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This is an organisation looking to connect real life scientists to schools etc. You can do a live stream with the scientists with your class where it's interactive or you can look at some of their past recordings on youtube Skype A Scientist - YouTube

On youtube there's a small magnifier search symbol next to the playlist heading and you can search for a topic in there if you want to examine something specific such as plastic pollution.

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Skype a Scientist matches your classroom, scout troop, or library with scientists for Q&A sessions for free!

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Discover our free teaching resources, online training courses and awards scheme, designed to nurture young minds and empower educators.

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A resource from Forestry England with links to their other resources

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Download our Tree Trumps game to get to know the different trees in our woods and forests and discover some of their leafy secrets!

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Often when we're out and about we might find the remains of things. Above is a guide and some information about using skulls and bones we might find on our adventures.

Here's also an interesting link about how to clean bones if you find them and want to keep them: How to clean animal bones - the complete guide : Jake's Bones

Here's also a resource about examining owl pellets to find the bones of the animals they've eaten From Digestion to Discovery: Exploring Owl Pellets in the Classroom - Wonder at the World

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To help us keep this website secure, please wait while we verify you’re not a robot! It will only take a few seconds…

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A summary of useful apps for nature ID, citizen science and keeping track of your location when out and about.

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We promote use of the Sustainable Development Goals in learning so that children can contribute to a better future for all. From citizenship and justice to climate change and the environment, inspire children to make a difference!

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BBC - Breathing Places - Download Pocket Guides

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Download our pocket guides to get engaged with nature

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Lots of resources with ideas to help groups or families get outside, advice about gardening and lots more

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What to do with the kids in the summer holidays | TCV

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Discover screen-free, nature-based summer holiday activities for kids with TCV. Reconnect with the outdoors and support healthy child development.

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Downloadable resources to enhance your children’s understanding of the world around them.

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This is the Irish Tree Explorers site but the resources are still applicable to the UK.

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Activities and Resources | University College Cork

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Check out our fun and educational activities that can be carried out using trees, woodlands and forests. Watch our videos and take a look at our worksheets.

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Natural History Museum resource - pairs well with an outdoor sensory activity - from Keep Scotland Beautiful imagine-you-are-a.pdf

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Take a look through the eyes of a dog, a spider and three other creatures.

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The award is currently on hold for 2025/26 but there's lots of free resources that can still be used.

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LEAF is currently paused while we take time to review the programme.

In the meantime, you can still use our LEAF resources to support outdoor learning and nature connection with your pupils. All of the resources below can be used as part of an Eco-Schools Green Flag award or for general Learning for Sustainability.

If you have any queries about the LEAF programme, please get in touch at leaf@keepscotlandbeautiful.org.

Age range

Suggested age range suitability.

Many activities can be done out-with these age ranges, depending on pupil ability.

Duration

Durations are given as guidelines only.

Project = multi-day activity involving repeated work over several weeks as a minimum.

Equipment

* Very easy, no or very basic equipment needed

** Some equipment needed

*** Specialist equipment needed

LEAF social script: This social script has been created using Boardmaker symbols and can be used to explain LEAF in simple terms. You can also download a booklet version to print double-sided.

LEAF on a budget: We know money doesn't grow on trees and school budgets are limited. This resource contains information from schools on how to obtain materials and equipment for LEAF on a tight budget and where to look for funding opportunities.

Biodiversity Planting: An excellent set of resources from The Garden for Life Forum to help you create an area rich in biodiversity. Start with ' Garden for Life ', which has an amazing image of a wildlife friendly garden. Projects can be chosen to focus on a specific theme, e.g. add a pond for water, create an orchard for products.

Gaelic Tree Alphabet: This resource helps pupils connect to their local trees and plants, as well as our Gaelic cultural heritage. There are activities for younger and older pupils, which can be adapted to suit your individual setting. The activity was created in celebration of International Day of Forests, which takes place every year on 21st March.

Connecting to Nature: The Nature Connection Handbook from the University of Derby is a fantastic resource, which includes information on the benefits of nature connection for all ages, as well as ways for pupils to connect with nature that are incredibly simple and not time consuming.

Age: Any Duration: variable Equipment: *

Barefoot Walking: A wonderful sensory activity from Keep Wales Tidy, allowing children to feel textures and temperature using their feet. Available for ages 3-7, 7-9 and 9-11.

Age: 3-11 Duration: 30-60 mins Equipment: **

A special space: This resource from Keep Wales Tidy gives children the opportunity to spend time in nature, taking in their surroundings and finding their own special space.

Age: 7-11 Duration: 30-60 mins Equipment: *

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LEAF Resources | Keep Scotland Beautiful

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A collection of activity resources that you can use as part of your LEAF award, grouped by theme.

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Resource from Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management looking at the different types of 'green jobs' - what's involved and the different paths you can take to get there

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What is a Green Job for Nature?

In a nutshell, a GJfN is a job that directly contributes to managing, protecting and restoring our natural world.

It matters because we have been losing nature at a frightening rate in recent decades, and that not only damages the natural world but also damages people. We rely on nature to provide us with essential services such as food (e.g. pollinators), fuel (e.g. wood), materials (e.g. medicines and clothing) as well as supporting our physical and mental wellbeing.

Fortunately, the value of nature and the contribution that healthy natural systems make to adapting to a changing climate is being more widely recognised, and with that comes a demand for people to fill the jobs that are needed to manage and restore our natural world whether on land, by the coast, at sea or by our rivers and wetlands.

Find out more about how green jobs contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Don't worry if you don't think that getting 'hands on' with nature is your thing. There are lots of different office-based roles involving managing data, influencing policy or using technology, for example.

A final thought before you go off and explore this site. One day we won't be talking about 'green jobs' as almost all jobs, whether they will be in building construction, transport, manufacturing, retail or other areas of the economy, will be delivered in environmentally sustainable ways, using green technologies and with minimal negative impact (and hopefully a positive impact) on the environment.

Well, that's the plan!

"Getting a GJFN is so rewarding, it's good to know that my career is not only supporting me but also helping others."
Luci Phalp

About Us

CIEEM (or the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management to give us our full title) is the professional membership body supporting ecologists and environmental managers in the UK and Ireland.

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Discover Green Jobs for Nature - Get that Green Job

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Help create a better world for nature and people and one way to do that is to think about a green job for nature.

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Lots of gardening resources and ideas with links to mental health and wellbeing. They do a nice seasonal calendar of activities too.

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Make the most of the opportunities that gardening provides for health and wellbeing, with help from our information and experience. Explore activities, advice and inspiration tailored to your needs and interests.

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Teaching safe campfire and tool use skills

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Teaching safe campfire and tool use skills

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Natural Resources Wales resource

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Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru - Dewis Iaith / Natural Resources Wales - Language Select

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We are a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. Our purpose is to ensure that the natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and used, now and in the future.

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A resource by Natural Resources Wales but a great look at wildfires and lots of activity ideas and actual lesson plans

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Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru - Dewis Iaith / Natural Resources Wales - Language Select

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We are a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. Our purpose is to ensure that the natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and used, now and in the future.

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Towards the bottom of this page is a really nice section showing a little bit of information and photos about key Scottish wildlife. Also lots of ideas of places you can visit but also a link to wildlife webcams across Scotland - Wildlife Webcams in Scotland | VisitScotland

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Marine

Basking shark

The second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark, these gentle giants scale at 7.9 m in length and feed on plankton. Summer is normally the peak shark-spotting season where you can even swim with them!

Where: Oban-based Basking Shark Scotland run boat trips and experiences taking in the beautiful inner Hebridean islands of Mull, Coll and Tiree. The tours operate from April to October where you can also swim alongside them. Other islands where you can see these magnificent creatures include Skye, Eigg, Rum and Canna, Lewis, Arran and along the Hebridean Whale Trail around the coastline of Argyll & The Isles.

When: High season: July - September; Low season: April - June, October

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Learn more about Scottish wildlife. Including wild animals to spot, wildlife tours, where to see marine wildlife, birdwatching, nature events and more.

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Stories and nature challenges about a red fox produced by a research team at the University of Hull

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Stories and nature challenges about a red fox produced by a research team at the University of Hull

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Urban Tails, aims to encourage young people (ages 9–14) to engage more with local nature. As towns and cities expand, many young people are losing interest in nature, affecting their well-being. Urban Tails aims to help inspire curiosity and care for the natural world, starting with one of the UK’s most familiar and beloved urban animals: the red fox.

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British Ecological Society learning resources

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British Ecological Society learning resources

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Lots of different resources to help teach people about Ecology, some key links particularly for primary:

Teaching ecosystems to students of all ages - British Ecological Society

Incredible creatures activity book - PowerPoint Presentation

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Ecology Resources for Teachers & Schools | BES Education

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Access BES ecology resources for teachers, activities, and nature projects to support ecology in schools and environmental education at every level

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We're still looking into this but you have to email institute@outdoor-learning.org to get access to the free resource

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The National Outdoor Learning Award scheme (NOLA) recognises and captures the personal development outcomes of participants during a residential or regular outdoor learning experience.

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Amphibian and Reptile Conservation - Tadpoles nursery and young primary resource

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Amphibian and Reptile Conservation - Tadpoles nursery and young primary resource

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The Tadpole Pack is a specially designed resource for Early Years Level 1 classes, providing a fun and engaging way to explore local ponds and the diverse life they support.

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List of websites where users can find out more about rock art of the world and various related projects.

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Sustainable management of greenspaces for learning and play

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Sustainable management of greenspaces for learning and play

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Learning through Landscapes in partnership with Scottish Forestry who oversee the OWL Scotland network put together a series of youtube videos to help with things you should consider when learning outdoors

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Woodland Learning: The sustainable management of spaces used regularly for learning and play

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Created in partnership with Scottish Forestry, these videos are aimed at supporting the responsible use and management of local spaces used for learning and…

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setting up a Forest School space in your school grounds

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setting up a Forest School space in your school grounds

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Setting up a Forest School Site from Scratch

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There is no ‘absolute’ to setting up a forest school site from scratch. A real forest, a natural woodland or more cultivated garden space…

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wakelet with pollinator resources

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Teachers resources farm to food but also links to biodiversity and sustainability.

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Resources - Royal Highland Educational Trust

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This portal contains various links to external sources. RHET has no control over the nature, content and availability of these sites. The inclusion of any

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lots of ideas for citizen science and things too

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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park

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Welcome to the Nature Hub, your gateway to building a deeper, more meaningful relationship with nature through inspiring stories, engaging events, and practical activities.

