When I took over Moorland Guides 18 months ago, from the wonderful Simon Dell, I was excited about the possibilities that lay ahead. Under Simon’s trusty directorship, Moorland Guides had been running for 13 years, predominantly running guided walks for students from European countries and private bookings for holiday makers visiting the area and looking to discover the real Dartmoor with the help of one our experienced guides.
However, I could see the potential to be doing more – particularly to meet the needs of local educators wanting to venture into outdoor education. Having worked in outdoor education for almost a decade, I am passionate about the role that the natural environment can play in learning and have seen first-hand, how children and young people can thrive in outdoor settings in a way that they can’t indoors.
Consequently, it was only natural that we would go on to produce a range of packages for local schools and home educating families in order help them meet their curriculum goals through outdoor learning. Moorland Guides is a collaborative organisation consisting of over 30 expert guides and within that, we hold a wealth of knowledge and experience in a veritable plethora of different subjects. We were able to draw on these different threads of expertise in the creation of our educational packages, which cover a range of topics, are adaptable and aimed at children aged 7-13.
But why do we think outdoor education is such a valuable addition to a young person’s learning journey?
- Experiential hands-on learning
Most of us would agree that when it comes to learning, there is definitely more than one way to skin a cat. We know that one size doesn’t fit all and that for many young people, sitting down and listening to a teacher for very long can be a struggle. There are many different ways to learn and for a lot of young people, experiential and hands-on learning is a fantastic way for them to access education. By incorporating curriculum into a walk on Dartmoor and experiencing the things they’re learning about first hand, there is an increased likelihood that the knowledge will be embedded, and the young person will engage with the topic at hand. Reading about a Bronze Age hut circle is one thing but actually walking into one and seeing it in real life is a completely different experience.
- It provides an accessible and equitable environment
The great thing about learning outdoors is that it is a very equitable environment. Young people are able to bond with their peers through shared experiences as they are all treated the same by the great outdoors. If it rains, it rains on everyone. If the sun is shining, everyone’s skin is warmed. Learning outdoors can provide opportunities for collaboration and building community that you don’t get as readily indoors.
For many young people, particularly those with SEN (special education needs), the outdoors can be much a more accessible environment. These are less harsh demands on the senses outdoors; no fluorescent lights, no loud bells or tannoy announcements, no walls for the sound to bounce off and be amplified. Many young people find it easier to regulate outdoors which puts them in a better position to be able to access learning.
- Fostering a responsibility for the outdoors
David Attenborough famously said ‘No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced”. We firmly believe this to be the case and that’s why we’re so passionate about bringing young people onto Dartmoor to experience this sensitive and special landscape. Dartmoor faces a lot of challenges, and it is only with the commitment of passionate people that we’ll be able to protect this space. But in order to empower the next generation to do so, we need to facilitate positive experiences on the moors for them and that is one of our key motivations here at Moorland Guides.
We’ve been trialling our education packages on the local home education community to great success and we cannot wait to roll them out to local schools over the coming months. If you are an educator and would like to find out more and book a trip for the young people you work with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on the details below!
Hannah Durdin
Director of Moorland Guides
enquiries@moorlandguides.co.uk / 07774088938