Outline how you would use some of the course resources to conduct a seasonal biodiversity project to run throughout the school year. What resources and recording sheets would you need? How often would you bring learning outdoors? How would you integrate other subject areas?
We are lucky enough to have an outdoor space attached to our classroom. Our caretaker made a raised bed and we plant it every year. As I teach children with autism it was initially intended as a sensory space so we planted lots of herbs like rosemary, thyme etc. I need to be careful that what is planted is edible!
We planted lavender which the children loved and so did the bees! some of my children were terrified of bees until we started learning about them and how important they are. With the help of our caretaker we made a bird hose which the kids loved and a bird feeder. The children love to see the birds coming and going. I have a chart with native birds in it so they love identifying the various birds that visit.
We do have access to woods close to the school and the children love going for walks there. I do feel that starting in our safe space outside is better with the younger children but the woods offer a huge classroom for our older kids.