learning apprenticeship.

Teaching training changes input Though a longstanding sector development priority, the need for Outdoor Learning basic confidence and competence to be built into teacher training will remain an ask and be targeted in Westminster at the Education Select Committee.

4

9

5

10

Jim Knight: Education private member’s bill This draft bill is currently in currently in the Lords and although commendable in looking to ensure education in sustainability is built into the curriculum it does not point to the important role that Outdoor Learning plays in this. APPG members have been approached to influence.

The APPG for Outdoor Learning UK Tour The Westminster-based All Party Parliamentary Group Chair is considering informing its membership and raising the profile of its activities by visiting all four home nations in the UK and experiencing different types of Outdoor Learning provision models.

6

EDI standards and associated recognition Priorities six and seven relate to the sector’s work to review and tackle its equality, diversity and inclusion challenges. The first being strengthening the standards expected and developing associated recognition.

Smaller charity support The conference recognised the wealth of small charities operating in the Outdoor Learning sector and committed to developing a better support network and services to enable such models to thrive.

Promoting informal learning pathways The conference also recognised the breadth and depth of informal learning within the scope of Outdoor Learning.

Promoting wider understanding and use of informal learning pathways should be strengthened n

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Read about the challenges facing Long Mynd Adventure Camp from page 9.

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ANXIETY

HOW DO WE ADDRESS ISSUES OF INCREASING ANXIETY DISORDERS AND MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY?

AUTHOR Dr Wendy Caron Gaisford ML. PhD. Cantab.

Caron is an ex-academic and lecturer, who now works as Outdoor activity instructor. Having worked in both education and the outdoor environment, she has found herself drawn to those individuals with anxiety, or low self-esteem, as well as those who feel awkward in their peer group or within a classroom environment.

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t is well recognised within the industry of Outdoor Education that engagement with the natural environment and participating in Outdoor Learning, via activity days or multi-day residential camps, provide valuable opportunities for positive social interaction and physical activity, increasing the resilience, self-esteem and wellbeing of young people from all backgrounds and ages (1, 2, 3, 4). Unfortunately however, with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the closure of Outdoor centres and the number of primary schools willing to commit staff or even able to afford residential weeks for children in their formative years, there is increasing concern that this vital part of education and personal growth may be being missed out upon (5, 6).

Poor mental health and wellbeing in childhood can directly affect cognitive development and learning as well as physical, social and mental health throughout development and into adulthood (7). Of concern is the effect of mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, which commonly emerge in early childhood, and affect nearly 300,000 young people in the UK today (8). With an increase in the diagnosis of anxiety disorders such as separation anxiety, social anxiety, and phobic anxiety in the formative years of childhood (between 5-12 years) and even further increases in such disorders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty of the future and constant news updates (8), it is now more necessary than ever to be able to find effective ways to treat and help young people deal with such mental health issues.

Whilst exploring the literature on the use of the Outdoor Learning environment to help young people with anxiety disorders, it has become apparent that studies carried out in this age group have been limited, and those that have, report using small study groups over short periods of time. It is my desire to highlight this issue with a hope that more research and effort can be concentrated on effective mental health solutions for young people today using the traditional methods of play, exploration, and adventure in the natural environment.

Causative factors of young people developing anxiety disorders The risk of a young person developing an anxiety disorder can be attributed to both their genetic predisposition (nature) and what they are exposed to as they grow up (nurture) (9). Parental separation, traumatic incidents, ill health, or negative experiences such as medical procedures, bereavement or even child abuse, as well as defined phobias can have significant impact on a child’s wellbeing and development. In addition, falling behind or struggling with schoolwork or bullying may lead to increased anxiety. Anxious or controlling behaviour exhibited by parents or caregivers can also affect children. For instance, listening to an adult voicing their fears about certain situations or about the child avoiding certain situations — including being repeatedly warned that certain situations/people/ stimuli are highly dangerous, and/or even gaining a reward for avoiding certain situations or stimuli ­­— can have a significant effect on the child’s perception on what is and is not safe.

Young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) e.g. autism or learning difficulties, are also recognised to have an increased likelihood of anxiety disorders, alongside other mental health issues.

Looked-after children (and previously looked-after children) are more likely to have SEN and to experience greater social, emotional, and mental health issues than their peers and are also at risk of developing such disorders (10).

It is debatable whether the reported increase in anxiety disorders is a result of a raised awareness of mental health issues or whether it is a result of the increased pressure on young people from academic demands, social expectations and peer group pressure, or even parental work/home/life balance. Alongside parental concerns about the safety of allowing their offspring to freely play and explore outdoors, it is recognised that the effects of the increased use of technology and social media have resulted in young people spending less time being physically active in the outdoor environment — which is having a detrimental effect not only on the physical health but on the mental wellbeing of our youth today (11).

In addition, children with busy after-school activity schedules and increased involvement in social media are less likely to be able to have the essential mental and physical downtime to enable rest and subconscious processing to occur (12). Time to be able to simply sit in the park or the garden, spend time in nature or even be bored is limited.

Behavioural traits associated with anxiety.

Children and young people are unlikely to realise that they are feeling anxious or understand why, or know how to deal with the emotions that arise. Anxiety disorders may be associated with problems such as crying, anger or irritability, temper tantrums, being tense or fidgety, neediness, clinginess, withdrawn behaviour, bad dreams, not eating properly, difficulties in connecting with others, poor concentration, and physical complaints such as tics, or having stomach pains or feeling unwell, or needing the toilet frequently (13, 14).

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ANXIETY A study of the correlates and consequences of early-appearing social anxiety in young children indicated that social anxiety was associated with self-reported loneliness, internalising coping, dislike of school and school avoidance (15). Quite often poor behaviour in school, being sullen or rude, cheeking teachers back and even aggressive behaviour, can be a result of anxiety issues, where individuals are trying to express undefined feelings of anxiety or cover up the fact that they are worrying about something.

As anxiety in young people does not often present itself as one specific type of disorder it can be difficult for parents and teachers, or even GPs, to recognise and attribute behaviour to the correct cause.

Studies in primary healthcare indicate that over two-thirds of children with anxiety disorders go unnoticed (16).

Treatment for anxiety disorders in children and young people Young people with anxiety disorders are unlikely to ask for help when suffering with anxiety; the pressure on carers/ parents and teachers to identify and discuss issues with parents, and/ or highlight concerns to school-based mental health teams is high. Parents may also be aware of changes in their child’s behaviour and have trouble speaking to their general practitioner.

Currently in the UK, most treatments for anxiety disorders in children and young people revolve around school-based interventions focused on psychological approaches, such as counselling and low or high intensity versions of cognitive behavioural therapy (17).

Alternatively, medication as deemed necessary by the GP may be used, although due to concerns about potential harm, routine prescription is not recommended (14).

