Category: Outdoor Learning

Outdoor Learning

Our Eco Achievements

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Over the last year everyone at Orchard Brae has working very hard on developing our Eco awareness as part of our Eco Schools journey and we have participated in a range of activities based around the topics of Litter, Waste Minimisation and Food and the Environment.

We conducted litter picks in the local area as well as in the school grounds, planted seeds and bulbs and cared for the plants, and made soup from our bumper crop of tatties grown in the school garden. The work that classes put into the Rag Bag scheme and Orchard Brae Fashion Boutique was recognised with a nomination for the Aberdeen City Council EcoCity Waste and Recycling Champions Award and while we were not the winners of the categories, we were rewarded with a certificate for our hard work and effort.

We are absolutely delighted that all of our hard work and effort has been recognised and we have reached the gold standard and been awarded our first Green Flag!

The Green Flag Award is presented to nurseries and schools which have demonstrated a commitment to Eco-Schools Scotland programme and usually takes place over two years. We are so proud that our Eco work has managed to get our first Green flag awarded in just one year!

We have been truly amazed by the comments we received from the Eco-School Scotland Team who noted that our action plan and evidence ‘was innovative and engaging’, ‘demonstrated a true commitment to improve the environment’ and ‘our dedication to embedding sustainability within the curriculum’.  They also highlighted aspects of our work as ‘examples of good practice’ which may be used as future case studies to support other schools.

A huge well done to all the students and staff for their on-going work and effort in enabling us to achieve our first Green Flag in one year.

 

Howes Hoose Plant the School Logo

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A team member from the Parks Department at Aberdeen City Council came to work with Howes Hoose pupils. We were asked to design a flower bed. He then took all our designs and put them together to make the design for the new flower bed. We set to work planting daffodil bulbs in the shape of an O for Orchard Brae. Over the next few weeks we will plant out more bulbs to make the B, put down bark in the shape of the hands on our badge and finally plant more bulbs to finish the design. Please look out for the flowers as they begin to grow on the bank at the far side of the car park over the next few months. Many thanks to the Parks Deparment for helping us with this project. We are looking forward to working with them every second Tuesday.

Room 8 Meet Jack Frost

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Room 8 have been enjoying this winter weather, inside and outside the classroom. We ventured out into the playground, well wrapped up, to experience how cold and frosty it has been. We brought snow back in with us to feel how cold it was and we watched as it melted during the day.

We dressed up in winter clothes during our winter singing and looked at ourselves in the mirror, just to see how good we looked!

During our art sessions we made ‘cold weather’ pictures using ‘cold’ colours. We used purple, white and blue balloons to print with. We also used the salad spinners to make colourful pictures which were cut into cosy socks, hats, gloves and scarves.

This week we made Jack Frost pictures. We had lots of different collage materials in white and silver to stick on and, of course, no Jack Frost is complete without plenty of glitter!

We all love a baking session in room 8 so this week we made ‘frosty’ cakes. We put in rice crispies and ‘snowball’ marshmallows, stirred it round and then added white chocolate. We then decorated the top with some edible ‘silver’ paper. Lots of tasting, smelling, and touching went on. We kept some for snack in school and took some home for our families to enjoy too.

Room 16 Exploring the Snow

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We have been having fun exploring our playground in the snow, listening to the sound our feet make, looking at the patterns in the grass.  We all had rosy cheeks after 10 minutes outdoors.

Room 15: Fun in the Snow!

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Room 15 pupils were excited to see the snow last week.  Some of us lay down and made snow angels.  We enjoyed holding some cold snow in their hands and one of us insisted on taking her snow back in to class with her!  Guess who that might have been! We were all full of smiles and did some great sharing.

 

Outdoor Art with class 10

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Looking at Outdoor Art with class 10 and how art can be transient; it can blow away, wash away in the rain and disintegrate and we can just enjoy it for the short time it is there.