A few weeks’ ago, I received a request from the Geography Subject Leader at Brinsley Primary and Nursery School in Nottinghamshire (https://www.brinsley.notts.sch.uk/). She wished to arrange for their Year 5 and Year 6 teachers and pupils to take part in our new, week-long, Amazon-themed initiative during Term 2. As Geography Awareness Week 2024 fell between 18th and 22nd November, it seemed very apt to schedule the event for this week. After formally welcoming everybody and introducing both Marcella and myself, as well as sharing the aims of the workshop and proposed format for the sessions, we moved on to our ‘starter’. I launched Digimap for Schools and projected a map of the UK to pinpoint our locations and explore our connections with these places (https://digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk/). Never…Continue readingNottinghamshire teachers and pupils are transported to the Amazon!
Category: Kambebas_Amazon
A new academic year and a new offering from those at Step into the Amazon! After perusing feedback from staff and pupils gathered via our online evaluation form (many wished to have more time to engage with the suggested activities and delve into the shared material further, as well as connect with the Kambeba children in real time), we have decided to span our multi-schools event over the space of a week. A 2.5 hour session is now proposed for the Monday morning, with optional extension tasks set throughout the week and a chance for pupils and their teachers to come together to share and reflect upon their learning and experiences for half an hour or so towards the end…Continue readingOur new offering went down a treat!
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Off to Bath we go!
Last Saturday, Adriana and Marcella took our Step into the Amazon project to the Earth Day celebration at The Assembly Rooms in Bath, as part of an initiative led by The Great Imagining (https://www.thegreatimagining.org/), House of Imagination (https://houseofimagination.org/) and Forest of Imagination (https://www.forestofimagination.org.uk/). It was an amazing day and both youngsters and adults really embraced the themes contained within the exhibition and workshop. The event was part of a pilot project, which linked three cities in the UK (Exeter, Bath and Bristol) and Kampala in Uganda. It was wonderful to witness children from as far as Kampala connecting with those in the UK in an exchange of ideas, as well as providing plenty of inspiration.Continue readingOff to Bath we go!
What a surprise I received when I opened the latest copy of the Geographical Association’s magazine (https://www.geography.org.uk/Journals/GA-Magazine)! I vaguely remember writing this article for those at the Geographical Association a few months ago and it was lovely to see it finally in print. Reading it through again made me realise just how much we have acheived over the past academic year. Following Adriana and Marcella’s five days spent with the tribe from the Kambeba indigenous community in the heart of the Amazon last August, we now have much fresh audio-visual footage to play around with and some very exciting plans ahead. Watch this space!Continue readingMany thanks to the Geographical Association (GA)
What a busy week it has been! Whilst I have been working with Liam and Kiran to set up social media accounts to link to our website, Adriana has been putting the final touches in place for her trip to Brazil. Not only will she be visiting her family and friends, but will also spend five days with the Kambeba indigenous community in the heart of the Amazon. No doubt, her and her friend, Marcella, will be treated like royalty by the Kambebas. It will be very emotional, but hugely insightful. It is important that we nurture this unique rapport that we have established, so that we continue to learn from the tribe, e.g. how we can live more sustainably;…Continue readingAnd they are off to meet the Kambebas!