However, the longevity of psychological approaches has been questioned and a recent systematic review, collating over 1500 articles, highlighted that there is little evidence that educational setting-based cognitive behavioural interventions focused solely on the prevention of depression or anxiety are effective in the long-term (18).

It is surprising to note that there seems to be little consideration of the use of exercise, being outdoors or connecting with nature, to help improve the mental health of young people trying to cope with anxiety.

However, a number of studies focusing on Outdoor programmes, ranging from those for at-risk children (19), to those for youths experiencing mental illness (20), have shown significant improvements in the ability of youths to improve psychological functioning and reduced distress related to interpersonal and mental health challenges. Indeed, recent studies on wilderness camps suggest they have long-lasting health benefits that increase over time resulting in potential savings to the UK economy, particularly with regard to the prevention and treatment of mental ill-health (21).

Mindfulness, being in the moment, engrossed in a physical activity or being challenged at an acceptable level, where the young person can feel in control of their decision-making, can have significant effects on the ability of the person to cope and be able to understand, rationalise and deal with fears. Building resilience by taking part in explorative activities in the outdoor environment is a vital part of development in childhood. Social and physical activities requiring communication, teamwork, and co-operation provided in an outdoor learning environment helps develop both personal and social skills,

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REFERENCES

1. The Outward Bound Trust (2019). Young people’s mental health and wellbeing: Connecting to nature. Available: https://www.outwardbound.org.uk/free-report-connecting-to-nature. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

2. Merryman M, Mezei, A, Bush, JA, Weinstein M. (2012). The effects of a summer camp experience on factors of resilience in at-risk youth. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/ojot/vol1/iss1/3.

3. Bragg R, Wood C Barton J, Pretty J. (2015). Wellbeing benefits from natural environments rich in wildlife. Available: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/r1_literature_review_ wellbeing_benefits_of_wild_places_lres.pdf. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

4. Henderson KA, Whitaker LS, Bialeschki MD, Scanlin MM, Thurber C. (2007). Summer camp experiences parental perceptions of youth development outcomes. Journal of Family Issues. 28 (8), 987-1007.

5. Barkham P. (2020). Outdoor education centres warn of risk of closure due to Covid. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/13/outdoor-education-centres-warn-of-risk-ofclosure-due-to-covid. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

6. AHEOC (2021). Outdoor education centres are closing forever due to government restrictions. Available: https://ahoec.org/recent-campaigns/. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

7. Public Health England. (2015). Promoting children and young people’s emotional health and wellbeing. A whole school and college approach. Available: https://assets.publishing.service. gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950188/Final_EHWB_draft_06Jan-2020.pdf. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

8. NHS Inform Scotland. (2021). Anxiety disorders in children. Available: https://www.nhsinform. scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mental-health/anxiety-disorders-in-children. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

9. Bystritsky A, Khalsa SS, Cameron ME, Schiffman J. (2013). Current diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders. Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 38 (1), 30–57.

10. Green H, McGinnity A, Meltzer H, Ford T, Goodman R. (2015). Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain 2004. Available: https://sp.ukdataservice.ac.uk/doc/5269/mrdoc/ pdf/5269technicalreport.pdf. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

11. House of Commons. Science and Technology Committee (2019). Impact of social media and screen-use on young people’s health. Fourteenth Report of Session 2017–19. Available: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmsctech/822/822.pdf Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

12. Page AS, Cooper AR, Griew P, Jago R. (2010). Children’s screen viewing is related to psychological difficulties irrespective of physical activity. Pediatrics. 126 (5), e1101-e1107.

13. NHS UK. (2021). Anxiety disorders in children. Available: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ anxiety-disorders-in-children/. Last accessed 4th Dec 2021.

14. Tylee A, Walters P. (2007). Under recognition of anxiety and mood disorders in primary care: why does the problem exist and what can be done? J Clin Psychiatry. 68 (2), 27-30.

15. Weeks M, Coplan RJ, Kingsbury A. (2009) The correlates and consequences of early appearing social anxiety in young children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 23(7). 965-972.

16. Chavira DA, Stein MB, Bailey K, Stein MT. (2004). Child anxiety in primary care: prevalent but untreated. Depress Anxiety. 20 (3), 155-164.

17. Creswell C, Waite P, Cooper PJ. (2014). Assessment and management of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 99 (4), 674-678.

18. Caldwell DM,et al. (2020). School-based interventions to prevent anxiety and depression in children and young people: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry.

7 (9), e59.

19. Ungar M, Dumond C, Donald W. (2005). Risk, resilience and Outdoor programmes for at-risk children. Journal of Social Work. 5 (3), 319-338.

20. Cotton, S, Butselaar F. (2013). Outdoor adventure camps for people with mental illness. Australasian Psychiatry. 21 (4), 352–358 21. Hattie J, Marsh H, W, Neill J T, Richards G E. (1997). Adventure education and Outward Bound: out-of-class experiences that make a lasting difference. Review of Educational Research. 67 (1), 43-87.

22. Pickard H, Rijsdijk F, Happé F, Mandy W. (2017). Are social and communication difficulties a risk factor for the development of social anxiety? Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 56 (4), 344-351.

23. Ahern NR. (2006). Adolescent resilience: an evolutionary concept analysis. J Pediatr Nurs.

21 (3), 175-85.

24. Barton J, Bragg R, Pretty J, Roberts J, Wood C. (2016). The wilderness expedition: an effective life course intervention to improve young people’s well-being and connectedness to nature. Journal of Experiential Education. 39 (1), 59-72.

25. Biddle SJ, Asare M. (2011). Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews. Br J Sports Med. 45 (11), 886-95.

26. Rodriguez-Ayllon M,et al. (2019). Role of physical activity and sedentary behavior in the mental health of preschoolers, children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 40 (9), 1383-1410.

IMAGES

Images have been sourced from pxhere.com except for author profile image which has been supplied by the author. Photographers retain copyright.

enabling acceptance that things do not always work or go the way initially thought (22). It has been shown that the development of resilience in children who have a predisposition to an anxiety disorder, can help the child cope with their emotions and alleviate or prevent symptoms of social anxiety (23). The healthy development of social skills is not only an issue with children suffering from mental health issues, but it is also becoming an increasing concern surrounding young people today as a result of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effect of exercise on mental health and anxiety disorders A lack of connection to nature has been associated with a diminished use of the senses and ability to concentrate, as well as higher rates of emotional and physical illness (24).

Although evidence that exposure to the natural environment, via outdoor activity days or camps, alongside mild to moderate exercise, shows that resilience and wellbeing of young people from a range of backgrounds is improved, it is recognised that studies carried out to date have been limited and are only studied for short-term benefits and have been restricted to small low‐quality trials (25). In addition to these studies being limited, it is interesting to note that few researchers have concentrated specifically on the effects of physical activity on anxiety disorders in pre-school and early adolescent age groups who are most at risk of developing anxiety disorders (26).