Here, you'll meet local 'Nature's Heroes' making a real impact, discover opportunities to connect personally with nature, and access range of free resources designed to enrich your outdoor experiences in the National Park.

Explore how nature enhances our wellbeing, makes us feel good, and why protecting it is essential. Learn about our commitment to halt nature's decline by 2030 and restore the National Park's biodiversity by 2040, and what you can do to help.

Every connection counts. Join us in protecting nature for today and for generations to come.

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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is an iconic place with outstanding landscapes, habitats and communities. We work to ensure a sustainable future for this special place.

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Advice note for setting up and managing a wildflower area

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used to be Young People's Trust for the Environment - lots of resources inc. factsheets, lesson plans and activities

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Learning Packs | Better Planet Education

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Better Planet Education’s Home Learning Packs were initially developed to assist parents and caregivers during Covid-19 lockdowns, offering activities for children to do both independently and alongside parents working from home.

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a great citizen science project which can be done in a garden, school grounds or local greenspace for 10 mins on a nice sunny day

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FIT Counts: help us monitor pollinators | PoMS

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The UK PoMS recording season runs from 1 April to 30 September each year, so we are not seeking any further counts in 2023, but we are already looking forward to starting the 2024 season next April! Read on for how to join in, and download the latest versions of the guidance documents.

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a great resource including a map to help you find greenspaces near you to start your outdoor learning journey

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Beyond your boundary - planning tools for learning in local greenspace

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a resource based around The Lost words collated by the West Dunbartonshire OWL group

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Oxford University Museum of Natural History learning zone

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Oxford University Museum of Natural History learning zone

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includes lots of different resources covering living things, fossils and the earth.

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Created by Oxford University Museum of Natural History, this site teaches you all about the natural world.

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Ideas for outdoor learning/forest school with large class groups

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Ideas for outdoor learning/forest school with large class groups

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A collection of responses with ideas and links to resources after asking the OWL Scotland community for advice

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ideas for outdoor.FS.learning with large groups

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Empowering education. We offer a holistic and innovative view on engaging children and teachers in Outdoor Learning

We create and compile various resources and materials to help you bring Permaculture into children's lives.

The Inspirations for Activities aim to inspire educators to facilitate activities which can engage children holistically, using the 'eyes, hands, heart and head' approach described in the Children in Permaculture manual.

Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education

The Children in Permaculture Manual is a ground-breaking book, which shines a permaculture lens to inspire child-friendly, sustainable education.

Full of innovative information, a new curriculum, hundreds of inspirations for activities, session plans, holistic pedagogy and reflection questions, this book will inspire educators to get outdoors and learn from nature.

It is for primary, nursery and kindergarten teachers, policy makers, permaculture designers, Forest School leaders, Scout leaders, parents, carers, grandparents, aunts, uncles and anyone else who is interested in holistic education for sustainability and resilience.

"Brimming with practical examples of how to support children in connecting with themselves, each other and the growing cycle. This handbook illustrates the scope of permaculture that is relevant for children, using gardening as an entry point into wider issues of fairness and connection. Written with such a deep sense of care and consideration for the future generations, it is invaluable for parents and educators alike."

- Looby Macnamara, author of People and Permaculture, and 7 Ways to Think Differently, and co-founder of Cultural Emergence project.

"The manual is very well written and covers all areas of permaculture. It will satisfy the educators and has much for the teachers. It is good to take teachers beyond growing summer vegetables. It is time for this book, in fact it would have been useful five years ago."

- Rosemary Morrow is one of the pioneering women in permaculture, author of the Earth User's Guide to Permaculture and the Earth User's Guide to Teaching Permaculture and co-founder of the Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute.

"With its homely illustrations and lively suggestions for things to do, this book will help to connect children in community with the Earth and one another."

- Professor Alastair McIntosh, author of Soil and Soul

"This is a book of its time which provides much more than the skills and knowledge that will ensure a more hopeful and resilient future. Importantly it offers guidance and empowerment for educators whose task it is to skill children today for, what is becoming increasingly apparent, to be a challenging future. The manual is well written and researched, and speaks to us with academic credibility, sound pedagogy and an understanding of how to lead children through a comprehensive learning journey in nature. The work demonstrates how all areas of the curriculum can come to life in relevant and authentic learning situations that move from teacher centred activities to child directed practical experiences. A must have manual for every school!"

- Janet Millington and Carolyn Nuttall, authors of Outdoor Classrooms - A Handbook for School Gardens.

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Empowering education. We offer a holistic and innovative view on engaging children and teachers in Outdoor Learning We create and compile various resources and materials to help you bring Permaculture into children's lives. The Inspirations for Activities aim to inspire educators to facilitate activities which can engage children holistically, using the 'eyes, hands, heart and head' approach described in the Children in Permaculture manual.

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Home - Love Outdoor Learning - Enhancing Learning Outdoors

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Welcome to Love Outdoor Learning. We help children grow, develop and learn whilst they connect with their natural environment.

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direct link to pdf Urban Nature Youth Worker Toolkit

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Youth Worker Toolkit | Natural History Museum

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This free downloadable toolkit lists activities and ideas that you can use with young people to explore nature in cities.

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large group outdoor learning resources/ideas

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Toolkit activities:

These activities will help young people learn more about climate change and its causes and impacts through games, films and discussions.

Scavenger Hunt Indoors Activity (age 8+) - To put your knowledge of climate change into action and find real life examples of climate change impacts and solutions.

Ranking activity (age 10+) - Explore how different countries contribute to and experience climate change.

Scotland 2100 (age 10+) - Welcome to the future. Map how climate change has impacted your community and the rights of young people.

Climate negotiations (age 12+) - Put yourself in the shoes of global decision makers and see if you can agree on a climate solution.

- A fun way to learn some trivia about climate change. Board Game cards are available here.

Become a climate action influencer (age 13+) - Use social media for good and create your own content to urge others to take climate action.

Climate emergency quiz (age 13+) - Learn new facts and stats about the global climate emergency with this quick-fire quiz.

Scavenger Hunt Outdoors Activity (age 13+) - To put your knowledge of climate change into action and find real life examples of climate change impacts and solutions.

How To Host Mini Cop Activity (age 14+) - To learn about local climate issues and solutions, and raise awareness within the community.

Visualising Climate Futures Activity (age 7+) - To imagine a positive climate future and think about how we can get there.

Climate Storytelling Workshop (age 9+) - To think about how to have a productive conversation about climate change with an adult.

Trees Through the Seasons Activity (age 5+) - To gain a deeper appreciation for nature and its rhythms through the seasons.

Web of Life Activity (age 9+) - To learn about the wider impacts of biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse.

Where to Start Activity (any age) - To think about your role within the climate movement.

Food Activities

These activities will help young people calculate the carbon footprint of the food we eat and learn about food miles. They'll also be able to design a low carbon lunchbox and explore local food options.

Eat locally (age 7+) - How far has our food travelled to get to our plate? Find out more about food miles and explore locally grown food options in your area.

Eat With the Seasons Activity (age 5+) - To learn about which foods are in season in which months.

Travel activities

These activities will help young people explore barriers and solutions to travelling more sustainably.

Map your journey (age 8+) - How big is your footprint? Challenge yourself and your pals to reduce your collective carbon footprint by changing the way you travel to youth club.

Energy activities

These activities will help young people to learn about the carbon footprint of our buildings and how we can reduce them.

Youth club audit (age 10+) - Take a closer look at your youth work setting to see if you can reduce the carbon footprint with a variety of practical activities.

Energy Source Game (age 9+) - To learn about the pros and cons of different sources of energy and heat.

Waste activities

These activities will help young people explore their own relationship with fashion and learn more about the processes and impacts involved in making a pair of jeans.

- Explore your relationship with fashion and the impact the fashion industry has on the environment and people around the world.

Doughnut Economics Drawing Activity (age 14+) - To learn about the concept of Doughnut Economics and how to stay within planetary boundaries.

Fast Fashion alternatives - To learn about alternative options to fast fashion in a fun way.

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Youth Climate Emergency Toolkit | Keep Scotland Beautiful

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Climate Emergency Toolkit: Activities to support young people to take climate action. A legacy of the COP26 Scottish Youth Climate Programme.

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lesson plans and resources about water cycles - whilst some are specific to the river dee there's many that are more general and include food chains and the water cycle

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Lesson plans, education worksheets and resources for teachers to use in schools for a topic on the River Dee or rivers in general.

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Hunterian stories

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Voluntary, youth and community groups

Resident's groups

Community associations

Health authorities and health boards

Unfortunately we can't fund:

Schools (look out for our Youth Grant opportunity launching early 2025!).

Local Authorities (including Parish Councils) - but we can fund projects led by independent groups on Local Authority land

Sole traders or individuals

Projects where Grow Wild funds could be used for commercial benefit

Organisations and projects outside of the UK

Grow Wild can only fund projects in urban locations.
As a guide, urban locations can be defined as settlements with 10,000+ inhabitants.

Grow Wild can't support projects delivered in rural, conservation or protected areas such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

Grow Wild also can't fund projects requiring planning permission, due to the programme timelines.

If you are unsure if your location would be eligible, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your circumstances.
Read more about eligibility requirements

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Voluntary, youth and community groups Resident's groups Community associations Health authorities and health boards Schools (look out for our Youth Grant opportunity launching early 2025!). Local Authorities (including Parish Councils) - but we can fund projects led by independent groups on Local Authority land Sole traders or individuals Projects where Grow Wild funds could be used for commercial benefit Organisations and projects outside of the UK Grow Wild can only fund projects in urban locations.

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Energising Futures - free STEM resources

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Energising Futures - free STEM resources

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You have to register but it's free and it means you can bookmark things to use later - there's lots to choose from including lesson plans and presentations. Many linked to the natural world.

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Energising Futures | Free Resources for STEM Education

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Welcome to Energising Futures from bp Educational Service, home of education teacher resources for your whole school. Access a range of classroom activities to help plan your lessons.

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Loch Lomond Nature Reserve, West Dunbartonshire - The RSPB

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This nature reserve is set in a stunning mix of woodlands & wetlands on the banks of Loch Lomond, with breathtaking views and a diverse mix of habitats

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Trees, help with projects, equipment, resources

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Why does Young Tree Champions matter?

Health and Well being

58% of under-18s said their mental health was poor or very poor, MIND report. At least 74% of children play outside for less than an hour a day.

Knowledge, skills gap, awareness

The learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is 46% bigger than it was a year earlier. National Foundation for Educational Research.

Equality and inclusion

Climate and nature crises impacts the youngest the most, children have the least say and influence on government policy.

Changing climate and biodiversity loss

3 trillion trees cut down.

