The Flora of the Fells education work focuses on schools and young people across Cumbria using direct experience in the outdoor classroom, hands-on activities and helping to develop longer-term sustainable links with local sites. It's a chance to explore ‘wilder' places and discover what makes them special; from tiny arctic alpine flowers to artic char which have survived since the last ice age. It introduces different habitats and the geological, natural and human impacts which shape the landscape and give it its sense of space and freedom.

If you're a teacher or parent?
Our activities are designed to engage interest and stimulate young people. Working outdoors helps promote health and well-being, self-confidence and enjoyment as well as being an opportunity for young people to learn new skills and become more in touch with their natural environment. It appeals to a variety of different learners from small children to teenagers.

What's special? - Work is tailored to meet individual school or groups needs providing expertise, advice, support and funding where necessary. Learning is through a variety of experiential activities, curriculum links include geography, science, art, english, maths and PSHSE. Activities and projects are generally cross-curricula. Sessions include outdoor classroom both in outdoor sites and school grounds plus follow up sessions in the classroom. Our activities fit in with key government objectives such as the Outdoor Manifesto, Health and Well-being agenda and Every Child Matters .

We help to build more sustainable longer-term connections with local sites. Young people can get involved in helping to conserve and protect natural environments through hands-on work, surveying or producing interpretive materials which can be shared with other students, parents and the wider community.

The Project partners with other organisations, farmers or specialists to help deliver some of the work and draws on local knowledge and expertise. We mainly work with primary schools but also with some secondary schools as well as family or youth events. Some schools take part in the John Muir Award.

We have created some resources for use in schools and teacher training which you may find useful.

These include an education pack, the Hay meadows Project and the ‘Farms as outdoor classrooms workshop' .
New : We are currently developing some short after school workshops for teaching staff called ‘Activities for your school grounds and local sites' and ‘Climate Change and the landscape/environment'.

"Children living in an area of great natural beauty should be taught more about it so they enjoy it and look after it" primary head teacher