FINDING FOREST WELLBEING Expand your know-how with reading ‘Forest school for wellbeing’ by Lucy Tiplady and Harriet Menter (2020).

Found in the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning (JAEOL), this article shares data from a Forest School project aimed at impacting upon the emotional wellbeing of children and young people.

Click here to go to the article.

In summary, there is increasing concern that this vital part of education and personal growth is being missed out upon. It is proposed that organisations such as schools and places of care should seek to ensure that the young people in their care have regular opportunities to interact with nature in the outdoor environment in order to enhance their wellbeing.

It would be of significant benefit both to young people themselves and the overburdened health care system to be able to instigate and carry out long-term research with larger cohorts to study the effect of the natural outdoor environment and/ or outdoor activities on young people, in particular for those with a predisposition to anxiety disorders and mental health conditions n

REALLY GOOD RESOURCES Head over to page 5 for more resource recommendations.

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TO LOCAL

B

efore we get to questions about the climate crisis and outcomes from the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)... can you tell us how you’ve been involved in Outdoor Learning?

My involvement in Outdoor Learning has evolved enormously over the years, steered more by good luck than any sort of life plan. I did a degree in Mathematics at university but much of my focus during that time was on climbing and kayaking. As a result, I didn’t get a very good degree but I did come away with what was then called a BCU Senior Instructor’s award and an Advanced Proficiency Kayak award.

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When I learned that there was a PGCE course at Bangor in North Wales that could mean I could make a living as an Outdoor instructor I applied and got a place. That course added a Mountain Leadership award to a list of ‘tickets’ and various fixed-period jobs in centres (and in schools when I couldn’t get a centre post) followed, mostly in Wales and Scotland.

INSIDE STORY

FROM GLOBAL

Sometimes good training opportunities were available for instructors in those days — if you were lucky. I was, and added both a BCU Coach Level Five award and a Mountaineering Instructors Certificate. These got me a job at Plas-y-Brenin which is where I was a few years later when Tiglin, the National Adventure Centre of Ireland (Ireland’s equivalent to Plas-y-Brenin) advertised for a new director. Being Irish doubtless helped me get the post – a bit more good luck at a good time. My evolution had now gone from adrenaline, to instruction, to supervision and overview. My perception of the Outdoor world was widening, almost without me realising it.

The Lyme Bay disaster, which claimed the lives of four teenagers on a school trip to an Outdoor centre in Devon, occurred during my time at Tiglin. Like everyone else in the Outdoor community I watched the ripples run through the Outdoor Learning world, but from afar. And it was from this perspective that I watched the debates which preceded the creation of the Adventure Activities Licensing scheme.

I took the view that if such a crazy thing was going to threaten the sector that was my life then I wanted to be involved in making sure it didn’t destroy it, and that would best happen from within. Pretty much all of the inspectors who joined AALA at the start, and since, were of a similar view. Once again circumstances, added to my happen-chance of a CV/Resumé, somehow got me the job of Head of Inspection.

When did you first really become aware of the climate crisis and the urgency for change?

This evolved in parallel with my hotch-potch of a career. From my family home in Northern Ireland, I could put on my walking boots and go up into the Mourne Mountains, or pick up my kayak and walk to the beach, if there was any decent surf. This meant I grew up within the natural world to the extent that I did not really appreciate it. It was just the way my world was.

With each of the many changes in my subsequent career I became more aware that the natural world was not as accessible for everyone. As I came to appreciate it more, I also realised it was coming under increasing threat. As an instructor, I learned and encouraged appreciation of the natural world and the importance of protecting it, but very few people then were really aware of the enormous threat that was looming low on the horizon. At the time of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the event that really brought climate change to the attention of world leaders for the first time, I was just starting as Director of Tiglin, and oblivious to the revelations taking place at the other side of the world.

“

The aim of the adventure activities licensing scheme is to give assurance that good safety management practice is being followed so that young people can continue to have opportunities to experience exciting and stimulating activities outdoors while not being exposed to avoidable risks of death and disabling injury.”

HSE (1)

As awareness of the crises of climate change and the rapid collapse of the natural environment grew, Outdoor centres found themselves on the front line of defensive action. Increasingly, “opportunities to experience exciting and stimulating activities outdoors” became about being in nature, valuing it and preserving it. It became about valuing what really matters in life as opposed to those things that modern consumerist society tells us are important. And it became

about challenging those who really do rather well out of business-asusual, those who encourage and profit from gratuitous consumption.

In 2019 TQS decided not to bid for the contract with the Health and Safety Executive to continue to run what, by then, had become the Adventure Activities Licensing Service (AALS). Long story, but not relevant here! The outcome would be that when our current contract expired in April 2020 we would be transferred under TUPE regulations, with the likely outcome that most of us would be made redundant, and I was.

One of the many things that I now had the time and opportunity to do was to become more involved in climate change activism, and in particular with Non-Violent Direct Action, the approach of choice of Extinction Rebellion.

With the COP26 President stating, "We can now say with credibility that we have kept 1.5 degrees alive. But its pulse is weak and it will only survive if we keep our promises and translate commitments into rapid action" (2), If you had to explain to someone about the urgent need to keep “1.5 degrees alive”, what would you say?

Numbers confuse people. As a former Maths teacher, I was acutely aware of this on a daily basis and had to find ways to explain what the dry numbers meant in real life. An average rise in global temperature of 1.5 degrees centigrade (1.5°C ) above pre-industrial levels does not sound like such a big deal. Rather pleasant, you might think. But it’s a GLOBAL AVERAGE. That means some places don’t get as much as 1.5°C hotter and some places do get more than 1.5°C hotter, much hotter, 6°C, 8°C, more...

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FROM GLOBAL TO LOCAL

LOCAL

ACTION Taking the four key themes for action from the COP26 summary report (2) as a starting point, we can ask ourselves if there’s anything we can do at home, work or in our communities to make changes.

COP26 Themes

Theme 1

Reducing emissions .

Have a look at your carbon footprint and gain some ideas along the way on how to reduce it.

For example, complete the Climate Hero test to calculate your footprint across housing, travel and consumption. It takes about five minutes. Go to: https://climate-calculator.climatehero.me

Nearly all the increases in temperature take place over land masses, making some areas uninhabitable as droughts turn already marginal agricultural land into dust, and forests burn. We are already seeing climate change refugees, and we will see many more.

Most of the increases in temperature take place in the Arctic and Antarctic, causing sea ice to melt away and with it the ability to reflect the sun’s radiation back into space; permafrost melts releasing yet more greenhouse gas (GHG) causing yet more warming; and glaciers melt (resulting in sea levels rising). And all of this gets MUCH worse if the rise in average global temperature goes above 1.5°C. The increase in the frequency and severity of the devasting weather events we are now seeing are as a result of only 1.1°C rise in global average temperatures since pre-industrial levels.