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Health and Well being 58% of under-18s said their mental health was poor or very poor, MIND report. At least 74% of children play outside for less than an hour a day. Knowledge, skills gap, awareness The learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is 46% bigger than it was a year earlier.

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Trees, help with projects, equipment, resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why does Young Tree Champions matter?

Health and Well being

58% of under-18s said their mental health was poor or very poor, MIND report. At least 74% of children play outside for less than an hour a day.

Knowledge, skills gap, awareness

The learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is 46% bigger than it was a year earlier. National Foundation for Educational Research.

Equality and inclusion

Climate and nature crises impacts the youngest the most, children have the least say and influence on government policy.

Changing climate and biodiversity loss

3 trillion trees cut down.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Health and Well being 58% of under-18s said their mental health was poor or very poor, MIND report. At least 74% of children play outside for less than an hour a day. Knowledge, skills gap, awareness The learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is 46% bigger than it was a year earlier.

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Resources for beginners on identifying trees but growing them from seed too.

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The Young Tree Growers Guide - The Tree Council

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Packed full of engaging resources, the guide has been produced by a team of experienced tree growers who want to share their love of trees and how to grow them.

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Exploring Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces guidance, outdoor learning and learning for sustainability

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Exploring Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces guidance, outdoor learning and learning for sustainability

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The link goes to the resource pack shared as part of a webinar on this topic - the webinar recording is also included.

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Exploring Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces guidance, outdoor learning and learning for sustainability

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This session sought to strengthen awareness of Caring for Our Outdoor Spaces practitioner guidance and to share simple and practical methods to embed Learning for Sustainability in Early Learning and

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includes information as well as ideas for getting out and about and interacting and appreciating nature.

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Scotland is home to some of the most incredible wildlife and habitats in the world. There’s lots that we can do to help nature thrive throughout the seasons!

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Learn more about the amazing world of trees and forestry.

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Green Tree Badge - Royal Forestry Society

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The Green Tree Badge enables children, schools, and families learn more about the amazing world of trees and forestry. You’re challenged to go on a fun journey of activities to achieve your Green Tree Badge, all described in an Activity Passbook.

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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park

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Literary Landscapes education resource - Here. Now. All of us.

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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is an iconic place with outstanding landscapes, habitats and communities. We work to ensure a sustainable future for this special place.

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We love to know how many children are taking part in our Junior Forester Award. To register, please fill out the form below and as a thank you we will email you children's handbooks and certificates to give out when you have finished.

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Schools Edition Junior Forester Award - Royal Forestry Society

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Skip to content Close VisualV1 - Cross Created with Sketch. Please enter your search terms VisualV1 - Home Created with Sketch. Menu We love to know how many children are taking part in our Junior Forester Award.

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This features links to projects and resources looking at COP 26 and Climate Change as a context for learning and teaching

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Public Collections from STEM ES. Welcome to the Sciences & STEM Wakelets.
These Wakelets are a collection of links to materials stored online that can be used for the following areas:
ELC Science
Primary Science
BGE Secondary Sciences
Senior Phase Sciences
STEM
LfS/Outdoor Learning
Outdoor activitie…

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Forth Environment Link - teacher resource

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Forth Environment Link - teacher resource

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A Resource Pack of lessons and activities linking school orchards to the Outdoor Learning curriculum, but it could be used with any fruit tree

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Free live lessons from fieldwork experts at the Field Studies Council (for a variety of ages) and other resources. To use you might have to sign up but there's a free sign up option that gives you access to lots of free historic content.

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Watch free live fieldwork lessons on catch-up with expert field tutors from the Field Studies Council (FSC), building geographical and scientific enquiry skills in a range of locations.

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link to lots of resources and examples of how you can use The Lost Words to bring nature to life

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lots of resources to help you get started from BSBI - Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland - lots of helpful ID sheets and links to apps and resources made by others

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Check out these free ID sheets from our friends Discover the Wild: there's violets & pansies; crane's-bills & stork's-bills; common British tree leaves; winter tree buds.

Kevin Widdowson @kwid79 is rapidly gaining a reputation for his fabulous photos showing how to identify various trees, seeds and members of the daisy family. Coming soon: a 'Kevin's plant ID' section on this website. For now, check out Kevin's photos towards the end of this BSBI article published in BBC Wildlife magazine online and scroll down to see Kevin's photos on how to ID blackthorn Prunus spinosa and cherry plum Prunus cerasifera.

The Field Studies Council have some really useful and inexpensive fold-out sheets - there's one describing the various parts of a flower, one of common ferns, others on the plants found in a particular habitat, eg moorlands. Access them here.

Identifying orchids can be tricky but the Beginner's Vegetative Guide to Orchids of the British Isles, produced by Mike Waller for the NHM ID Trainers project, helps you get started.

Members of the Wild Flower Hour team led by Rebecca @botany_beck have put together various help sheets to help you as you get started with plant ID:

The first hurdle is understanding some of the botanical terms so check out the #talklikeabotanist series from the dynamic duo of Gus @PinkfootedGus and James aka @GranthamEcology - example on the right.

ID sheets for buttercups, speedwells, strawberries and violets have been produced by #dinkymoira" - see box on right.

Orchid-lover Richard @thenewgalaxy has put together some orchid ID/ info sheets - there's an example below right and more available from @wildflower_hour.

Botanist Joshua @joshual951 has focused on some Peculiar Plants - check out his toothwort sheet below and here is the BSBI distribution map for toothwort so you know where to look for it. Joshua also led a helpful online ID course recently to help people get started with identifying the c250 species of British and Irish Dandelion.

More of these helpful ID sheets in the pipeline so keep an eye on #wildflowerhour. It's on Twitter but you don't need a Twitter account to view these links - just click and enjoy! But if you do want to take part in Wild Flower Hour and you don't know what your plant is, just use the #wildflowerID hashtag to summon help from a friendly botanist.

Check out the Herbology Hunt monthly spotter sheets, free to download here: https://bsbi.org/herbology-hunt Five common plants to look out for each month with tips on what to look for. Created with children in mind but they work well for anyone just starting out with plant ID.

This leaflet produced by Phoebe O'Brien has photos and ID tips for 20 wild flowers commonly found in Ireland and in Britain: https://bsbi.org/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/20-common-urban-plants-in-Ireland.pdf

Try the 'Wildflower of the Month' series on the BSBI News & Views blog: ID tips, fascinating facts and info for snake's-head fritillary, purple saxifrage, sweet violets, bluebells, buttercups, and bird's-foot trefoil.

Sussex Botanical Recording Society has a Plant of the Week feature which includes ID tips: https://www.sussexflora.org.uk/

The Botanical Society of Scotland's new blog also has a regular Plant Of the Week feature with ID tips - they launched with Wall speedwell and followed up with Oxford ragwort, cuckooflower and then Thale Cress.

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Check out these free ID sheets from our friends Discover the Wild: there's violets & pansies; crane's-bills & stork's-bills; common British tree leaves; winter tree buds. Kevin Widdowson @kwid79 is rapidly gaining a reputation for his fabulous photos showing how to identify various trees, seeds and members of the daisy family.

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short tutorial from YHA and ordnance survey

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how to use a compass from YHA and ordnance survey

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Finding your place, mapping

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Bring your geography classes to life with a range of teaching resources from Ordnance Survey (OS)

Discover a broad range of teaching resources available to help you meet the national geography curriculum, from the age of five to 19. Explore free primary school resources to help with map reading, interactive online learning to improve map skills, access to online maps, and geographical information systems (GIS) tools.

Using OS data in education and research

Find out how to use OS data in education and research to support the delivery of the national curriculum and the Curriculum for Excellence.
View education licensing

Can't find what you need?

Contact us directly to speak to our friendly customer service team.

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Bring your geography classes to life with a range of geography and GIS resources from OS.

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Natural History Museum - teacher training opportunities

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Natural History Museum - teacher training opportunities

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There's some online options as well as potential upcoming training through museums in Glasgow so watch this space!

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Young people are increasingly concerned about human impacts on nature and the environment. Natural History is also becoming more of a focus of science education with the upcoming introduction of a new GCSE.

To support you to prepare young people with skills and knowledge for tackling the future issues of a changing planet and to empower them to take action for their local nature, the Natural History Museum and partners across the UK invite you to join our free programme of teacher professional development opportunities.

Training from museums in your local area

Museums are working directly with teachers to explore practical approaches that can be applied in a range of outdoor contexts with students of different ages, and with curriculum links to the age you teach.

Each museum has in-person skills sessions and opportunities to learn more about nature specific to your local area, so check the list below for the one closest to you.

With contributions from outdoor teaching experts Learning through Landscapes, climate science and communication specialists at the Grantham Institute, and scientists and museum education experts from across the U.K., we aim to provide participating teachers with access to the latest natural history research, alongside take-home activities and equipment to put it into practice.

Online training

Not close enough to a museum? No problem - look out for sign up to our self-paced online course available through STEM Learning.

Regional in-person training

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Teachers can work with their local museums or join free online CPD to improve their skills for teaching about the natural world in urban areas.

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A useful resource and you could even help them audit the path networks locally

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Welcome to our Scottish Paths Map, the best-ever map of the nation's trails.

The map features hundreds of previously-hidden trails and brings together data from numerous partner organisations, as well as paths recorded and audited by around 400 Ramblers volunteers.

It includes almost 42,000 miles of paths including many not shown on Ordnance Survey maps.

We hope that it will help you find and enjoy amazing days on Scotland's paths.

Help make the map even better

While this is the best-ever map of Scottish paths, there is huge capacity for it to expand in future so please consider volunteering to improve the data and record hidden trails.

Since 2019 our volunteers have completed over 9,000 path surveys and added more than 2,000 newly-mapped paths to our network that total hundreds of miles in length. Volunteers can also help us remove paths from the map where they find that access rights do not apply.

While we've trained our volunteers to carry out high-quality surveys, path audits will always be subjective. Users should always follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. If you have feedback, including about a path on your land, report them here.

Also, if your organisation could improve the map by donating path data, we'd love to hear from you.

Plan safe and responsible walks in Scotland

Wherever you walk in Scotland, to make your walk both safe and enjoyable, please exercise caution and remember the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Remember that, like on print maps, the fact that a path is on our map does not automatically mean that access rights apply.

Our paths are marked on the map in purple until audited by volunteers. Once audited they are marked in green and include useful details such as the path's surfacing, condition, waymarking and any obstacles.

We use OpenStreetMap as our base map, which shows the geographic features that exist on the ground. Remember that access rights may not apply for all these features, such as private gardens or driveways.

