GROWING SCHOOL GARDENS INSET 21st February 2012

Have you got the best school garden in the City and County?  Are you willing and able to do your bit for biodiversity and food sustainability?  What about maintaining the age old tradition of gardening with your pupils? 
 
The Environment Centre is presenting 'Growing School Gardens' on 21st February 2012 from 9.30am until 12.00pm.  This is a very popular INSET and is timed to coincide with the beginning of the planting year.  Jane Richmond of the National Botanic Garden of Wales will inspire you to organise and plant your school garden and there will be lots of information to take away.  The cost is £30 per teacher with places limited to 16 teachers.  Early booking recommended.  Click on the Booking Form GSGardensand return to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   to secure your place.

GREEN ENVELOPE - January 2012

Below is the latest information for schools from ESDGC providers in Swansea for the spring term 2012.  In the past SEEF has posted the Green Envelope to nominated Eco Coordinators in schools termly.  However it seems teachers prefer the electronic approach as well as the saving on paper.  It is up to individuals if they want to print.  The latest information is at the top of the list with previous entries still showing as they are all still relevent.

World Wetlands Day schools flyer

World Wetlands Day - taflen ysgol

Forest School School Grounds INSET Flyer

Forest School Play and Learning INSET Flyer

Forest School OCN Flyer 3

Forest School OCN Flyer 2

Forest School OCN Flyer vols3

Forset School Beach Discovery INSET Flyer

Down To Earth Leaflet Eng    

Down To Earth Leaflet Cymraeg    

Fieldtrips Crymlyn NNR          

Forest School SNPT Training Brochure 2011-2012      

RSPB Living Classrooms Dolygaer 

Swansea Community Farm Educationall Visits  

INSET 21st February 2012 - Growing School Gardens  

Repeated by popular demand, Growing School Gardens is ideal for those just starting out developing their school plot and also for those who have made a start but need more ideas and information about where to go next.  Jane Richmond, Head of Learning and Interpretation at the National Botanic Garden of Wales will tutor the morning.  Previous comments from teachers have included '’how to plan well’ and ‘a very knowledgeable provider’.  The INSET is from 9.30am to 12.00pm and is an introduction to what, where and how to plant.  If you wish to book on click on the Booking Form GSGardens and return to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Cost for the morning is £30 per teacher.

GOWER SOCIETY GRANTS FOR SCHOOLS in Swansea 

Gower Society Youth Action is currently seeking applications for grants of up to £500 to fund projects that involve young people enhancing and appreciating their natural environment. e.g. school grounds/gardens, wildlife areas, field visits to Gower etc. The young people themselves should, with help where necessary, plan the project, apply for the grant and carry out the project.

Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and application forms, giving a very brief outline about the project you have in mind.
  

We took the  Art Curriculum Outside!

At the end of September Clare Revera from Out To Learn based in the Vale of Glamorgan ran a days INSET on behalf of the Environment Centre.  The venue was Bishops Wood at Caswell, which anyone who has visited knows is a wonderful venue for both beach and countryside.  All teachers who attended from Swansea as well as Neath Port Talbot benefited from Clare's extensive knowledge of art as well as willow weaving.  The start of the day had an introduction then the rest of the day was spent outside in the natural environment on the beach and in the woods.  Teachers left with a DVD full of further ideas.  It was a truly inspirational day and we hope Clare will repeat this INSET again in the near future.

Positive Energy Swansea Project

This 3 year project aims to help communities in rural Swansea to save energy and save money. 

To do this Groundwork work with a variety of groups including schools. Their energy workshops are great fun and help take the message home.  See Llanrhidian Lesson 14th Sept 2011.  They're also doing research work with Yr 9 at Bishopston Comprehensive into the best type of energy monitor (the one that works!)

They're also supporting schools who are applying for solar (pv) panels through the FIT scheme - organized by John Llewelyn of the City and County of Swansea.

Contact Grant Cockerill 07765 226981  find them on facebook under Positive Energy.

GREEN SCHOOLS REVOLUTION!      

This year, The Co-operative is challenging young people to become green pioneers as part of their biggest ever community education programme - Green Schools Revolution.
Whether you're just starting out on the sustainability journey or have been revolutionising your classrooms for some time, this programme will help your school on its way to a greener future. Green Schools Revolution is an inspiring UK sustainability education programme with resources, activities and trips to encourage school children from the age of five to 16 to think differently and to get involved. With lots of ideas on how to live more sustainably, we can inspire them to change their world.  Green Schools Revolution is bringing exciting and engaging activities to classrooms across the UK, with projects that encourage creative thinking about three key sustainability themes: energy, water and healthy living.
Schools will be able to access fantastic free online resources and hands-on learning experiences with opportunities to visit Co-operative Farms, their wind farm and science and discovery centres across the UK.
Green Schools Revolution is bringing together schools, parents, Co-operative members and staff and their local communities – together we can inspire young people to change their world.
http://www.co-operative.coop/green-schools-revolution/?utm_source=membership&utm_medium=memwebpage

CARBON DETECTIVES

The European wide Carbon Detectives programme is a website and all its tools have been developed with support from the European Commission through its Intelligent Energy Europe programme. 