The 2019 Special Report (SR1.5) from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sets out just how much worse 2.0°C would likely be, compared to 1.5°C. It makes for deeply disturbing reading (3). So, keeping the rise in average global warming to 1.5°C is a very, very big deal indeed. To achieve this, greenhouse gas emissions have to come down, but they are still going up.

The IPCC have also said that the evidence that global warming is the result of mankind’s activities is now ‘incontrovertible’. Moreover, the worst damage has been caused in the last 30 years, when we knew what harm greenhouse gases would have. So, if the causes of global warming are so clear, and the solutions are known, why is more not being done? This, for me, is the single biggest question, and the answer is complicated.

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Theme 2

Adaptation, loss and damage: helping those already impacted by climate change. For example, could you ‘twin’ with another organisation, charity or school to offer support where needed? This could be at home or away. See how a school in Oxford has twinned with a school in South India to help tackle the climate crisis: www.oxford.anglican.org/upsg-twinning

Theme 3

Finance: enabling countries to deliver on their climate goals. Money talks, so look to support change through spending in sustainable and ethical ways, as by banking ethically. Read more here about ethical banking: www.moneyexpert.com/current-account/ethical-banking

WATCH NOW Don’t look up from Netflix: click to watch the trailer Earth to COP from United Nations: click to watch

Theme 4

Collaboration: working together to deliver even greater action. Many of us are already experiencing changes in our local environments, whether it be increased flooding or reduced biodiversity, for example. Look to build ever stronger relationships in your local communities to act together.

Perhaps there are opportunities to reduce community carbon footprint with car sharing, sponsored tree-planting and pledges to support local businesses.

Why not check local climate change risks (short and longer term) and think about what you can do together to make changes. (Could be e.g. campaigining for better flood defences, having ‘cleanups’ to make sure drainage is clear and looking at other ways to slow flood water.)

To check long-term flood risk, go to : https://check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk/postcode Search by postcode or area to access online maps.

For broader risks facing the UK from climate change, read: www.ukclimaterisk.org and www.jrf.org.uk/report/impacts-climate-changedisadvantaged-uk-coastal-communities To read more about COP26 and the outcomes go to: https://ukcop26.org n

For readers who want to get up to speed, what would you recommend watching or reading?

There is lots of good stuff available, but to keep it topical here’s the most recent: Don’t look up is a 2021 American satirical science fiction film written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay. The impact event is an allegory for climate change, and the film is a satire of government and media indifference to the climate crisis.

It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two astronomers attempting to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilisation (4).

But if you want a good summary of the problem, you can’t do much better than the four minute Earth to COP shown to delegates as part of the opening plenary session at the UN Climate Change ‘Conference of the Parties’ (COP) in Glasgow in November 2021 (5).

RECYCLE ROUNDUP A digital game by National Geographic kids which gets children to clean up the park, sort things which have been thrown away (recycle, compost or trash) and learn facts about climate change.

Find the game here: https://kids. nationalgeographic. com/games/actionadventure/article/ recycle-roundup-new

What are the positives and/ or negatives coming out from COP26?

A positive was that for the first time there was agreement that the world would ‘phase down’ the burning of coal.

That has never been included in a final COP agreement before.

However, the decision at the last minute to use ‘phase down’ rather than ‘phase out’ was definitely a negative.

With COP26 being focussed at such a national and international level, is there anything you think we could be doing individually, within our communities, and as a sector?

REFERENCES 1. HSE (2004) Guidance from the Licensing Authority on the Adventure Activities Licensing Regulations 2004. The Activity Centres (Young Persons’ Safety) Act 1995. https://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/l77.pdf 2. COP26 (2021). COP26 The Glasgow climate pack. https://ukcop26.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/11/COP26-Presidency-Outcomes-The-Climate-Pact.pdf 3. IPCC (2019). Global warming of 1.5 ºC. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/ 4. Netflix (2021). Don’t look up. https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81252357 5. UN (2021). Earth to COP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WchgajHiUc IMAGES Author profile was supplied by the author. Screen grabs have been sourced from Netflix and UN, with other images sourced from pxhere.com. Copyright is retained by original source.

Governments can promote policies nationally but implementation is essentially local. There are great things happening across the Outdoor Learning sector to combat both climate change and biodiversity loss, much of which has been reported in Horizons. This is an ideal mechanism for disseminating information about these and the other wonderful work already going on, and for encouraging much, MUCH more to be done n

FUN WAYS TO REUSE CARDBOARD The Muddy Puddle Teacher shares tips from page 40 on how to use waste cardboard in creative, practical ways.

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MAGIC

MOMENTS OUTDOOR DISCOVERIES

NOTICING MAGIC MOMENTS OUTDOORS

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his article follows on from a webinar I (Tracy) facilitated with Elspeth Mason in March 2021, linked to the IOL Spirituality in Outdoor Learning special interest group. (This followed on from an earlier webinar which informed the first article in this series (1).) In this second webinar, we explored a range of concepts, including: the importance of open space and taking the time to listen e.g. to bird song; noticing, for example, the light through leaves; and ‘coming out of ourselves’, ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’, for peace and self-care.

One of the webinar participants remarked that they liked the term ‘magic moments’ because it is a little vague but brings with it a hope to explore the non-technical aspects of being in the outdoors. We talked about a sense of connectedness and being part of something bigger than the world of only humans, and of looking at detail: how the act of ‘zoning in’/ of noticing may help people connect and appreciate the differences between plants. Some spoke of finding time to get ‘out of your worries’, of how seeing the bigger picture can bring perspective, a sense of place and belonging.

We all spoke of memorable, magic or troublesome moments – those times that stick in our minds. We considered some of the value-laden words that we use, for example: noticing, magic, craft, mindfulness, holding-space, listening, nature, outside.

In this article, I move the discussion forward to focus on: • •

Magic/memorable moments, including the un/planned and un/expected.

The concept and practice of noticing, how we can enable and support others to notice and see things they might normally miss, and how we can draw on this in research and practice.

To do this, I am drawing on my own research and practice, blended with Sam’s, a recently qualified teacher.

Magic moments Whenever I speak or write the words ‘magic moments’, I inevitably hear a song in my head: ‘Magic moments’, the popular song with music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David; recorded by Perry Como, it was released in December 1957 and became a hit early in 1958 (2). In 1995 it was used by Nestlé to promote Quality Street chocolates (3). The advert celebrated everyday culture, showing a child who gifts chocolates to their neighbour as a way of apologising for disturbing them with their games (playing with a football, a kite, bow and arrow).

Watching this advert in 2022 evokes contrasting emotions: warm feelings from memories of my own childhood, playing simple games in our back garden, eating chocolates, trying not to annoy my neighbours; discomfort at the sight of a young boy dressed up as a ‘Red Indian’. What is seen by some as harmless dressing-up, as role play, a beloved tradition, is perceived differently by others, as (at best) a form of insensitive cultural appropriation, or at worst, as outright racist, disrespectful behaviour (4).

