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Working with Senior Glasgow Countryside Ranger Alison Greig we started our day at the maze adjacent to the magnificent Pollok House. While the gardeners worked tending the hedges and flower beds we joined in working our way through the maze and on into the gardens beyond. Alison explained that not only should we be blind folded but our noses should be wet as we worked with our brilliant support staff and our senses. We sniffed and sometimes sneezed our way through the first part of this learning experience before removing our blindfolds to reveal not only new colours but new smells, textures, shades and shapes. We offered our own ideas and thoughts and then it was on into nature, adventure and beyond....

We worked again in teams with our Support Staff, each small team armed with a camera and lots of motivation. Alison asked us to be adventurous and look for shapes we had perhaps previously never noticed. We had to look for bright colours and plants that appeared in unusual spaces and places. And this we did working and learning together, being independent and confident as we took charge of the task put before us.....

From the maze to the Hosta laden borders and off into the woodland our adventure continued. We talked about the way that nature constantly evolves and grows, how trees that fall often sow their seeds and nurture and their offspring as they steadily head back into the ground providing sustenance for the young trees.

These were just some of the shapes and colours that we found during our adventure. We talked to Alison and our Support Staff about the different colours, shapes and textures and the time flew past as we looked, listened and learned throughout this amazing active learning day! There is simply too many photographs, too many shapes and colours and too many parts of nature that we have still to investigate, but don't worry we will give it a go!!!

Please see this final small section of some of the plants, shapes and colours that we thought were amazing! Bright reds and mesmerizing greens with architectural veins running proud within them. Soft violet colours peaked out from cracks in sandstone walls filled with time while Hosta's full of history and their very own stories erupted from the ground like pikes from a earthy fortress! And as for the Tale of the Oak Tree and the Blade of Grass - Well that's another story!!!!! To be continued......

Today we went outside to see what we could see, hear and feel around our school in Whalsay. We wanted to find out what nature surrounds us and what makes Whalsay unique.

Last Thursday, we got started on revamping the school garden. It was previously a vegetable patch, but given we are out of school over summer, it wasn't ideal, and became overgrown. We have started to dig it over to plant a wild meadow in it's place, hopefully have a nice place to sit come the better weather. We also plan to reinstate the pond, and make some new furniture for the area with recycled pallets. I thought it would be cool to stick in a photo of our well used poly tunnel woodworking bench. Again made with recycled pallet wood. We have a couple of sources for pallets which gives us access to plenty wood for our activities, and keeps us environmentally friendly too.

Today saw the group on the coast, Angus offers us the choice of sea to our front and mountains to our back. Arbroath Cliffs gave us the chance to search in the rock pools and pick up litter from the shore this was cut a bit short due to to fast approaching tide. We moved along the path and found a small cove that gave the group the chance to explore the caves, watch the seabirds and explore along the rocky shore line. A fantastic day was had, made all the better with the outstanding weather. A great day by the sea.