Global Outdoors

The centre has a perfect location in the Lake District to provide all the facilities required for running a variety of outdoor courses throughout the year.

Although owned by the University of Birmingham it is open to members from other academic institutions, recreational clubs, and corporate clients.

Sitting on the western shore of Coniston Water in the Lake District is the University of Birmingham's Raymond Priestley Centre for Outdoor Pursuits and Field Studies.  To the east is Grizedale Forest Park, to the north Coniston Village and Central Lakeland; directly south a beautiful coppiced woodland managed by the Lake District National Park.

The Going Global in the Outdoors programme was carried out as part of the centres commitment to local schools and community. 

Going Global in the Outdoors

Coniston Primary School Year 5/6 February 2006

9.15 am       Arrival

12 noon       Lunch

3.00pm       Departure

Introduction (15 mins) 

In pairs get the children to think of the three most important  things they need to live.  Feedback to the children and write on a board.

Have they mentioned any of these?

Water

Food

Shelter

Throughout the day we are going to think about these three things and the world in which we live.

Food (1 Hour)

• In pairs or in threes the children use the map to find an apple, on the back it will tell them where it has come from. Ask them to try to remember this information.

• Keep finding apples until they have found all six.

• Discuss the different apples and the global effects of transporting them around the world.

• Give each child a card which has a role and percentage written on it to do with the production and selling of apples.

• Get them to discuss whether they think the percentages are fair.

• Introduce the concept of Fair Trade.

• Show them the Fair Trade symbol, you could get them to make the symbol out of natural resources.

Break (15 mins)

Water (1 hour)

Images

• Show the children six water images (3 local and 3 global), get them to sort the images into those they think depict water they could drink and those they think would be unsafe to drink.

• Ask them the following questions:

                                  Is it easy to decide if the water is safe to drink?

                                  Could you do anything to the water to make it safe to drink?

                                  Does everyone have access to clean water?

• Get the children to look at five glasses of water and decide which they think are drinkable, get them to taste the ones they think are drinkable (don't let them taste the muddy one!), were they  right? Turn over the labels so they can see what was in each glass.The children should consider what we have to do to make our water drinkable and challenge with them the misconception that water is 'free'.

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Water Vessel

• The children have to make a water carrying vessel out of limited resources and carry water over a set distance.

• At the end they measure the water to see how much they have lost.

• Relate the activity to people in other countries who walk miles to collect water for their families.

• Encourage the children to consider the difficulties with this and the amount of water they would need to carry in a day.

Conserving Water 

• Get the children to match the right amount of water used to each daily activity.

• Ask them to try and work out how much water they use in a day.

• Can they think of ways in which they could reduce thier daily water use.

Review the morning (15 mins) 

 Lunch (30 mins)

Shelter Tokens (45 mins)

• Each group completes the three activities GPS, Natural vs Manmade and Eggdrop, they are given shelter tokens depending on how well they do in each activity.

• Use the tokens they have to buy equipment for their shelter.

Building Shelters (30 mins)

• The children build shelters in their groups using the equipment they have bought and the natural resources around them.

Needs and Wants (15 mins)

• The children are told they are going to have to survive in the forest, though the soil is poor, the water quality questionable and they are not allowed to pull up any plants or kill animals.

• Give the children the needs and wants cards and encourage them to choose just four things they want to have with their shelter in the forest.

Estate Agent (30 mins)

• The children try to sell thier shelters to the other groups and talk about any good environmental or sustainable elements of their shelter they have thought about.

Water Test (15 mins)

• Each group sits in their shelter whilst it gets weather tested by the staff (ie. bucket of water thrown over it!).

Video Review of the Day (20 mins)

• The children re-enact the day with little sketches.

Conclude the Day (5 mins)

• The children reflect on what they have learnt during the day.