2014

In June 2014 SCRT’s education project “Experience the River” got underway for its 9^th season, where we were joined by a new artist, Janette Phillips from Milnthorpe. For once we were blessed with largely fine weather and low water conditions that made for a more relaxed delivery for all concerned! Six schools were eager to sign up for the project having participated in previous years but over half with staff changes leading to a fresh evaluation of the project, which was received enthusiastically by all.

Primary Schools and sites:

Cartmel (Eea)
Coniston (Yewdale Beck)
Goodly Dale ,Windermere (Mill Beck)
Heversham (Kent)
Leven Valley, Backbarrow (Leven)
Milnthorpe (Bela)

Each group participated in an introductory session at school where the children participated in a range of activities to illustrate the river habitat and prepare them for their field visit the following day. They identified the essential elements of the river habitat, tackled the difficult vocabulary of ecology, learnt to use keys to identify invertebrates and examined a range of specimens, each with a story to tell about issues of river conservation.

Excitement grew as the next day they were off to a nearby river for a morning of activities and a picnic lunch. They were sent off to explore the banks to collect a variety of natural materials based on colour, texture and pattern, which they then used to create Andy Goldsworthy style sculptures. They were soon happily immersed in the natural world, marveling at the small treasures of their discoveries that would have otherwise gone unnoticed

Following a welcome snack it was then time to get into the river itself, where, armed with nets, trays and a variety of sampling equipment they spent a happy hour catching and sorting a variety of river creatures. All the rivers produced a good range of species, which were then recorded and later tallied on a Biotic Index to give an indication of water quality.

After carefully returning all the animals back to the river and cleaning up the gear it was time for a well earned lunch, a change of clothes and a return to the classroom. Here the results were discussed and local issues summarized, the class being encouraged to become watchdogs for their local beck in the future. The rest of the afternoon was spent in research and planning for the art project for completion the next day.

During the following session the children worked hard to create a variety of models of the creatures that they had learnt about, sketching and cutting out shapes to make working models and using a variety of attractive collage materials to add colours and textures which emphasized the essence of each creature. These were then combined to make hanging mobiles for a classroom display.

Our thanks go to all the landowners who granted access permission, and to all the school staff and helpers who made the project possible. We are also very grateful to our sponsors, including the Bridge Hotel at Grasmere and Nurture Lakeland, who have supported us over several years.