This advert provides a useful example for framing discussions about ethical, philosophical and political questions relating to childhood. It is important to consider the context and the intention(s) behind the actions, and how these are shaped by cultural, historical and socio-political norms. It is important to remember that there are cultural and power sensitivities involved, and a need to avoid binary

BEING INCLUSIVE IN THE WILD Read more by Tracy Hayes, along with Anne Faulkner and Felicity Harris:

thinking of what is right/ wrong. And it is important to recognise this before moving on to explore childhood memories. I feel sure that many (if not all of us over a certain age) have treasured memories of happy times in our childhoods that we are reluctant to share, for fear of judgement.

We’re all in the wild: an inclusive guide to supporting young people with SEN/D to discover their local outdoor spaces can be downloaded here: http://insight.cumbria. ac.uk/id/eprint/5829/

Magic – what is it and how can we find/create it?

According to the online Cambridge dictionary (5), magic may be defined in several ways, including:

1

The use of special powers to make things happen that would usually be impossible, such as in stories for children.

2

The skill of performing tricks to entertain people, such as making things appear and disappear.

3

A special and exciting quality that makes something seem different from ordinary things.

I started consciously using the term ‘magic moments’ during my PhD research to identify specific incidents and/or moments that made me stop and wonder – to question and extract meaning.

Some of my magic moments are encounters which continue to haunt me, to trouble me and cause me to really question what I think is happening, how and why. There was nothing really momentous or out-of-the-ordinary about these moments, they were pretty ordinary,

CONTEMPORARY CHILDHOODS Find more reflections about childhood, with a focus on anxiety, from page 25.

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MAGIC MOMENTS mundane. Indeed it was their everydayness (6) that made them so special – they were/are relatable to other people and contexts.

However, they are moments that are both moving and memorable and a valuable resource for practice. Although I had used the word magic in my practice as an environmental youth and community worker, studying at this higher level required me to consider both what I did and how I explained it – to be more open to and aware of different perspectives and interpretations.

enhances your wellbeing and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm life priorities. Heightened awareness also enhances self-understanding and allows us to make positive choices based on our own values and motivations, to understand what matters to us (8). This approach formed the basis for Sam’s research, which we discuss below.

Magic may be found through providing opportunities that have the potential to enable people to look anew at their environment, to see things in a different way.

Sam was a student I taught on undergraduate programme in working with children and families, and she has gone on to complete training as a primary school teacher. For her final year dissertation project, she explored changing attitudes towards play, involving teachers who were also parents, to understand things from both personal and professional perspectives.

This may be fun, enjoyable, challenging or frightening. Not all magic moments are pleasurable. When planning activities, there are practical things we can do to provide these opportunities, for example, using locations that have been designed with this in mind (see photo on page 36 of a labyrinth of interwoven rhododendrons), or using poetry, art, stories, music to conjure up a sense of the magical. Some landscapes evoke a sense of awe, that can feel magical. Encountering the ordinary at an unusual time (for example, walking at night, looking at things by moon or torchlight) may make us say ‘wow’ (7). There are many imaginative ways to create these moments; the magic lies in ensuring they don’t appear contrived and/ or forced.

Noticing Reminding yourself to take notice can strengthen and broaden awareness, and enhance our observational skills. Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly

SAM’S RESEARCH

One day, driving through her local town, Sam suddenly noticed that there were no children in sight. She remembered being a child, playing on those same streets with stones, sticks, riding her bike, being with friends. Why couldn’t she see any children? Curious, she started asking questions: “What outdoor experiences do children have? Where do they go/ not go? What do they do/ not do and why? Who/ what is influencing these experiences?”

She looked first at the literature, then she talked with teachers who were parents/ carers and asked them about what they did as a child: “Where did you go? What did you do?”

First, they captured their answers in visual representations, using crayons and pencils before exploring through conversation. They recalled playing by rivers, in gardens, fields, dens and sheds, playing football, making fires, going for walks, picnics, sunshine, and organised clubs and activities. Then she asked them how their outdoor experiences compared with that of their own children’s outdoor time. They shared concerns about traffic, strangers, risk, stories from the media (print and social media) causing worry and anxiety. Yet, they recognised that the things they did outdoors as a child gave them many opportunities to learn to manage risks for themselves.

REFERENCES

1. Hayes, T.A. (2021). Finding Joy and Hope: Taking time to ask and making time to listen.

Horizons, 95, 12-14.

2. See https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1158044/Perry+Como/Magic+Moments 3. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVuYnr4UkOA 4. Rucińska, Z. (2021). Can role-playing be wrong? An analysis of the normativity of play from the perspective of enactive cognitive science, In Koubová, A., Urban, P., Russell, W., & MacLean, M. (Eds.). (2021). Play and democracy: philosophical perspectives. London: Routledge.

5. See https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/magic 6. Horton, J. and Kraftl, P. (2006). What else? Some more ways of thinking and doing ‘Children’s Geographies’. Children’s Geographies. 4 (1) 69–98.

7. Hayes, T.A. (2017). Kindness: caring for self, others and nature - who cares and why?, in Horton, J. & Pyer, M. (Eds). Children, young people and care. London: Taylor Francis.

8. Torkar, G. (2021). Taking Notice. Available at https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/taking-noticechildrens-observation-skills-in-nature-as-a-basis-for-the-development-of-early-scienceeducation 9. Anderson, N. (2021). Professional Matters: Raising our game, 2021 webinar insights and recommendations. Horizons, 95, 18-20. Available from https://www.outdoor-learningresearch.org/Portals/0/Research%20Documents/Horizons%20Archive/PM.pdf?ver= 2021-10-25-103805-380 10. Kunkel, D. (2006). How Unicorns Learn. Horizons, 36, 10-12.

11. Hemsley, B. (2021). Talking to the wild: the bedtime stories we never knew we needed.

Leicester: Wildmark Publishing

IMAGES

Image on page 33 has been sourced from pxhere.com, with photographer retaining copyright.

All other images have been supplied by the authors who retain copyright.

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“

One participant’s quote became the title for her study: I think it’s important, but at the same time it scares me to death.”

There are no easy answers or neat findings from Sam’s research.

But it made the participants stop and think, to remember how it felt to be a child, to play outdoors, to notice how contemporary childhoods may be different, and then to consider how this awareness may/ not be informing their current practice.

Sam noticed things had changed since she was a child – and unlike me, this was not that long ago. She noticed what was missing and this led her to question why this was so and what she could do about it. She is now taking this learning forward into her practice as a teacher. The technique she used was one I developed during my doctoral research, which I taught her on the undergraduate programme. It draws on our memories, enables us to notice, to question, to explore our values and become more aware, both of what is going on and of our role within this. We summarise it below in individual steps.

Guidance for activity Step 1: Think back to your childhood and remember an experience that you had outside as a child.

• Question 1: Where did you go?

• Question 2: What did you do?

