Growing up Wild, Clyde and Avon Valleys Karen Dobbins, Development Officer Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership
The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership is a Heritage Lottery Fund supported initiative which aims to conserve, enhance and celebrate the unique landscape and cultural heritage of the Clyde and Avon Valley
The Partners
We deliver over 70 projects with our partners •Capital projects such as woodland/nature reserve/orchard management, path improvements
•Heritage projects such as oral history collecting, archaeological surveys and song-writing. •Engagement projects such as community arts, outdoor learning and ‘wild play’, volunteering.
www.clydeandavonvalley.org
The CAVLP project area Based on AGLV Clyde Valley NNR Clyde Walkway Wonderful woodlands, greenspaces , nature reserves and historic sites.
Population of 18,000 But around 180, 000 with surrounding areas. Great place for a cup of tea!
Growing up Wild Conference- Why? • We got funding through CAVLP/Heritage Lottery fund and FEI Lanarkshire • SLC Ranger Service lead partner/organiser. • Celebrate our project Growing up Wild • Share- what else is going on? • Start a conversation about the importance of outdoor play. • Keep the momentum going.- Play Talk
Growing up Wild – Play • Building on the success of WildTimeLAN • A year long programme about natural play and outdoor learning • The funders are the Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership, through the Heritage Lottery Fund, The William Grant Foundation • Holiday play programmes in partnership with SLC Ranger Service, RSPB Baron’s Haugh and OUTlet: Play Resource. • Weekly family sessions in Birkwood Lesmahagow, Mauldslie Woods and Baron’s Haugh. Motherwell. • Establishment of 3 outdoor play clubs in Larkhall, Stonehouse and Wishaw. .
Growing up Wild – play activities • Simple and achievable • No need for expensive kit • Not complicated to set up • Child-led, lots of free play • Fill the ‘wild play’ gap • Parents chatting -it’s working • https://youtu.be/ZO5a_QPEjWs
Growing up Wild-Outdoor Learning Supporting Forest School programmes in schools. Supporting after school outdoor play clubs Training for teachers and parent helpers in Forest School levels 1-3 Teaching in Nature training programme, delivered by Grounds for Learning, for North and South Lanarkshire Schools
Some snapshots of outdoor learning
Grown-ups can play too!
Why is it important? • Children need to be given the time, the place and the freedom to play • The internet is full of reports on the importance of outdoor play, barriers to outdoor play, ‘nature-deficit disorder’. • Outdoor play as a recent concept. • We, as communities need to give children the opportunity and the places to play.
Our children need to be‌.
Play connects people to place • CAVLP/partners agenda to connect communities to greenspaces. • Play is an effective way to do this • We care about our environment through an emotional connection • “You can’t love a place if you don’t know it”. Susan McNeish
• Children are the future custodians of our local and global natural environment.
Play is learning by stealth Emotional, social and physical development, imagination, creative thinking, physical skills, fine motor skills, language, art, social skills, cooperation, team- building, sharing, compromise, problem solving, risk assessing, independence, resilience, science, maths‌. Also, learning about nature in an informal way. Children are immersed in nature and that’s what allows the understanding and makes the emotional connection.
“If children lose contact with nature they won’t fight for it” George Monbiot, The Guardian