Clyde in the Classroom floats online
A new website dedicated to the Foundation’s Clyde in the Classroom primary school education project is now online at www.clydeintheclassroom.com
In the past 10 years, 12,450 children from 266 schools have taken part in the project which enables pupils to rear trout fry in a classroom hatchery before releasing them into their local river. Now the Foundation is keen to support the project with an online presence. The website contains resources for teachers including a downloadable project pack and project updates.
www.clydeintheclassroom.com also provides a platform for classes to share their river-inspired artwork and reflections on the project. Over the years, participating schools have produced some amazingly inventive material, from fantastic wall displays and sculptures to personal diaries and examples of creative writing. One class even produced a song about the experience of releasing their trout fry entitled ‘Just Swim’ based on the tune of a well-known Lady Gaga record. [LINK TO THE SONG]
The website will also assist teachers by incorporating optional ICT learning outcomes into the project. Pupils will have the opportunity to use basic online Google mapping tools to create a project map. “This will not just be a good way to showcase the collective efforts of the class, it will also help pupils to understand the geography of their local river network,” explains Caroline McGillivray, the Foundation’s Education Outreach Officer. Classes will be encouraged to discover the source of their local river and learn about how this could affect the life cycle of the brown trout.
The website also offers new ways to fund the project. SNH has supported the project financially for a decade and participating schools put a one-third contribution towards Clyde in the Classroom. Historically, the remainder has been sourced by sponsorship and another one-third contribution from the Scottish Natural Heritage grant, but this is due to cease in 2012. “Clyde in the Classroom has been a real success ever since its launch in 2001,” explains CRF’s Catchment Manager, Dr Willie Yeomans. “But just as every organisation is feeling the economic pinch, we now need to look at alternative sources of funding. We believe this project is ideal for sponsorship, whether it is a community group helping to fundraise for their local school or a bigger company which wants to support the principles underpinning the initiative.”
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