The map can be used on desktop or mobile, wherever there is a signal. Rather than replacing traditional maps, it is instead designed to help you plan journeys, highlight gaps and promote paths and routes.

This project has received generous funding from players of People's Postcode Lottery and draws on existing open-source data including Open Street Map© contributors.

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You can find paths across Scotland using our Scottish Paths Map, the best-ever map of the nation's trails.

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Offering signposts to grants and funds available, from other organisations, to schools that can enable Nature Park interventions on your school site.

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There are a number of trusts and grants available that will support environmental education projects. If you are aware of other opportunities, please let us know. Funding Opportunity Type Tesco bags of help - grants of up to £4,000 for local community projects Grants of up to £2,000 are available.

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This page was last updated: 5 March 2024

Lists of support available for schools

Below, you'll find a list of organisations which can provide assistance with grants or equipment to support outdoor learning.
Please note: Schools and groups will need to apply directly to the funder / provider.
The Country Trust

We support schools and groups to experience and learn about food, farming and the countryside, and the important role they play in maintaining our health and the health of the planet. Our programmes are offered free, or low cost, to eligible schools and groups.

Find out more about our programmes

Closing soon! Lake District 3-night Residential - Over 50% funded + travel bursary + CPD!

The Country Trust is partnering with The Ernest Cook Trust (ECT) to offer an innovative 3-night residential at YHA Buttermere.

Hands-on learning opportunities that meet both learning objectives and needs of the pupils.

Helping out on a real working farm - Low Beckside Farm at the foot of Blencathra.

Discovering the land-based, agricultural and environmental actions that maintain, protect and shape this incredible landscape.

Preparing and cooking nutritious food, and much more.

Plus;

A dedicated Coordinator who will manage all bookings and logistics as well as being available to support in the run up to the residential.

A fully-funded CPD experience for two of your team in the Lake District (includes travel, accommodation, subsistence and cover costs back at school!).

Two in-school sessions run by our team aimed at ensuring the development of the residential meets the needs of your pupils.

Schools / groups must meet our eligibility. Limited places - register your interest today!

Outdoor Essentials Grant - Ernest Cook Trust

The Outdoor Essentials Grant is an award to UK state-funded Primary, Special and Secondary Schools to remove barriers and enable pupils to connect to nature and learn outdoors. An award of £500 is offered to Primary and Special Schools and a double award of 2 x £500 (£1,000) to Secondary Schools. Priority will be given to schools with underserved pupils in areas of high deprivation.

This current round of funding is a place-based offer focussing on specific geographical areas defined by postcodes. The Outdoor Essentials Grant is therefore available to schools located within the following prefixes only:

Cumbria/Lancashire: BB, CA, FY, LA, PR

Glos/Wilts/Avon: GL, SN, BS, BA20, BA21, BA22

Leicestershire: LE

Find out more
Achieve Equity Foundation

Their charitable purpose is to provide funding to schools for the implementation of innovative projects designed to raise the attainment of youngsters disadvantaged by poverty. First pilot round opens 20th March for projects of around £1000 - £1500

Closes: 16th May 2024
Find out more

Edina Trust Science Grant

The Edina Trust offers £700 primary school science grants and £500 nursery science grants. Edina funding is non-competitive, meaning grants are guaranteed if your school is located within one of their current local authority areas. Schools can use their grants for science resources, gardening equipment, science weeks, science subscriptions, science visits (in or out of school) and improving school grounds for science.

Deadline: 14th June.
Find out more

Royal Society of Chemistry - Primary science teaching empowerment fund

Tackle teaching challenges in primary science. Get to know and share knowledge with your fellow science teachers and technicians. Develop your leadership skills and strengthen your local network.

If you have an idea that will make an impact on science teaching where you are, the Primary Science Teaching Empowerment Fund can help cover your costs up to £600.
Find out more

School Holiday Activity Fund (SHAF)

Must be located in these London areas: Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster, City of London.
Up to £5,000 to enable organisations to deliver fun and accessible activities for children and young people during the school holidays. This includes all half-term breaks, Easter, Christmas and the summer holiday.  Organisations may apply for the running costs of holiday programmes that provide young people with activities in supportive and accessible environments.
Find out more

Sea Changers

Sea-Changers gives one-off grants (i.e. not continual funding) to UK-based charities and other organisations (including schools) carrying out marine conservation related activities.
Find out more

The Ironmongers Company

*Schools are exempt unless they are a registered charity for children/young people with disabilities*

Grants up to £10,000 (avg. £4000) that provide opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people to fulfil their potential. The Company is looking for projects that deliver clearly defined educational benefits to a specific group of children or young people. Items of equipment will be considered only where a full explanation is given of how they will support this activity.
Visit the Ironmongers website

Free Trees for schools - Woodland Trust

The Woodland Trust want to make sure everybody in the UK has the chance to plant a tree. So they're giving away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and communities.
Apply today
B&Q Community Re-Use Scheme (equipment)

B&Q stores have been donating unsellable materials and products to local community groups for many years. From paint to pallets and tables to tiles, our surplus and display items go to those who need them the most, to help build a stronger communities.
Find out more
The Outdoor Guide Foundation

For schools planning or wanting to set up an outdoor learning space or simply get kids outside in all weathers, they should first consider the need for proper clothing - waterproofs and wellies.
Nominate your school for a donation
Bradford Cinderella Club

Funding for residentials for children living in the Bradford Metropolitan District.
Make an application
British Trust for Ornithology (equipment)

BTO Equipment Donation Scheme (EDS) supports young people across the UK by supplying them with equipment to make the most of their birdwatching experiences, and enabling them to further develop the scheme.
Apply for equipment
Contact your local LEA

A number of LEAs are providing funding - particularly for children in receipt of Free School Meals
Find out more
National Lottery Awards for All

Ongoing deadline, grants between £300 > £10,000. This fund 'supports people, communities and organisations that are facing increased demands and challenges as a direct result of the cost-of-living crisis'. Schools are eligible to apply as long as your project benefits and involves the communities around the school.
Find out more
Alpkit Foundation | Alpkit

£50 to £500 cash to individuals, community groups, schools and organisations to encourage people to get outdoors and have great experiences that otherwise couldn't happen; e.g. giving a cash grant to a school to fund transport costs. Trustees meet every 2 months to consider applications. There's no limit to the number of times you can receive an award. If possible, please apply at least 3 months before the start of a project so that the trustees have time to consider it at their next meeting.
Visit the Alpkit website
Bernard Sunley Foundation

The Foundation supports improvements and new facilities at special needs schools and the purchase of new, adapted minibuses that benefit children with special needs and disabilities.
Visit Bernard Sunley
Blue Spark Foundation

We aim to help children and young people reach their full potential by supporting projects which have the following objectives: Encouraging Independence; developing team working skills & self-confidence; promoting creativity & individuality; encouraging aspiration; enhancing educational achievement; widening educational horizons.
Visit the Blue spark website
Children in Need

The people and organisations we fund will:

Work in the heart of their communities, particularly in times of crisis.

Put children and young people at the centre of everything they do, from design to delivery.

Address the challenges the children and young people face, build their skills and resilience, empower them and extend their choices in life.

Visit Children In Need website
Hedley Foundation

Raising the aspirations of disadvantaged young people and supporting youth projects through education, the arts, sport and adventurous activities.
Find out more
Andy Fanshawe Memorial trust

The AFMT awards grants to disadvantaged young people to develop an existing interest and experience in adventurous outdoor activities. This includes walking, climbing, cycling, kayaking, sailing, horse riding - either self-planned or for residential courses at an outdoor centre.

Learning Through Landscapes

This outdoor learning grant fund has two elements - a fully funded outdoor learning training course for your staff and £500 of equipment for outdoor learning.
Find out more
Greggs Foundation - Breakfast Club

The Greggs Breakfast Club Programme was established in 1999 to help primary school children get a nutritious start to their school day. Every school is provided with fresh bread from their nearest Greggs shop, and a grant to support start-up and ongoing costs. The average club costs just £3,000 to set up and run for a year based on 65 children.
Visit Greggs Foundation
Outdoors for All

Provides grants to individual persons and other organisations to provide access and/or opportunities to recreational and leisure time outdoor activities and experiences to children, adults, persons who are disabled either permanently or temporarily and persons with special physical or mental health needs. You can apply for a minimum grant of £500. Whilst there is no maximum value, we are most unlikely to consider applications in excess of £5,000
Visit Outdoor For All website
John Lewis

Community Matters is our charitable giving scheme that runs throughout John Lewis & Partners shops. You'll come across a similar scheme at your local Waitrose & Partners too.

Every 3 months each shop selects 3 community groups or charities to help. Customers are directly involved in deciding how much each nominated group receives, by using a token to vote for the organisation they'd like to support.
Visit the John Lewis website
Holiday Grants for Children - The Henry Smith Charity

The purpose of the Holiday Grants programme is to provide access to recreational trips or holidays for groups of children who experience disadvantage or who have disabilities. In particular we are interested in contributing to trips that would not take place without our funding. £500 - £2,500.
Visit the Henry Smith Charity website
Tesco Community Grants

Tesco Community Grants fund thousands of local community projects across the UK, helping to fight holiday hunger, tackle mental health, support young people, host community events and much more.
Visit the Tesco Community website
Grants4Schools

'Use our powerful grants database to search for grants from Trusts & Foundations, the UK Government, Lottery and the EU. Match funding opportunities to your requirements.'. This is subscription service it's worth checking the news page and signing up to the monthly newsletter.

Visit the Grants for Schools website

Currently closed but worth bookmarking to check later.

Our Local Nature Grant

Designed to provide young people with an opportunity to take the lead on projects that involve their local nature and natural spaces, to aid young people in realising their influence to affect positive change, to have their voices heard, and see their ideas come to life.

Magic Little Grants

Grants of £500 (six-week turnaround) for projects that; support mental health, enable participation in physical activity, prevent or reduce the impact of poverty, supporting marginalised groups and tackling inequality, improve biodiversity and respond to the climate emergency and improving green spaces and increase access to the outdoors. Schools are eligible to apply if they are a registered charity.
Find out more

Evolve Advice Get Out Grant

The Get Out! Grant is awarded every month for equipment purchase, specialist training, travel, resources with the focus on supporting pupils getting outside learning

Evolve Advice Grants

IGAS Energy Community Fund

Supports projects that make a difference to life in the mainly rural communities where they operate (Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, Lincolnshire). Keen to support community and voluntary organisations that are charitable, educational or benevolent in purpose.
Visit IGAS website
Ford Britain Trust

Grants between £250 - £3000 to support projects focusing on education, environment, children, the disabled, youth activities and projects that provide clear benefits to the local communities close to their UK locations.
Ford Britain Trust

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Available grants for school farm visits across the UK

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Take a look at the range of grants and funding that is available for UK school children so they can experience the countryside.

