Children learn through LEAF

Date published: 20/09/2005

Thousands of school children from throughout Rochdale borough will get a close look at their environment over the next two weeks as the Local Environment Action Fortnight (LEAF) returns.

A fortnight of events runs from 17 September to 2 October. Water, energy, travel, natural history and litter will all be examined in a fun and fascinating way, both in the classroom and in the countryside.

LEAF is organised by the Rochdale Education for Sustainability Network. Local schools have booked more than 50 sessions, with a third of all primary schools taking part.

The sessions arranged include:

Active travel - aimed at arousing pupil's awareness of sustainable travel, health and the effects of traffic on air quality.  The session will involve looking at how pupils travel to and from school and the health issues surrounding the different ways of travelling.

The Life of Trees - A woodland walk where pupils will identify different trees by bark, buds & leaves. They will also examine the life of trees and the wildlife habitat they support as well as looking at how trees have traditionally been used as a resource. The workshop includes a practical session making recycled paper.

Games We Play - the chance to explore a variety of street games, as well as games from other countries. Pupils will visit the Toys & Games display at Touchstones Rochdale.

Energy Efficiency at home and school - learning about how energy is used in the home and school, and why energy has to be conserved.

Lethal Litter & Lazy Litter Louts -using map reading skills to follow a wildlife trail; pupils will discover alarming facts on the threat to wildlife from litter. They can also carry out litter surveys, and possibly choose to help clean up areas.

Food from the Woods Pupils will become special representatives from the school on a mission to find out how to survive only on what they find. On a walk through the woods they learn about plants, trees and shrubs they find along the way. Following the walk pupils will try a range of teas such as nettle and rosehip and take part in a healthy eating activity.

Living Maps Bringing maps of the local environment to life.  Pupils will explore both the local and natural history of an area using both map reading and map-making skills.  Use of photography and orienteering will help the children develop history and geography knowledge.

Wonderful World of Water Children will have chance to explore a watercourse and learn to recognise how the features in the landscape show how the water is forming the course of the river.  They will be drawing, measuring and sampling. They will also use microscopes to observe living organisms from the watercourse and learn to interpret what they see for themselves.