Category: Resources

Outdoor Kids Sun Safety Code is a free downloadable, resource bank and accreditation scheme which supports all those working outdoors with children

BS 8848:2014 – Specification for the provision of visits, fieldwork, expeditions, and adventurous activities, outside the United Kingdom.

This specification can be purchased in pdf or hardcopy format from the BSI shop.

It may also be possible for Local Authority employees to gain free access to this document via the info4localgov website. Employees would need to obtain a username and password from their Health and Safety department, or ask their Health and Safety department to download the document for them.

The Institute for Outdoor Learning has consulted with a range of Outdoor First Aid stakeholders to establish the current need and to consider what minimum standards for the content and delivery of Outdoor First Aid training and assessment might look like. It is apparent that many of the currently recognised courses delivered by outdoor practitioners for outdoor practitioners contain appropriate content and do so at a variety of levels. From both an employers and a practitioners point of view there is scope to make things clearer by standardising minimum content for these courses. There is also a definite need to provide more certainty around the way in which course content is delivered to ensure skills are developed and assessed in an appropriate environment, as well as acquisition of knowledge. Finally, there is also a need to build on the HSE’s guidance on minimum trainer competency to ensure Outdoor First Aid trainers understand the needs of outdoor and remote environments and that they access appropriate CPD to maintain the currency of their skills and knowledge.

There are several exciting new FREE resources available from FEI Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland

A graphic novel called ‘Earth-Planet, Universe’, about John Muir is now completed and will be distributed to every secondary school in Scotland.

This guide explores the links between school grounds and children’s health, wellbeing and learning and offers practical advice on how to develop school grounds in which children can thrive.

The John Muir Trust have published an on-line resource guide for Outdoor Learning.

View the Resource Guide: Outdoor Learning.

Research has shown that young people of all backgrounds face challenges at every stage of their education and transition into employment; challenges that many struggle to overcome.

Social Impact Report 2014 is now available

Social Impact Reports for 2009 and 2011 are also available on the Outward Bound Trust website.

Find out more about a new Land Information Search tool developed by SEPA, FCS and SNH.

Simply draw an area on a map and find out what environmental features are near where you live.

Click here to use the Land Information Search tool.

‘Learning Outside the Classroom: Theory and Guidelines for Practice’ – by Simon Beames, Pete Higgins and Robbie Nicol

The first curricular-focused outdoor learning textbook for prospective and practising K-12 teachers, this book provides both academic justification and practical support for educators working in a wide variety of environments and with diverse populations of students to incorporate more meaningful outdoor learning opportunities into their daily teaching activities.

To read more about this book or to purchase a copy, visit the Book Depository website.