Youth and Schools newsletter
May 2012
Welcome to the Youth and Schools termly newsletter We’re proud to announce... The Youth and Schools Service has been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge. This nationally recognised indicator of good quality educational provision combines the essential elements of provision, learning and safety into one easily recognisable and trusted accreditation scheme for all types of learning outside the classroom provider organisation catering to children and young people throughout the UK. More details on this award can be found at lotcqualitybadge.org.uk
Our 10,000 acre outdoor classroom With summer fast approaching our diaries are getting jam packed and we don’t want anyone to miss out. Book your outdoor session now! So whether this term you’re mad about minibeasts or going barmy over birds we have the perfect outdoor session just for you! For more information or to book your session call us today.
If you’d like to be added/removed from our mailing list or wish to make a booking please contact us on 08456 770 607 or email youthandschools@leevalleypark.org.uk
Athletes of the minibeast world - Friday 6 July 2012 Help us celebrate the London 2012 Torch Relay (coming to Waltham Abbey on 7 July) and London’s Empty Classroom Day for just £1 per student. Primary schools have the opportunity to visit the park to discover the sporting champions of the minibeast world! Students will hunt for minibeasts with our experienced staff and will compare how their athletic abilities measure up to the sporting champions of the natural world. There’ll be two sessions throughout the day, each catering for up to three classes. Places are on a first come first served basis. Call 08456 770 607 to book.
Quote of the term
“We had a fantastic morning catching and identifying minibeasts and pond dipping. We learnt some very practical ideas on how to implement outdoor learning and where to go for resources and equipment to suit a very limited budget.” Sara Norton, Harlow Education & Employer Partnership (HEEP)
Your environmental pledges We’re extremely committed to helping protect our fragile environment and would love the help of all our valued school contacts. If you and your class could spare just a couple of minutes and send us either an individual or class pledge we’ll upload this to our website (visitleevalley.org.uk) and together we can show how just one person when added to everybody else can help change the world just one single pledge at a time. One such pledge is from Shapla Primary School: “Our year 3 class has pledged to respect animals”. Please keep your pledges coming and send them to us at youthandschools@leevalleypark.org.uk
Craft corner!
Exciting events We’ve lots of exciting events coming up throughout 2012 so make sure you secure your place before we’re fully booked. 5 July - Orienteering Competition Is your school up for a challenge? Secondary schools (years 9 to 13) from across the region are invited to explore Lee Valley Regional Park by testing their teamwork and navigation skills on part of our 15km orienteering course. Contact us for full details of any events or programmes.
Looking for something to get your students attention? With Easter having just passed we love these quirky egg shell plant pots! Get creative with your students and plant your very own grass seeds. It couldn’t be simpler all you need is: • a clean empty egg shell • potting soil • teaspoon of grass seed • 5-6 inch strip of cardboard • scissors • glue/tape.
Poetry competition
News in brief Makaton Advanced Training Last term we shared the news that all our tutors are fully Makaton trained, levels 1 through to 4. Our full time key tutors have now attended an advanced training course meaning that the majority of our team are now Makaton trained up to level 8.
IOL and ELfs Conference’s During March key members of the team attended both the ‘Institute for Outdoor Learning’ and ‘Essex Learning for Sustainability’ conferences. These were both extremely informative and interesting helping to cement our knowledge within the environmental field.
Environmental fact of the term! ’63 000 square miles of rainforests are being destroyed each year!’ TheNewEcologist.com
We’re currently in the second stage of our ‘My visit to Lee Valley Park’ poetry competition. So if you’d like to see your student’s work up around the park with your school mentioned then just drop us an email for further details.
Contact us! 08456 770 607 visitleevalley.org.uk
youthandschools@leevalleypark.org.uk
As a thanks you... please find enclosed our coaster for your well deserved cuppa!