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Local biological record centre resources

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Local biological record centre resources

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some great ideas and spotter sheets

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We have lots of resources to help all ages engage with local nature and help with wildlife identification and recording

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What we record

There are thousands of ancient trees in the UK and we need to know where they are. Here's our guide to spotting ancient, veteran and notable trees so you can help us put them on the map.

Find out more

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See what we look for when recording trees across the UK, and how the data being collected is making a difference.

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Deadwood is a tree or part of a tree that has died and is in a state of decomposition. Is the deadwood in your wood dead good?

Deadwood plays a big part in nutrient recycling, slowly releasing nitrogen into the soil for other plants to use. It acts as a carbon storage system, capturing carbon and locking it into the ground. Fallen deadwood also helps the stability of woodland soil and helps prevent soil erosion.

Deadwood is an important micro habitat for birds, mammals, fungi, plants, amphibians, reptiles, insects and even fish!
Find out more about deadwood here

The Deadwood Survey

Is the deadwood in your wood dead good? Find out for yourself with this simple survey. It should take no more than an hour to complete.

Any piece of woodland will do, as long as it is at least 100 square metres in area. Ancient woodland, forestry plantations, trees growing on urban wasteland, wood pasture and scrub are all fine.
Complete the survey online

What you will need

Here's a list of what you'll need to complete a survey (download them or request that we send them to you):

Other useful equipment:

Pencil

Camera (or smartphone)

Collection pots and magnifier

Plastic spoons or trowel

Light coloured collection tray

Coloured ribbon

Calculator (or mobile phone with calculator)

Send me the resources above by post

Carrying out the Deadwood Survey

You can do the Deadwood Survey as a group or by yourself. You can complete it online or on paper and send it to us.

Before you go out to the woodland, answer questions 1-8 (page 4 of the survey booklet). Once you get outside, there are two parts to the survey:

How much deadwood can you see? (pages 5-6)
The 100 pace transect

How old is the deadwood? (pages 7-14)
Estimating the age of each piece

We would love to hear what you found on the survey including what wildlife and insects you discovered. You can submit your survey online or:

Email us a scanned copy or photograph of your results to deadwood@tcv.org.uk

Or send your paper copy (or photocopy) to us at:

The Conservation Volunteers,
Unit M1,
143 Charles Street,
Glasgow,
G21 2QA.
Thank you for taking part in the dead good Deadwood Survey! Complete the survey online

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The dead good Deadwood Survey from TCV Scotland

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Deadwood plays a big part in nutrient recycling, slowly releasing nitrogen into the soil for other plants to use. It acts as a carbon storage system, capturing carbon and locking it into the ground. Fallen deadwood also helps the stability of woodland soil and helps prevent soil erosion.

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Teachers Guide - using iNaturalist with students

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Teachers Guide - using iNaturalist with students

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iNat might seem like the perfect blend of science and mobile technology, but too often it gets misused in the classroom despite the best of intentions. As a result, iNat gets a flood of poor observations, copyright violations, and offensive content. And often, the students participating don't have a good experience.

We find that iNaturalist works best when people want to use it, not when they're required to use it.

If you think you want to use iNaturalist with your students, please carefully read this guide, which goes over potential legal issues, common pitfalls, and best practices.

Use iNaturalist Yourself

Try to add 20-30+ observations before considering how you will use iNaturalist with your students. iNat will make a lot more sense to you after some firsthand experience. This can be as simple as using the app on a short hike or a walk around your block, or better yet, try to use it at a place and time that are similar to where and when you are expecting your students to use it. Please don't just install the app, make an observation of your dog, and think that you are sufficiently prepared.

Consider Using the "Seek by iNaturalist" App for Your Students Instead

Check out Seek by iNaturalist which is an fun, privacy-focused and gamified app that provides live ID suggestions. It may be a better fit for your class than iNaturalist because it doesn't actually post observations to iNaturalist, but still provides some tools such as automated species identification and nature journaling. While the iNaturalist app is rated 4+ on the app stores, that assumes that teachers use a classroom log-in or acquire parental permission before students sign in since you otherwise must be 13+ to create an account. We instead recommend Seek as the easier alternative for young beginner naturalists.

Download the Seek User Guide

First Explore Existing Observations

Before your class adds any data, explore what has been observed in your area. iNaturalist already has the boundaries for every country in the world, and two administrative levels below that (e.g. for the United States, iNaturalist also has all state and county level boundaries). You can reference these tutorials ( web, video) about exploring observations. Use the nearby observations to reflect on what has been recorded, why, and what makes for good documentation.

Consider using field guides, sketching, and hands-on exploration rather than a smart device

While it may sound quaint or old fashioned, consider having your students (especially those in elementary school) take a break from screens and instead get their hands dirty looking for bugs, worms, and weeds, then sketch what they've found and/or look them up in picture books or field guides. Learning to sketch an animal or plant is a great way to sharpen observation skills and really get to know an organism.

Be Sure to Make Useful Observations

If some of your goals are for your students to get some identification help, to engage in discussions with the iNaturalist community, and to make observations that are valuable to others, here are a few useful pointers:

Take identifiable photos: Photos of distant trees or speck-like birds will not garner much attention because they're usually hard to identify, so make sure you show your students how to fill the frame with your subject, perhaps using the phone or camera's zoom. Because smartphone cameras are designed primarily for photographing humans and landscapes (and, apparently, food), taking an in-focus photo of an insect or a plant is actually quite difficult. Using your hand to hold a flower or plant still can be helpful, but make sure the plant is not dangerous. A quick lesson on how to use various features (focussing, point focussing, light level adjustment, etc.) of a smartphone camera may also be in order.

Take multiple photos: Many organisms, particularly plants and insects, cannot be identified to species from a single photo. Show students how to take multiple photos from different angles (top, bottom, side, front, back), and/or photos showing different features of the organism. For plants it's especially important to take pictures of flowers or fruit. Photos of flowers or fruit AND leaves are the most helpful. Be sure to add multiple photos of the same organism to the same observation.

Focus on wild organisms: Most students seem to focus on the cultivated plants and animals they can find near their classroom. That's totally fine, but in general, the iNat community is more interested in wild organisms, and respond more to pictures of weeds and bugs than to cultivated roses and hamsters in cages. Many students don't actually understand the difference between cultivated organisms and wild organisms, so this could be a great opportunity to discuss this with them. If students do make observations of garden plants or other non-wild organisms, remind them to make sure to mark those observations as "Captive/Cultivated" before uploading them.

Pay attention to metadata: Metadata is the additional information associated with a photo that captures when and (often) where a photo was originally taken. If students post photos that are screen shots of photos, they will lose the original data which may result in incorrect data entry. Depending on the method used, sharing photos between two devices may also lose important metadata such as location. Watch for locations and dates that may not make sense and help your students correct them.

Be the Steward of Your Class's Data

Since most students use iNat under duress, they are often not responsive to comments and identifications from the community, and often don't respond to data quality issues (wrong coordinates, copyright infringements, etc.). Some members of the iNat community find this frustrating, so we'd appreciate it if you could take responsibility for these issues by looking over all the contributions from your class and following these best practices:

Add identifications: Try to identify all of your students' observations to the best of your ability, and consider identifications added by the community. If you agree with community opinions, please help out by adding agreeing identifications, but if you disagree, please add contradicting identifications.

Manage data quality: Every observation has a "Data Quality Assessment" area at the bottom where the community can vote on issues like whether the organism was wild or not, whether the location and date look accurate, etc. Please make sure to use these tools to flag any issues with your students' observations.

Watch out for copyright violations: Investigate suspicious images from your students. Google Images is an excellent tool for this. Use the camera icon in the search box to search for similar images by URL. Or, in Chrome, you can right-click the image in the observation and select "Search Google for image". This will often reveal whether someone just uploaded an image they found on the internet.

Watch out for inappropriate content: Unfortunately, much of the inappropriate and offensive content that has been posted to iNaturalist has come from students who have been assigned to use iNaturalist. Look out for insults, racist comments, selfies, and joke IDs, and be very explicit with expectations and consequences before using iNaturalist with your students. Each observation on iNaturalist is public and available for the entire world to see.

Test Test Test / How to Test Your Own Protocols

You definitely don't want to learn how to use iNat at the same time as your students, so make sure that you test out your protocols before teaching them to others. That means test out the following: recording observations, adding comments, and adding identifications.

As a part of your testing and as part of your students' learning curve, you will all inevitably want to make some test observations of subjects that are easy and close at hand, such as pets or a house plants, but you'll get far more out of your test observations if you follow these guidelines:

DO photograph weeds: Weeds are both wild and always nearby. Take a step outside and find something growing in the cracks of the sidewalk, or a leaf that's fallen to the ground.

DO photograph hands: There's always a Homo sapiens nearby and their hands are instantly recognizable to species.

DO mark captive / cultivated organisms: If you do photograph organisms such as pets, zoo animals, houseplants, or garden plants, make sure you mark them as " captive/cultivated" from the app or use the Data Quality Assessment on the website to mark it as not wild.

DO delete your test observations promptly: If you have no intention of keeping them around, please delete them ASAP.

DON'T photograph pets or house plants: These are okay, but they're not likely to get input from the iNat community so you won't be testing community responsiveness very well.

DON'T photograph people's faces: Especially when kids are involved. Many students will be used to posting pictures of themselves to semi-private social media outlets, but iNaturalist is completely public, so please ensure that you and your students respect each others' privacy.

DON'T require students to make Research Grade observations: With some exceptions, Research Grade observations must have a community ID at the species level. This often motivates some students to blindly agree with each other's IDs, leading to inaccurate data and little actual benefit for the students. Furthermore, many organisms (including some spiders, insects, fungi, and plants) cannot be identified to the species level using only photographic evidence, so observations of them may never attain Research Grade. Instead, focus on exploration, discussion, and use of field guides-valuable skills for any nature enthusiast.

DON'T set excessive observation, species, or identification requirements, or set grading, prize, or contest conditions that have the effect of creating a "race" among students. The community does not react favorably to influxes of low-quality observations or identifications from users who are unlikely to continue using the platform when their course ends.

DON'T upload other people's photos: Photos should be taken by the observer of the actual specimen observed at that time and place. Uploading photos taken by others also usually violates United States copyright law and iNaturalist's Terms of Service (read more below).