• Question 3: Who (if anyone) was with you; people, pets, toys?

• Question 4: Why did you go outside; what was your motivation?

• Question 5: How did you feel; think about your senses and emotions?

Step 2: With these questions in mind, please now draw your outdoor experience and be prepared to discuss afterwards.

Step 3: Share your picture and discuss with someone else.

• What sort of activities are shown?

• What similarities / differences are there in your pictures?

Aim to encourage discussion between participants as they show and talk about their drawings.

Step 4: Switch discussion to the outdoor experiences of children today (their own, those they teach) and how this compares to their own. Remember to avoid being judgemental and encourage consideration of the context, the norms of the time.

As practitioners, our roles as the facilitator, co-participant and interpreter of experiences provide us with a privileged ‘insider’ role that allows us to share, and capture, these magic moments.

Therefore, we have a duty of care to ensure that we do this in way that respects cultural and power sensitivities, and that acknowledges changing cultural, historical and socio-political norms.

Discussions like this also offer a way to explore equality, diversity and inclusion issues. IOL’s Raising our game report identifies perceptions and understanding as the biggest barrier to making the outdoors a diverse and inclusive place, highlighting a need to take responsibility for action (9).

Conclusion Sometimes we may not feel open to magic, even though we may be

surrounded by it, and yet we may feel obliged to ‘manufacture’ it for others with stage-managed ‘wow’ moments such as views from mountain tops and ‘magic moment’ sit spots. In our practice, how can we buck the ‘... trend to commodify, corporatise, entertain, and specialise’ (10) to provide experiences and offer opportunities for people to find their own magic moments?

The focus for the next article in this series is how stories, imagination and creativity can add awe, wonder and fun in a way that enables us to find our own magic outdoors. It will be co-authored with another graduate student, Charlotte, who followed the steps in the activity outlined above to recall the fairies that she shared her life with, when she was a child.

“

This article concludes with a line from a poem by Becky Hemsley’s poem ‘Magic’ (11) ...if we stop looking for magic then we’ll never see it there.”

Let’s keep looking n

AUTHOR Tracy Hayes, University of Cumbria A qualified youth worker and community development professional, Tracy takes a playfully narrative approach to her work. She is lead editor of the book Storytelling: Global perspectives on narrative (Brill, 2019) and is convenor of the British Educational Research Association’s (BERA) Nature, Outdoor Learning and Play Special Interest Group, and Social Media and Website Officer for the Royal Geographical Society’s (RGS) Social and Cultural Geographies Research Group (SCGRG).

AUTHOR Sam Tremble Sam Tremble is a Year 1 Primary School Teacher with a passion for all children to be happy, unique and have amazing experiences in their lives.

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NATURE NOTES

WILDLIFE TIPS FOR CENTRES, SCHOOLS, PARKS AND GARDENS

WINTER WILDLIFE W

inter solstice (Latin: ‘sun stands still’) or Yule (pagan mid-winter), is the shortest day in the year in the Northern Hemisphere and a time when most wildlife is dormant, hibernating or just trying to stay warm and dry… a bit like us really!

It is, however, the perfect time to reflect on the past year and to consider our successes and challenges as educators. This ancient ritual is just as valid today and it helps us move into a new year with renewed enthusiasm for Outdoor Learning.

Tree calendar I always refer back to the ancient Celtic calendar when I teach tree biology and identification courses, as these ancient people loved and understood trees.

Winter solstice on 21st December was a time to celebrate the yew (Taxus baccata) as the tree of resurrection or eternity, which is no surprise for such a slow-growing and long-living tree located at places of worship. It is a native evergreen conifer with bright red fleshy cones bearing a single seed on the female trees.

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January heralds a new calendar year with the lady of the woods or silver birch (Betula pendula) and downy birch (Betula pubescens), coming to prominence for the Celts. As the first tree to colonise Europe after the Ice Age it is fitting that it was the first consonant in their language too. This slender tree was associated with shamanism, not least because of its close symbiotic relationship with the distinctive toxic and hallucinogenic red and white toadstool fly agaric (Amanita muscaria).

February is represented by the rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), one of 100 species of mountain ash found in temperate regions of the world. A slender tree that can reach heights of 10 metres, it often grows in the company of other trees and as the lady of the mountains flourishes extensively in the Peak District. Its bright red fruit was used as a general tonic and laxative for centuries but is now used as a natural sweetener for diabetic foods (1).

Tasks for winter Winter is the time to prune fruit trees and coppice or pollard other hardwood trees and shrubs in our woods, hedges, parks and

WHAT THE POLLARD?!

Looking for a bit more information about copicing and pollarding?

Gardeners World is a good place to start: www.gardenersworld. com/plants/coppicingand-pollarding-trees/

FIGURE ONE

gardens. Coppicing means cutting a tree or shrub down to ground level and allowing new shoots to grow up from the base in spring.

Pollarding is merely doing the same but cutting the stem at a height of 2-5 metres, which traditionally prevented livestock from browsing on the new growth (see figure one).

growing on veteran oaks and apple trees for hundreds of years. This scarce plant is found in ancient orchards and is ever-present in the seasonal office parties!

The other main winter task for wildlife is of course feeding the birds to supplement the berries that are still available on hedgerows and shrubs — but stick to unsalted nuts, seeds, dried fruit, grated dry cheese and apples. If the weather is frost-free then you can bare-root trees, shrubs and roses to create hedgerows, shrubberies or small woods. Finally, if you have some spare timber you can spend the cold months building bird, bat, dormouse and hedgehog boxes ready for next season (2).

No British bird is less in need of an introduction than the robin (Erithacus rubecula) but few people realise that it is a close relative of the thrush. Sometimes referred to as robin redbreast it is known as ruddock in the north of England, as robinet or bob in the Midlands and in East Anglia as bobby! They endear themselves to us as a consequence of their regular visits to bird tables and following gardeners as they dig over vegetable plots and flower beds exposing a tasty morsal.

Winter project: Outdoor Learning in the warm Your centres, schools, parks and gardens may be quiet with few visitors and wildlife, so why not sit back with a hot barley cup and explore the delights of three great books Flora Britannica (3), Fauna Britannica (4) and Bugs Britannica (5).

Over the years I have used these books to learn more about native wildlife and garner titbits for my lessons, talks and guided walks.

Yuletide is the traditional time for plants like holly (Ilex aquifolium), ivy (Hedera helix) and mistletoe with seasonal roles to play in our woods, hedges, orchards and gardens, as well as a cherished place in our folklore.

Mistletoe (Viscum album) is often feared by gardeners as a parasite and destroyer of trees such as apple, lime, oak and alder. However, this woody climber merely draws water and minerals from its host and does not cause serious damage, with records of mistletoe

Probably less well-known is the winter moth (Operophtera brumata) that unlike most other moths and butterflies, in fact most insects, is active as an adult only during the cold winter months. It is primarily nocturnal too hence its obscurity but lives in our hedgerows, woods, gardens and orchards where it lays its eggs on deciduous trees and shrubs. The caterpillars emerge in spring to dine on the leaves before climbing down the stems to pupate under the soil from June to November.

