Gaelic Medium forest school first at Abriachan, Loch Ness.
The first ever Forest School run through the medium of Gaelic finishes its pilot run of six sessions this Thursday (4 October) with a presentation of certificates to the 11 children from the Gaelic medium unit at Glenurquhart Primary School who have taken part.
A partnership between Abriachan Forest Trust and Glenurquhart Primary School, this ground-breaking venture came about after two keen Gaelic learners and qualified Forest School leaders, Morag McDonald and Christine Matheson, were introduced to each other and the idea was borne.
Forest School is an approach to learning in the outdoors (particularly woodland environments) which originated in Scandinavia and came to Britain in the 1990’s. It involves an understanding of how children learn and supports them to build confidence, resilience, independence and creativity. A high ratio of staff to participants is a key feature of Forest School.
During the 6 week pilot the children learned about woodland animals and birds and their habitats by taking part in a variety of activities such as scavenger hunts, games, a mini-beast hunt and an animal den building exercise.
The children were accompanied each week by their class teacher Laura Green and helper Helen Allen with Forest School leaders Morag McDonald and Christine Matheson planning and leading the Forest School sessions.
Class teacher Laura Green commented: “The Forest School trips were amazing. All the pupils enjoyed them and we are very grateful to all concerned for giving us this opportunity. The activities were really good for developing the pupils’ oral Gaelic skills and there was a significant growth in their vocabulary of the outdoor world.”
With the successful completion of the pilot project which was run on good will and on a voluntary basis by the leaders and Abriachan Forest Trust, it is now hoped to attract funding to run other Gaelic Forest School programmes.
On Thursday Highland Council Leader, Councillor Drew Hendry will be giving each pupil a special certificate in the woods.
Leader Hendry said: “We have seen a steady rise in the interest and activities of forest schools but this is first time that a forest school is being delivered through the medium of Gaelic. I commend all those involved including our pupils, teachers, forest school leaders and Abriachan Forest Trust. I also welcome this project which clearly supports the Council’s commitment in its Programme to the principle of equal respect for the Gaelic and English languages, whilst recognising the diversity of indigenous language and dialects within the Highland area.”