Children and the Law

Teachers working with younger kids need to keep in mind that the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 means we can't allow people under the age of 13 in the United States to create accounts without parental approval. This restriction is also reflected in our Terms of Service. As of June 2019, we do have a pathway for parental approval for accounts of children under 13, but it requires a small donation to verify identity.

One common workaround is for a teacher to add observations on behalf of the students, without including any personally identifiable information. Rockburn Elementary School teachers set up anonymous, general accounts that students were able to use to record data, but these accounts were administered by the teachers. If you go this route, make sure you take responsibility for the general accounts that you create for use by underage students. For younger children, please consider using Seek instead (see above).

Also, iNaturalist will not enter into contracts with individual school districts regarding the use of iNaturalist or Seek by iNaturalist, nor do we fill out privacy forms or applications for school districts. So if your school district requires an agreement or information beyond what we have specified in our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before using iNaturalist, then iNaturalist is not the choice for your classroom.

Class Bioblitzes and Projects on iNaturalist

Many educators organize bioblitzes and/or create projects for their students. Please be aware that creating new iNaturalist places (e.g. a local park or schoolyard) or a Traditional project requires that your account have at least 50 verifiable observations. For more information about those topics, please refer to Managing Projects.

Teach Students About Copyright / Require Them to Post Their Own Photos

One of the most frequent problems we have with classroom participants is that students and more importantly teachers often fail to understand that iNaturalist is for posting your own photos from nature, and that those photos should be evidence of your encounters with living things. They should not simply be photos copied from books or the internet to illustrate the kind of thing that was observed. Copying photos is almost always a violation of copyright law (it certainly is in the US), and is not what iNat photos are for. Be aware that accounts that have multiple copyright infringements may be suspended, and then you'll have to contact help@inaturalist.org to reinstate it.

So at a bare minimum, please tell your students to post their own photos and not arbitrary photos from the web. You could also use this as an opportunity to teach them about copyright and proper attribution when reusing other people's creative works. It's perfectly ok to post iNat observations that don't have a photo.

We recommend that you not have your students include an identification card in their photos in order to prove they're not plagiarized. iNaturalist observations are viewable by anyone on the internet, and identification cards and passports contain sensitive information which can be exploited for nefarious purposes. If you don't feel you can trust your students to submit their own images, then iNaturalist may not be a good fit for them.

Examples

Here are a few notable examples of iNat tutorials and use in the classroom, including coursework, lesson plans, and protocols:

National Geographic has a BioBlitz guide (pdf) along with pre-BioBlitz and post-BioBlitz classroom materials that are aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and National Geography standards. Each classroom-tested activity was specifically tailored to use iNaturalist and contains all of the instructions, powerpoint presentations, and worksheets on the hyperlinked pages.

CalAcademy's Science Action Club Bug Safari unit uses iNaturalist to explore small creatures with big environmental impacts. On local field expeditions, middle school youth search for bugs, collect specimens, and post photos to SAC's iNaturalist project. Designed for out-of-school time, SAC uses games, projects, and exciting investigations to inspire youth to explore nature, contribute to authentic citizen science research, and design strategies to protect the planet.

Connecting Students to Citizen Science and Curated Collections website (2021) with course documents. Geared toward undergraduate students. Contributing authors include Erica R. Krimmel (UC Berkeley's Sagehen Creek Field Station), Debra L. Linton (Central Michigan University), Travis D. Marsico (Arkansas State University), Anna K. Monfils (Central Michigan University), Ashley B. Morris ( Middle Tennessee State University) and Brad R. Ruhfel (University of Michigan).

City Nature Challenge Education Toolkit

iNaturalist Training presentation prepared by Richard Smart from Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Julie Wittmann's iNaturalist Project & Curriculum (Montgomery High School, Santa Rosa, CA, 2012). Julie (aka protecthabitat) has done a great job documenting her work integrating iNat into a high school biology class. Her project is still online if you want to check it out. She also has a recently published paper in Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal: Using iNaturalist in a Coverboard Protocol to Measure Data Quality: Suggestions for Project Design (Wittmann, Girman, and Crocker, 2019).

UC Berkeley Geography 171: Natural History for the 21st Century. This is undergraduate class Scott (aka loarie) has been teaching for 2 years at UC Berkeley. It explores how the practice of natural history is changing with the influence of new technologies, and how it still plays a major and possibly increasing role in our understanding of nature. 2013 and 2014 projects are still on iNat.

iNaturalist Species Bingo cards by Lena Struwe. Includes instructions, teacher's grading rubric, and presentation slides (species are pertinent to eastern North America, but could be modified for your region)

Exploring iNaturalist Data in Your Classroom by Anne Lewis. Guided videos demonstrating using the species/location search, examining potential food webs in a particular area, tracking organism locations across the seasons

Macaulay Honors College at CUNY. Kelly O'Donnell (klodonnell) has been starting the fall semester with a BioBlitz for her college sophomores since 2013. The BioBlitz is the foundation for semester-long projects about biodiversity, culminating with a poster presentation at the end of the semester. You can read more here about the data they collected in 2015.

iNaturalist used in teaching about natural history collections in the Connecting Students to Citizen Science and Curated Collections project.

Taylor Wichmanowski (aka mr_wich) created several YouTube videos demonstrating how he uses iNaturalist with his high school students. He also created five thorough lessons for teachers demonstrating how to use iNaturalist in a unit on biodiversity.

Urban Ecosystem Biodiversity Investigation by Chris Widmaier. Example assignment to compare biodiversity in two areas using iNaturalist and other data.

Quick Intro to iNaturalist powerpoint slides on Slideshare by cassi saari, @bouteloua - Just a few slides with introduction to iNaturalist including adding an observation (from browser) and screenshots of the website that you might find helpful to drop into a larger presentation on iNaturalist or organism identification.

Note to site curators: please feel free to fill this page out with other examples or attach relevant documents!

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Teacher's Guide · iNaturalist United Kingdom

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iNat might seem like the perfect blend of science and mobile technology, but too often it gets misused in the classroom despite the best of intentions. As a result, iNat gets a flood of poor observations, copyright violations, and offensive content. And often, the students participating don't have a good experience.

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Cloud appreciate pack with mindfulness options for mental health

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Cloud appreciate pack with mindfulness options for mental health

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Cloud Appreciation Pack - Cloud Appreciation Society

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Cloud Appreciation Pack A Survival Kit for the Imagination This module of six downloadable lesson plans and resources is aimed at educators who want to teach students about the sky. The content is designed to work both for Primary (5-10 years) and Secondary (11-17 years) age groups. We have consciously incorporated mindfulness aspects to these […]

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A long-distance path across Central Scotland from Helensburgh to Dunbar. Celebrating John Muir and all his visions of Nature connection. Part of this path goes through Balloch Castle Country Park.

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Includes multiple playlists - ones of particular interest are Nature On The Hoof and Take A Minute: Local Places

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The Clydesider is a community media organisation based in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. We produce a free quarterly magazine which features inspirational stories, creative skills and local heritage from our area and is mostly written and edited by local volunteers who share a passion for our community.

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West Dunbartonshire Libraries and Cultural Services are delighted to announce the launch of our new and updated Heritage Trails. This series of six trails allow people to explore the history of West Dunbartonshire and enjoy our natural and built heritage. The six Heritage Trails cover:

Links to open the Heritage Trail Leaflets in PDF format.
Alternatively view the brochure on the interactive online reader. Brochures online
Each Heritage Trail advises on a route to take and explains the points of interest along each route, taking in past and present architecture, industry, famous people and the natural landscape.

West Dunbartonshire Heritage Trails are available from your local library and Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery. West Dunbartonshire Libraries and Cultural Services would like to acknowledge the assistance of Clydebank Local History Society, The Lennox Heritage Society (Turkey Red Trust) and The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery in compiling these trails.

For more information on the Heritage Trails leaflets, please contact:

Andrew Graham (Collections Officer)
Libraries and Cultural Services HQ
19 Poplar Road
Broadmeadow Industrial Estate
Dumbarton
G82 2RJ

Telephone: 01389 772149
Email: andrew.graham2@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

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This series of six trails allow people to explore the history of West Dunbartonshire.

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Inspiring Scotland - Practitioner Toolkits and Guides

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Inspiring Scotland - Practitioner Toolkits and Guides

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Contact us

We work with experts from the voluntary, public, private and academic sectors. Get in touch if you want to help us build a better Scotland.
A note on privacy
Inspiring Scotland will only use the personal details you provide here to respond to your enquiry and will not use them for any purpose, unless you give permission and agreed during any follow-up discussions.

Your details will be held on the server of our third party website provider host for 3 months but not for longer than is necessary, and will not be added to any marketing databases. By completing this form you are agreeing to the terms of Inspiring Scotland's Privacy Statement

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We work with experts from the voluntary, public, private and academic sectors. Get in touch if you want to help us build a better Scotland. A note on privacy Inspiring Scotland will only use the personal details you provide here to respond to your enquiry and will not use them for any purpose, unless you give permission and agreed during any follow-up discussions.

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Environmental Awareness Calendar of events

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Environmental Awareness Calendar of events

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Environmental Awareness Days & Events | 2021 Awareness Days Calendar

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Whilst this resource and program is focused on England there's some great resources and it's a good template for your own explorations.

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The National Education Nature Park provides a library of free resources for biodiversity and climate education. This library will be periodically updated with new resources, up-to-date information and with changes in response to feedback from educators to ensure that learning materials are relevant to age-group, setting and subject areas.
Go to the Resource Library
Learning resources

All the learning resources available on the National Education Nature Park platform can be delivered within your existing curriculum, supporting quality-assured biodiversity and climate education at the same time as national curriculum learning. We have collated and created activity options, all of which will have their own page in the library so that you can select them flexibly to include in your teaching.

To support the delivery of a cohesive biodiversity and climate education, informed by evidence-based pedagogy, we have also suggest ways to combine activity options into sessions, and further into units of learning, as explained below.

National Education Nature Park resources

Within the library, identified by a five-step icon, there are activity options specific to the Nature Park process available now. These have been created to help you support learners to develop a deeper understanding of nature in their education site and local area and to contribute their ideas and actions to improving the site for nature and for people. Each resource indicates ways it can be embedded in your existing curriculum teaching. A full explanation of the Nature Park process with its benefits for learners and for nature can be found here.

Sessions

Sessions present up to three activities that offer alternative options, often indoors or outdoors, to teach the same subject matter so that you can choose something that works for your setting. Alongside whichever national curriculum subject a session delivers, they are focused on one of the following: prior knowledge, exploration, enquiry, making change, or communication.

