The Beeslack CHS Tay canoe expedition took place from the 15th to 18th of May 2017. A short video of the expedition can be seen below. The expedition participants were 6 S3 students. These students were part of a Personal Development Group at the school.

The aims of the expedition were:

• Complete a progressive canoe programme culminating in a 4 day expedition
• Develop student’s independent living skills
• Develop student’s resilience
• Draw out learning points through daily discussion and review

Before the expedition the group took part in 2 canoe training days at Whiteadder Reservoir and Musselburgh Lagoons. We also completed some camp craft sessions and met with parents to discuss the trip.

The trip was four days long;

• Day 1 – drive up, meet Biscuit (Canoe coach and river leader), refresh skills on Loch Tay, set up camp and cook dinner
• Day 2 – canoe river Lyon and short section of Tay, cook dinner and evening activities
• Day 3 – half day canoe on Tay, strike camp and pack for overnight wild camp. Paddle on Loch Tay to overnight wild camp – campfire!
• Day 4 –  strike camp, in depth review, paddle Loch Tay, depart for Penicuik

The expedition was challenging for all participants at different times, for many different reasons. We regularly discussed and reviewed the participant’s experiences to draw out learning points and identify transferable skills. The input staff made with the participants was invaluable.  In addition, Biscuit’s input and the efforts he went to, to build strong relationships with the participants quickly – was extremely beneficial.  With his help we managed to get even the most nervous of paddlers down the white water sections with smiles on their faces!  The students that attended worked hard, they gave 100% and participated fully – it was very pleasing to see this – I hope they will now transfer back some of their learning to their daily life.

Over 500 pupils took part in the recent Orienteering Festival at Vogrie Country House. An amazing turnout to a fantastic event using this superb venue.
A huge thank you to the staff at Vogrie, the Active Schools team, ESOC and all the staff in the Primary Schools who entered their enthusiastic pupils and made the event possible.

The event was organised by the Midlothian Outdoor Learning Service and has been a great success and we hope to run again in 2018.

Three linear courses were set out for P5, P6 and P7 that challenged their navigational abilities.

• We had over 500 entries-  made up of pairs, teams and solos.
• A total of 12 primary schools.
• Several schools brought over 50 pupils, some bringing over 100 – amazing.

All young people appeared to enjoy the opportunity to partake in this event. Plenty of smiles from our confident, successful learners.

Over 250 students attended the Discover Biking Sessions run over 8 days. The activities took place at various locations within Midlothian – including Loanhead Park, Penicuik Park and school grounds. The P6 & P7 students came from 8 Schools.

During the sessions the pupils learned how to do a simple bike check. They learned how to change their gears and use their breaks affectively. They put these skills into use by ascending and descending some steep slopes safely. After this they had the opportunity to test their ability on the Bike Skills course – completing the slalom, rumble strip and track stand. Once they practiced that a few times they got timed – with penalty points for any mistakes.

The skills the students learnt were transferable. They could easily complete a simple bike check before a cycle at home, or cycling over the rumble strip is similar to cycling over tree roots in a forest. It was rewarding to see all students’ confidence improve in the two hour session.

There are a few things students and school staff could do to develop their skills further –

(1) Have a look at this web site www.gomtb.org.uk

(2) Attend the Primary Bike Festival

(3) The Outdoor Learning team regularly go into schools and provide Mountain Biking sessions, if this is of interest please get in touch.

(4) Keep in contact about future Discover Biking sessions

This year again, – Discover Biking was a great success. If your class participated in these activities – why not challenge them further with a journey on bikes next?