Carbon Detectives Europe is currently operating in:

UK   
Austria   
Czech Republic  
Hungary  
Bulgaria  
Ireland
Germany
Slovakia
Romania
Lithuania

The programme is supported in the UK by the Department for Education and the Department for Energy & Climate.  As a school you simply need to register to gain full access to the programme and its supporting tool.  You can find out who is taking part in the programme by using the search option off the homepage.  The Carbon Detectives programme provides support and ideas for actions that your school can take to shrink your Carbon shoe size. It also provides tools to allow you to monitor your progress and report your savings, with thousands of schools participating across Europe your actions can begin to make a big difference.  Register for your OWN Carbon Detectives Mission today!  www.carbondetectiveseurope.org/StandardPage.aspx?intpageID=2

ACTION AID FREE RESOURCES ONLINE 

Action Aid the development charity that works in and helps many third world countries has free online reources available for schools.  Their latest about the droughts in east Africa is available to teach for KS2-4.  Go to www.actionaid.org.u/102736/free_downloads.html  They also have available power point teaching on climate change for KS2-4

THE POD!  

The Pod is an online programme that helps teachers to educate children about energy, water, transport and waste. It has free teaching materials e.g. lesson plans, resource packs, information and games as well as providing a place for children to blog and to share pictures and films of the great work that they have been doing in school.

The Pod provides a learning journey ‘learn, act, and inspire’ which helps teachers prepare for and run lessons and green projects in schools. The ‘learn’ section has background information about each of the topics and explains all of the important issues. The ‘act’ section provides lesson plans, resource packs and online activities that can be used in a classroom and are suitable for a small group, a class, year group or the whole school. The ‘inspire’ section has suggestions for how to take activities further and links to other useful information and organisations. More topics will be added as the programme develops.

Each school gets its own homepage which can be customised with details about the school building and its eco-code, pictures and awards. The teaching materials on the Pod were written with the help of teachers and by our partner the Eden Project.  All of our activities have been endorsed by Eco-Schools, the largest environmental schools programme in the world, completing activities on the Pod will help schools achieve eco-schools bronze, silver and green flag awards as well as earning Pod medals. Podometers record potential savings schools make as a result of their projects both at an individual school level and at a national level. The programme aims to make real and measureable difference to the energy efficiency and carbon output of schools. www.jointhepod.org/

Switch-Off Fortnight is back for 2011 from the 21 November – 4 December. 

Switch-Off Fortnight is focused on saving energy. Last year more than 3500 schools took part, completing simple activities to help reduce their energy use in school and at home.

The Pod has 4000 free event packs available on a first come first served basis; last year they ran out very quickly so make sure your school is at the front of the queue. For more information visit the Pod and register for Switch-Off Fortnight now.

VISIT TO YNYSTAWE PRIMARY SCHOOL SUMMER 2011  

As a follow up to the School Grounds conference that was held in March 2011 at the Guildhall, a vist to Ynystawe Primary School was organised for teachers.  It was held after school and was very informal.  Gwenith Davies, heateacher gave an overview of how Ynystawe School went about developing their grounds.  Their  plan was initiated in 2003 with funding gained from Cyd Coed and various other fund raising activities and was completed by 2005.  They had the help and inspiration of Trevor Roach former Head of Education at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.  Help from parents and teachers in doing the physical work was paramount.  About 20 teachers from 16 schools arrived at 4pm on 6th July when we visited Ynystawe, when it rained cats and dogs!  However the grounds of Ynystawe Primary School still looked good even in the rain!  I hope all those who attended gained inspration from what they saw.

SCHOOL GROUNDS CONFERENCE

The 'Practical Support and Ideas for Developing School Grounds' conference took place on 24th March 2011 at the Guildhall, Swansea.  There were 46 delegates from 29 schools in Swansea and Carmarthen.  The purpose of the conference was to provide inspiring, useful ideas and workshops, and to launch a new guide.  The guide is entitled 'Making the Most of School Grounds' and is a best practice, step by step guide with ideas and information.  It also has case studies of primary and secondary schools in Swansea which illustrates what a number of schools have achieved in their grounds.  Each school attending the conference received a hard copy of the guide.  Click Making the Most of Your School Grounds - Good Practice Guide to look at the guide / SEEF school grounds guide 2011CYM for the Welsh version.   SEEF has also written a Directory of people and organistaions that help with school grounds click SEEF School Grounds Directory March 2011.  This will be updated periodically. 

Also launched was an updated guide to the  Outdoors Directory 2011.  This guide encourages schools to use outdoor sites within Swansea with plenty of advice and information about how, when, where to go and who to contact.

Workshops were well received with comments such as 'plenty of new ideas and ways to adapt our exisiting limited school grounds' as well as 'I found the day inspiring and motivating'.  One of the workshops run by Jill Ireland on 'Edible gardens - what, when and how to grow in schools' had some follow up information.  Click on the links below.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/growyourown/fruit_manual/Fruit_Manual_Combined.pdf

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/growyourown/Activities/A35.pdf

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/growyourown/Activities/A59.pdf

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/growyourown/Activities/A8.pdf