Sessions can be accessed via unit of learning pages, where we have indicated how to combine five or six sessions into a coherent scheme of work, but sessions can function independently, and educators may wish to integrate them into existing schemes of work.

Session guidance includes:

A quick start activity (promoting retrieval and discussion)

Up to three activity options to choose from (both indoor and outdoor options where appropriate)

Green skills developed

Guidance for delivery

Units of learning

Each unit of learning has a 'curriculum driver' allowing it to be delivered in a particular subject area as a scheme of work within a school's existing timetable, enhancing National Curriculum statutory requirements with biodiversity and climate-related opportunities. Units also include links across additional national curriculum subjects so can be used for interdisciplinary learning and reinforcing prior knowledge across subjects.

Each unit comprises a sequence of sessions supporting a three-pillar approach based on best-practice pedagogy research:

Knowledge and skills - Building on prior knowledge, promoting skill building and challenging misconceptions

Working together to make change - Opportunities for action in collaboration with peers or the local community

Developing resilience - Promoting learner voice, communication skills and wellbeing

Supporting information for each unit includes:

National Curriculum subject links

A rationale behind the purpose of the unit

Common misconceptions and how to address them

Key concepts and definitions

Further opportunities for enhancing learning

Books relating to the unit content and recommended by the Book Trust

Green career examples celebrating a broad representation of future opportunities

For Early Years Foundation Stage, guidance on how activities can be taught across the Early Learning Goals can be found in the EYFS section of the resource library, alongside suggestions for continuous provision and lots of activity options.

A Whole School Approach

We acknowledge the importance of planned, sustainable change and implementation. Evidence supports a whole school approach to biodiversity and climate as key to success. Embedding units of learning in each key stage can support learners to build a strong and secure understanding of the natural world and how it is changing, and integrating outcomes across subject areas supports the engagement of young people with a range of skills and interests. Guidance and tools that educators can use when building towards this goal can be found within the ' Getting Started ' topic in the resource library.

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Guide to resources | Education Nature Park

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The National Education Nature Park provides a library of free resources for biodiversity and climate education. This library will be periodically updated with new resources, up-to-date information and with changes in response to feedback from educators to ensure that learning materials are relevant to age-group, setting and subject areas.

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Bringing literacy outdoors

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With acrostic 'spells' by Robert Macfarlane and beautiful watercolour artwork by Jackie Morris, The Lost Words conjures back to glorious life some natural words fading from usage.

Published in October 2017, this beautifully illustrated book focuses on words that are moving to the margins of many children's lives and stories - bluebell, dandelion, otter, kingfisher, acorn - and presents them as both challenge and celebration.

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With acrostic 'spells' by Robert Macfarlane and beautiful watercolour artwork by Jackie Morris, The Lost Words conjures back to glorious life some natural words fading from usage. Published in October 2017, this beautifully illustrated book focuses on words that are moving to the margins of many children's lives and stories - bluebell, dandelion, otter, kingfisher, acorn - and presents them as both challenge and celebration.

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Learning for Sustainability - Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

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Learning for Sustainability - Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

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Geography in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

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Geography in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

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Welcome to the Outdoor Learning and Learning for Sustainability Wakelet from Education Scotland. This Wakelet is a collection of links to online resources to support outdoor learning and Learning for Sustainability These links could take you to the National Improvement Hub, Glow, Websites or YouTube.

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Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park - supports for visits

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Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park - supports for visits

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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park

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Please note our earliest availability is mid-June.

From the conservation challenges facing the National Park to our cultural heritage and diverse flora and fauna, our staff have a wealth of knowledge that they love to share through our outdoor learning programmes.

Thank you to the Rangers. Your expertise and knowledge of the area covered all aspects of the unit we are studying... your enthusiasm for the Park rubbed off on them. Geography Teacher, Mearns Castle High School

Our vision is that more children, young people, and those experiencing disadvantage experience high quality and frequent learning opportunities outdoors and as a result are better connected to nature. Through these experiences they become passionate advocates for the National Park.

How to Book

To plan a visit that meets the needs and interest of your group, get in touch at education@lochlomond-trossachs.org. We're happy to help - whether you need specific advice or just want to know how to organise your visit

To make a booking for support use our online booking page .   We'll be in touch to confirm availability and support you with your plans for the day of your visit. Please give a minimum of four weeks notice.

Go your own way!

If you'd prefer to visit independently, our Ranger-supported dates don't suit you or are unavailable take a look at our guidance for self-led visits giving you the know-how in preparing for a self-led visit to the National Park. We also have specific site information for visiting Balmaha and east Loch Lomond areas.

Preparing for your visit

You do not need the latest Goretex jacket, trousers or fancy hiking boots to enjoy a visit to the National Park. Sensible footwear (including wellies), a decent waterproof and you are ready to go! Being warm and dry are the priorities, it is not about fashion!
Here's our suggested kit list:
Teachers and group leaders need to ensure that all pupils or members of their group are properly prepared for the potential of poor weather and attend with:

Appropriate footwear, which means boots/shoes with grip soles and ankle support

Protective clothing for wet, windy and cold conditions or hot and sunny conditions

Packed lunch if required

Sufficient water and liquids for the duration of the visit

First Aid Kit (the Rangers are first aid trained and will carry a first aid kit themselves)

You may also want to bring:

Midge repellent or midge nets

Sun cream

Anti bacterial wipes or gel

Tick remover or sharp tweezers

Mobile phone

Camera for some action photos and magnificent views

Bags for disposing of litter

Clipboards and worksheets if required.

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Support for your visit - Here. Now. All of us.

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Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is an iconic place with outstanding landscapes, habitats and communities. We work to ensure a sustainable future for this special place.

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Fairy Trail - Balloch Castle Country Park 

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Fairy Trail - Balloch Castle Country Park 

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This trail is throughout the park and consists of carved tree stumps with their own little story to tell. It's a really good resource if you're looking to explore the park but want an activity to do on the way.

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Balloch Park Fairy Trail, West Dunbartonshire. - Google My Maps

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Carved and created by Patrick Muir in his own time.

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Digital Tree Trail Balloch Castle Country Park

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Digital Tree Trail Balloch Castle Country Park

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The trail is up around the Castle area of the park

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West Dunbartonshire Council Greenspace are looking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks and activities across West Dunbartonshire.

Volunteering is good for our physical and mental wellbeing, especially during these recent difficult times.

So if you love your environment and being outdoors and would like to meet new people, please join us with whatever time you have to spare. Volunteering will give you the opportunity to use your existing skills and knowledge, learn more skills, increase confidence and socialise in the outdoors. Tasks are for all abilities are available and no previous experience is needed. All equipment provided.

Unfortunately, we are unable to take any volunteers under 16 years of age unless they are accompanied by an adult that is also signed up as a volunteer and they must undertake all activities together. Please get in touch using the details below if you would like to discuss this further.

Types of opportunities you may have an interest in:

Environmental Activities

Wildlife surveys, biodiversity activities, gardening activities, community growing in our local area.

Conservation Projects & Other Maintenance Tasks

Woodland management, removal & regeneration of vegetation, wildlife and other nature surveys within our parks and open spaces.

Supporting Community Activities & Events

Supporting and assisting family community days, open days, exhibitions, community engagement, school activities, seasonal kid's parties and events, orchard maintenance, tree identification, visitor & observation surveys and other events and activities in our parks and greenspaces.

Walk leading

Support and assisting with our Inspirational Walks, bird watching activities, walk, jog, run route events and other nature activities with the local community. Walk leader training available.

Litter picking

Support and take part in local litter picks in and around West Dunbartonshire. Opportunities to meet and join up with other groups and organisations in the area in which you live.

Get involved

If you are interested in volunteering with us:

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Help with accessing local community services in West Dunbartonshire Council area including sports centres, swimming pools & other leisure facilities.

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WDCVS Photo route cards for routes around WDC – Walking Friendly West Dunbartonshire 

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WDCVS Photo route cards for routes around WDC – Walking Friendly West Dunbartonshire 

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Walks in Dumbarton

Levengrove Park, in Dumbarton, is located on a dramatic stretch of land where the River Leven meets the estuary of the River Clyde.

Recent improvements to the park have seen the addition of Pavilion, Ranger Office and Cafe as well as 23 additional benches placed around the park.

Levengrove parkrun - Weekly Free 5km Timed event every Saturday that you can Walk, Jog and of course Run.

A route heading east along the foreshore of the River Clyde, it then doubles back onto Castlegreen Street before returning to Dumbarton Castle.

The Route can get a little bit muddy and wet, so a pair of walking boots or wellies might be needed if raining. The views along the Clyde and of Dumbarton Castle are worth getting muddy boots for!

A low level walk along the new walkway from Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank to Levengrove Park via the new walkway that has been developed as part of the Dumbarton Harbour Housing.

From Dumbuck Quarry to Dalreoch a video showing the twists and turns of the journey and how to navigate your way through Dumbarton on the National Cycle Network.

An alternative scenic route from Dumbarton East Station to Dumbarton Castle taking in local trail paths and a foreshore path.

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Walking Friendly Photographic Route Maps

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Outdoor Woodland Learning (OWL) Scotland

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Outdoor Woodland Learning (OWL) Scotland

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This network is managed and supported by Scottish Forestry and also hosts lots of resources

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Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland Homepage

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Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland OWL Scotland is dedicated to increasing opportunities for outdoor learning in and around woodlands. Outdoor & Woodland Learning Scotland Increasing opportunities for learning outdoors OWL Scotland is dedicated to increasing the use of Scotland's outdoor environments for learning. Outdoor & Woodland Learning

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West Dunbartonshire Outdoor Woodland Learning (OWL) group

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West Dunbartonshire Outdoor Woodland Learning (OWL) group

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This is a volunteer group under the education department of Scottish Forestry. The group is currently trying to get up and running again find out more information at the link above. To sign up as a member (free) to access resources, skill share, CPD sessions etc. please email wd_owl@hotmail.com or use the form on the website above. This will sign you up to the mailing list for upcoming opportunities. You're also welcome to join the local facebook group - again this can be found on the link above.

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In 2020 the group received funding to run sessions and create a shared resource based on The Lost Words book created in 2017. www.thelostwords.org

It is a 'book of spells' (poems) that seeks to conjure back the near-lost magic and strangeness of the nature that surrounds us.

It partly came about as nature related words were being taken out of children's dictionaries and it's hard to connect with something if you don't have a name for it.

They are called 'Spells' rather than poems - designed to be spoken (or sung!) out loud in order to summon back these words and creatures into our hearts.

