Outdoor classrooms on the canals Children love to spend time by water. Fishing or pond-dipping from the bankside. Playing pooh-sticks on a bridge. Perhaps taking to the water on a narrowboat or discovering how a lock works. And thanks to our Explorers education programme, our waterways are becoming wonderful outdoor classrooms. “There’s so much to explore on the canal for children of all ages,” explains our participation
manager for learning and skills, Annette Simpson. “We can help younger ones build their own canal in sand as part of a transport topic. Or learn about waterway wildlife as they look at nature and habitats. For the older children, there are STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) lessons all around you on the canal network. At different levels, children of every age need to learn about the history and geography of canals that helped create the place they live. There are important life lessons to learn too, especially around water safety, wellbeing and citizenship.” After the Explorers programme had to go online during lockdown to support teachers, children and home-schooling parents, Annette is delighted to be helping children get back outdoors again. “Obviously lockdowns due to Covid-19 had a massive impact on children’s wellbeing. Teachers and parents are really understanding that learning by the canal is a great way to help them feel calm and happy again. “That’s why we’ve just launched a five-day wellbeing learning activity programme that teachers can deliver themselves using their local canals. We encourage children to explore
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