GET IN THE ZONE Go to page 12 to read about the success of a nature zone in a primary school.

ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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WINTER WILDLIFE Imagine if trees could tell stories... think of all the things which have happened in the lifetime of a tree near you

1666 The Fire of London (wooden houses)

1066 Battle of Hastings 1086 Doomsday Book was written

11 th century

17 th century

1381 The Peasants’ Revolt ended serfdom

14 th century

16 th century

21 st century

1588 The Spanish Armanda (wooden ships)

2012 Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 6m trees planted

18 th century

1215 Signing of the Magna Carta

1760+ Start of the Industrial Revolution

Trees can live a really long time!

An English Oak (Quercus robur) in the right location can live over 900 years and the oldest yew in the UK (Fortingall Yew, Perthshire) is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old, although some believe it could be 5,000 years old.

These ancient trees have outlived more than 15 generations of humans and bear witness to great changes during their lives. So why not find a veteran or ancient tree near you and create a timeline from national and local history of that tree to share with your audience. Consider the value of using a prop such as my ‘new volunteer’ seen above sitting in a tree on Westfield Common, Surrey (6) n

AUTHOR Paul RItchie, Sorbus Learning CIC Paul is a biologist with a passion for Outdoor Learning and teaching local communities, voluntary groups and others about ecology, conservation and wildlife gardening through courses, workshops and talks. As Director and project leader of a small not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) he promotes understanding of our natural world. https://sorbuslearning.co.uk/ ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

20th

century

13 th century

Outdoor Learning: storytelling

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1903 Wright Brothers first flight over UK 1914-45 First and Second World Wars 1969 First astronaut walks on moon 1987 Great storm blew down 15m trees

REFERENCES

1. Gifford, Jane (2000). The Celtic wisdom of trees: mysteries, magic and medicine. Godsfield Press.

2. Bennett, Jackie (1998). The wildlife garden month-by-month. David & Charles.

3. Mabey, Richard (1996). Flora Britannica. Sinclair Stevenson.

4. Buczacki, Stefan (2002). Fauna Britannica. Hamlyn.

5. Marren, Peter and Mabey, Richard (2010). Bugs Britannica. Chatto & Windus 6. Milner, Edward.J (1992). The tree book: indispensable guide to tree facts, crafts and lore.

Collins & Brown.

IMAGES

Figure 1 was sourced from https://midwestpermaculture.com/2012/11/coppicingpollarding/ who retains copyright. All other images have been supplied by the author who retains copyright.

Page 37 features a Blue Tit (Parus caerulus) on nut feeder in the snow.

Page 38 features a veteran Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) from the Peak District.

HOW- TO

GET CREATIVE WITH

CARDBOARD MUDDY PUDDLE

HOW CAN SCHOOLS USE MORE RECYCLED CARDBOARD IN THE CLASSROOM? ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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GET CREATIVE WITH CARDBOARD

C

ardboard is something that we all use and something we often have an abundance of, especially after Christmas. So, why not teach the children how we can reuse the cardboard, have fun creating and also make practical things? It’s a great way to merge art and design technology (DT), while also teaching children the value of sustainability.

The first thing you need is a glue gun!

IDEAS FOR EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE Creative cardboard clipboards Draw around an old clipboard on a cardboard box. Draw around it once more on another part of the box. Cut out the two pieces of cardboard. Using a glue gun/ glue stick, seal the two cardboard pieces together and then add a foldback clip or two extra-large paper clips.

This is a great activity for dexterity. You can simplify the way that the paper is attached by using Blu Tack.

Easels Easels don’t always have to be new, plastic or expensive. In small groups, take a large cardboard box and cut out 4 x A3 pieces of cardboard. Using a glue stick, glue two pieces together and then glue the other two pieces together. On one end of each cardboard piece, use a pencil to punch a hole on one end and then the other.

Now, thread ribbon or string through the hole to make a hinge. At the bottom of the cardboard, do a similar thing but with more length to make a sort of tipi shape. As with the clipboards, use Blu Tack or extra-large paper clips to attach the paper and get painting.

IDEAS FOR KEY STAGE ONE Paint brush pots and pencil pots Start by talking about the shape of pencil pots and what 2D shapes make up a cylinder.

First, draw a circle around an old pencil pot (you could draw a second circle and stick them together to add thickness to the base). Then, draw a rectangle (with tabs) to make the part that attaches to the circle. Before you put the pieces together, decorate them! Either paint them or colour them in. Then, attach the circle to the rectangle to create a cylinder shape. You will need a glue gun to do this.

Frames Ask children to bring in a picture of their family from the home. Now, it’s time to make a frame for it. Place the picture on some cardboard and ask the children to draw around the picture. Now, cut out a piece of cardboard that is just slightly bigger than the picture — about an inch bigger, all the way around. Then, cut another piece out that is the same size but with the inside cut out for the picture to be seen through. Time to decorate! Have fun using natural resources to get a nature-loving feel. Glue them together, leaving one side glue-free so you can slot the picture in. Add string to dangle it from the ceiling or add a challenge to see if the children can make a stand for their frame.

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IDEAS FOR KEY STAGE TWO Cardboard mazes Children love to make mazes. First, start by cutting out the baseboard — A3 is a good size. Then, spend time designing the maze using a pencil so they can correct it and change it as they go.

Next, go over the final design with a black marker.

The children will then need to cut out small pieces of card that will fit on the design to create a maze. Add a wall around the outside of the maze as well. The children will need to use a glue gun for this.

Lastly, have fun with a marble, trying to get it to the middle of the maze.

Storage boxes Storage is one thing that humans use a lot of plastic for, so, let’s work towards reducing our need for more plastic storage boxes by making our own upcycled versions.

First, allow the children to decide what they’re going to make a storage box for and what size they need to make it. Allow some planning time for this.

Then, get to the action and start to make it! Encourage the children to be accurate; use rulers to ensure that all sides are equal and the same; think about using tabs to join the sides. Children need to measure out a base and four sides.

Next, cut them out. Talk about strength and whether they feel just one layer is strong enough. Maybe adding another layer will give it greater strength and it will last longer? Allow the children to decide as it will be dependent on what the box will be storing. It is worth looking at other cardboard boxes, such as shoeboxes, to see how they’re created to be strong.

Now, decorate the box. Finally, attach all the pieces together using a glue gun n

IMAGES

Illustrations by CByrne, who retains copyright. The author profile image has been supplied by the author who retains copyright.