Due to a few different things this project hasn't happened yet but we are looking to complete the project by March 2025. The funding will be used to do the following:

- Run 5x Skill share/CPD sessions of activities

- These sessions will mainly be based around creativity, expressive art and literacy

- Create a Community resource which can be borrowed by members.

The vision for the Community resource is that it will focus on 5 of the spells

Bramble

Dandelion

Fern

Ivy

Magpie

These have been chosen as they are the most likely to be seen by children around their homes and local areas.

Each resource box will focus on a spell and have 4 activities based on Literacy, Numeracy, STEM and an aspect of the Expressive Arts.

The plan is to have the project completed by March 2025 with the community resource being a legacy which will be available to group members to borrow long in to the future.

If you are interested in helping to create this resource, have any ideas or activities that you have used previously that would link in well with this please contact the group.

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In 2020 the group received funding to run sessions and create a shared resource based on The Lost Words book created in 2017. www.thelostwords.org It is a 'book of spells' (poems) that seeks to conjure back the near-lost magic and strangeness of the nature that surrounds us.

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There are a few of us in the team that connect with your group and support visits to local greenspaces or visit your group if that's more suitable.

It helps to know if you have a specific topic/outcome in mind.

Please get in touch with as much information as possible to be directed to the most appropriate member of the team and to discuss this further. wdc.greenspace@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

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Another bird identification app, using both sound and visual identification. You do however need a free account and anything you do identify can be added to the records as a sighting which links in to citizen science

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Merlin Bird ID - Free, instant bird identification help and guide for thousands of birds

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Bird ID Wizard-Step-by-step

Answer three simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will give you a list of possible matches. Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in any country in the world.

Identify Bird Songs and Calls

Sound ID listens to the birds around you and shows real-time suggestions for who's singing. Compare your recording to the songs and calls in Merlin to confirm what you heard. Sound ID works completely offline, so you can identify birds you hear no matter where you are.

Available for birds in the US, Canada, Europe, with some common birds of Central and South America, and India. More species and regions coming soon.

Identify Birds in a Photo

Snap a photo of a bird, or pull one in from your camera roll, and Photo ID will offer a short list of possible matches. Photo ID works completely offline, so you can identify birds in the photos you take no matter where you are.

Save Birds to Your Life List

Build a digital scrapbook of your birding memories with Save My Bird. Tap "This is my bird!" each time you identify a bird, and Merlin will add it to your growing life list.

Explore Lists of Birds Near You

Merlin is powered by eBird, allowing you to build custom lists of the birds you're likely to spot wherever you are. Use the filter options to explore birds for different locations or time of year, or switch to show all the species in the Bird Packs you've downloaded. Get more from the app with these Merlin Tips and Tricks.

See How Merlin Can Help You ID Birds

The Best Birding App, Powered By You

Merlin features the best of community contributed photos, songs, and calls, tips from experts around the world to help you ID the birds you see, and range maps from Birds of the World-all powered by billions of bird observations submitted to eBird.

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Bird ID Wizard-Step-by-step Answer three simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will give you a list of possible matches. Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in any country i

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Great resource with lesson plans and activities about Invasive non-native (Alien) species and a certificate that can be printed out

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Alien Detectives | Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

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You'll find presentations, activities, worksheets, quizzes, crafts, puzzles and games, all themed around invasive alien species and the river environment which can all be downloaded and shared. There is an introductory presentation to start you off and all activities have notes and answer sheets to help you along - so you don't need any prior knowledge to use and enjoy them.

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If you look under info and advice they also have a pond visualisation app if you're looking into making a pond to increase biodiversity in your local area.

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Could you become a Dragon Finder? A massive 41% of the World's amphibians and 21% of Europe's reptiles are at risk of extinction. You can help amphibians and reptiles in the UK by using this app to submit your sightings.

- Identify reptiles and amphibians.

Identify adult reptiles and amphibians as well as their eggs, larvae and calls. Simple questionnaires, illustrations and photographs will help you identify animals, and you can compare photographs of different species to make sure you've identified the animal correctly.

Submit your records quickly and easily using the recording form. Use your phone's GPS function to determine your location or pick from a map. Each time you submit a species record, you are given a tick for that species so that you can keep a track of the animals that you've spotted.

(N.B. To use your iPhone's GPS settings you need to turn on Location Services. To do this go into Settings - Privacy - Location Services and make sure location is turned on for the Dragon Finder app. If the app doesn't automatically let you use GPS, try turning Location Services for the Dragon Finder app off and on again.)

- Find out more about individual species.

Read about the distribution, ecology, life-cycle and eggs and larvae of each species. Get tips for identification. Listen to recordings of calls.
There is a wealth of wildlife to discover in the UK - whether you live in the countryside or the city - so why not get out there and go in search of dragons!

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Could you become a Dragon Finder? A massive 41% of the World's amphibians and 21% of Europe's reptiles are at risk of extinction. You can help amphibians and reptiles in the UK by using this app to submit your sightings. - Identify reptiles and amphibians.

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Helps to identify plants by taking photos - it's still learning so can get things wrong but can help you get to the general group of plants.

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The Flora Incognita App – Flora Incognita | EN

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The Flora Incognita app currently allows automatic identification of 4,851 vascular plant species. The identification process is intuitive: take a picture of the plant with the camera of the smartphone or tablet. The unknown plant is then automatically identified in seconds. In addition to the ident…

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Look up a tree to find more information or go through the identification key (a series of questions) to help you identify what tree you are looking at

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Identify Trees With Our Tree ID app - Woodland Trust

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Our Tree ID app is an easy step-by-step tool to help you identify trees in your garden, park or countryside wherever you are in the UK, whatever the season.

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Record bird songs and it helps to identify what birds you can hear. It helps to learn the different bird songs

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BirdUp - birdsong recognition – Apps on Google Play

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Automatically identify bird songs and calls

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Unsure what that plant or animal is? use google lens to help you identify it!

It doesn't always get it right but will give you a good idea, in newer android devices (phones/tablets) this is already built in to your camera app

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Search

Shop

Translate

Identify

what you see

Not sure how to describe it in words?

Use your camera or an image to search.

Go to Google Lens Get the app

Find a look you like

See an outfit that's caught your eye? Or a chair that's perfect for your living room? Get inspired by similar clothes, furniture, and home decor-without having to type what you're looking for.

Copy and translate text

Translate text in real-time from over 100 languages. Or copy paragraphs, serial numbers, and more from an image, then paste it on your phone or your computer with Chrome.

Step by step homework help

Stuck on a problem? Quickly find explainers, videos, and results from the web for math, history, chemistry, biology, physics, and more.

Identify plants and animals

Find out what plant is in your friend's apartment, or what kind of dog you saw in the park.

Get answers where you need them

Lens is available on all your devices and in your favorite apps.

Google app

Google Camera

Google Photos

Try Google Lens

Look for Lens in the search bar of the Google app

Get the app

Scan to get the app

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Discover how Lens in the Google app can help you explore the world around you. Use your phone's camera to search what you see in an entirely new way.

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Take a photo of anything and it will try to identify it for you - it's still learning so can get things wrong but anything you confirm goes into the iNaturalist database which helps scientists.

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Open Your Camera and Start Seeking!

Found a mushroom, flower, or bug, and not sure what it is? Open up the Seek camera to see if it knows!

Drawing from millions of wildlife observations on iNaturalist, Seek shows you lists of commonly recorded insects, birds, plants, amphibians, and more in your area. Scan the environment with the Seek Camera to identify organisms using the tree of life. Add different species to your observations and learn all about them in the process! The more observations you make, the more badges you'll earn!

Kid-Safe and Fun for Families

No registration is involved, and no user data is collected.

Seek will ask permission to turn on location services, but your location is obscured to respect your privacy while still allowing species suggestions from your general area. Your precise location is never stored in the app or sent to iNaturalist.

Our image recognition technology is based on observations submitted to iNaturalist.org and partner sites, and identified by the iNaturalist community.

This is a great app for families who want to spend more time exploring nature together.

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Found a mushroom, flower, or bug, and not sure what it is? Open up the Seek camera to see if it knows! Drawing from millions of wildlife observations on iNaturalist, Seek shows you lists of commonly recorded insects, birds, plants, amphibians, and more in your area.

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The official survey has now finished so you cannot submit findings but the resources are excellent and we are looking into setting up a way to report your findings to us locally so we can use them for nature management. The Countryside Ranger can help if you want to conduct any of these surveys and can potentially lend you equipment. Countryside.ranger@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

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OPAL's national citizen science surveys

Over the life of the OPAL programme there have been eight major national surveys, and numerous smaller or regional surveys. The surveys explore the health of our soils and trees, the quality of our air and water, how humans impact the climate, the distribution of invertebrates, and the importance of hedges and pollinators.

The surveys use simple methodologies, readily accessible equipment (either provided by OPAL or common around the home), and avoid scientific jargon, guiding participants through all the steps necessary to complete their investigation. The surveys were designed to be suitable for ages 13 upwards. Younger or less-able participants can take part with appropriate support or with suitably adapted materials. Since 2007 participants in the OPAL surveys have been submitting their data either by freepost or online.

To date OPAL has received over 70,000 survey returns. This information has helped OPAL scientists build up a picture of the UK's natural environment and has resulted in numerous academic publications and reports. Along with OPAL's national surveys, a range of local environmental monitoring surveys have been developed by OPAL's Community Scientists, ranging from invasive crayfish monitoring to hedgehog surveys. These projects have often arisen from local communities identifying topics of environmental concern and then working with OPAL Community Scientists to develop methodologies, carry out activities and analyses, and take action on findings. See what was discovered in each of the surveys in the OPAL Science Summary which summarises some key findings from academic papers, reports and recent analyses: Read our OPAL Science Summary.

The surveys are now closed for data entry. However, you can still use the surveys to investigate the health of the environment in your local area.
To find out more about each OPAL survey, please follow the links in the left-hand menu.

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Over the life of the OPAL programme there have been eight major national surveys, and numerous smaller or regional surveys. The surveys explore the health of our soils and trees, the quality of our air and water, how humans impact the climate, the distribution of invertebrates, and the importance of hedges and pollinators.

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International Bat Night is at the end of August

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BCT has developed a range of resources to help you engage diverse audience with bats and the environment. We have included resources for engaging young people, tips on running bat walks, guidance on accessibility to people with special needs and more.

Whether you are a teacher, a volunteer in your local park, or work with disabled people our videos, leaflets, presentations and how to guides help give you the inspiration and practical advice you need to connect people to bats, their environment and have fun!

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Education & outreach resources - Resources - Bat Conservation Trust

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BCT has developed a range of resources to help you engage diverse audience with bats and the environment. We have included resources for engaging young ...