AUTHOR Sarah Seaman, The Muddy Puddle Teacher Sarah has been a teacher for 12 years and created The Muddy Puddle Teacher approach. Sarah is an author and blogger, and trains and consults throughout the UK. https://themuddypuddleteacher.co.uk ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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HAVE YOUR

SAY

HORIZONS ASKED READERS TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT OVERCOMING STAFF SHORTAGES

“

The staff in the Outdoor Education Department at St David’s College hold a range of NGB qualifications but are also qualified teachers, each having completed a PGCE and/or Outdoor Education degree. Generally, we don’t employ many freelance instructors and the ones we do, teach with us regularly during the term.

As with most organisations, we’ve had to cope with various members of our department, suddenly off work, isolating for periods of time, which has caused us several operational challenges. Part of our overall risk assessment is that we use experienced and qualified staff known to our pupils. As well as going through the standard DBS/Child protection paperwork, new staff have to undergo a period of induction, so a new freelance instructor can’t just be ‘called in’ to work.

Despite requiring a relatively unique set of high-level qualifications, our location in North Wales has never seen a shortage of experienced Outdoor Education teachers and instructors to call on.

However, never before have we needed to find employees in such numbers and at such short notice.

With Outdoor Education centres in the area closing down, we’ve found that the pool of local freelance teachers and instructors has been hit in two ways. First is that many of them have retrained and found a new line of work – and in some cases, one that is better

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paid and with less responsibilities! Also, there is a concern that those who were working and have been on extended periods of furlough, may or may not still be current either with the activity or their knowledge of the local venues.

The number of big Outdoor organisations and centres that have closed or re-structured in North Wales is a sign of increasing barriers to employment in the Outdoor Education industry as a whole. Offering lower wages and irregular hours are not attractive ways to encourage new people into the industry and with many centres closed, it’s a concern that there are not as many ‘trainee’ instructors beginning careers, being mentored and working their way up through the qualifications – which could leave a major employment gap in the future.

I am lucky enough to work in a school that values the benefits of Outdoor Education and treats it the same as any of the ‘traditional’ classroom subjects. If councils and government were to prioritise Outdoor Education in the same way as lessons such as Maths, Science etc, then perhaps this would benefit not only those employed in the sector, but also the children that we are here to help.”

VIEWPOINT BY: Ian Martin, Head of Outdoor Education at St David’s College, North Wales.

“

I have seen considerable staff shortages within the Outdoor Education centre sector. The shortages seem to be instructional staff (freelance and permanent) and hospitality staff, but I think we firstly need to address why shortages are arising. I can, from my experiences, draw upon two reasons why there may be staff shortages and it’s connected to one thing: Wages (yes I went there).

Over the last two weeks I talked to people who represent these staff roles and one theme keeps re-occurring: wages. People need more money due to rising living costs, let alone the amount of expense it takes to accomplish each award. I am very lucky because I am a permanent employee at the centre where I work and was kept on furlough through the COVID-19 pandemic.

VIEWPOINTS

craft ready for our days off when we beat our own fear on that crux or rapid.

When we are at work, however, we are professionals and need to be recognised for our aptitude in an environment that requires an incredible amount of personal skill and compassion towards others in our care.

How do we overcome this?

I don’t want to answer on behalf of the freelance community (although I have worked in this capacity in the past) but it seems we are all still feeling the monetary effects of the pandemic and if, firstly, better paid work can be found outside the Outdoor Education sector then many people will take that work to keep themselves housed and fed. There appears, secondly, to be a decline in the amount of competitive pay on offer to permanent positions. It seems such a long time ago when all instructional staff in the industry had a pay review and hospitality staff were getting paid more than the current minimum wage.

I do not think there is an answer to the original question and there is more to this problem than just wages. managers, for example, find shortage of freelance staff problematic because permanent instructors use all their allocated hours and subsequent programming becomes difficult. I can tell you, however, that I think this is a really serious problem and the industry will soon be suffering. I asked my manager how he overcomes staff shortages and do you know his answer? I pray — and I’m an Atheist.”

What has this industry come to? We are responsible for the comfort, safety and lives of our clients yet it feels like there is little in return.

It’s all about ‘the lifestyle’, some people say, but to me it goes beyond that. Yes we all like to get out after work and practise our

VIEWPOINT BY: Rob Humphries, APIOL Ghyll Head Outdoor Education Centre, Lake District, Cumbria.

“

I’ve advertised two Kickstart jobs (for young people on benefits) and there’s been no takers.

I think this is a very relevant and topical question. I’m certainly finding difficulties recruiting staff.

It’s very difficult to find freelance/casual instructors in my area. It’s a small area, plus some staff have gone on to other careers following the pandemic lockdowns.

Finding catering staff has been particularly difficult with the hospitality industry in general understaffed due to Brexit!

So yes it is a question to ask, but what are the solutions???”

VIEWPOINT BY: Ian Healey, Horizons panel member, Centre Manager, Bristol.

HAVE YOUR SAY IN VIEWPOINTS Every issue we ask readers a question about what’s happening in the sector.

Get in touch with the editor if you have a question you think we should ask readers, or if you’d like to get next issue’s question straight to your inbox.

HOT OFF THE PRESS Read the latest sector insights from page 7.

ISSUE 96 WINTER 2021/ 2022

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IOL

KNOWLEDGE BASE A MEMBERS-ONLY RESOURCE FOR ALL PROFESSIONALS IN OUTDOOR LEARNING The IOL Knowledge Base builds on the very successful member-tomember webinars offered during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be a place to share knowledge, presentations and links on all aspects of Outdoor Learning provision.

It will be particularly helpful to students, apprentices, and members completing RPIOL, APIOL or LPIOL Awards. Here is a our starting point. How the Knowledge Base develops will be shaped by what you, our members, find most valuable.

FACILITATING LEARNING > > > > >

To contribute a link or article, or to request resources in a particular area, please email: institute@outdoor-learning.org To visit the Knowledge Base go to the IOL website: www.outdoor-learning.org where IOL members can log in for immediate access.

Or, visit the website to learn more about the benefits of becoming an IOL member.

ACTIVITY SKILLS AND COACHING

FL1 Theory of Change > Outdoor Therapy Statement of > Good Practice National Outdoor Learning Award > High Quality Outdoor Learning Teaching Outdoors webpage and links

Governing and Awarding Bodies IOL Bushcraft Professional Practice Group IOL Field Studies Professional Practice Group

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION > > >

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpage and links LGBT+ Rights IOL Adventure for All Professional Practice Group

EXPERIENCE AND JUDGEMENT

RESEARCH AND REPORTS

ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE

> > >

>

>

Adventure Activity Information Log Professional Recognition PP1 Reflective Practice

> >

Supporting evidence and research papers High Quality Outdoor Learning Regional Research Hubs

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP

> > > > >

>

IOL Code of Professional Conduct 7 Steps to CPD Outdoor First Aid Training Duty of Care, DBS, Safeguarding Educare CPD Training Offer

>

Risks and benefits webpage and links Occupational Standards

>

IOL Climate Change Position Statement Respect, Protect, Enjoy: The Countryside Code