Our second event of this academic year occurred just after COP30, which was held in Belem, Brazil. Some of our friends from the Kambeba indigenous community in the heart of the Amazon were there at the time, so we were also keen to share their experiences, messages and key takeaways with individuals here today. Whilst our new stance is still aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils, particularly those in Year 5 and Year 6, it is a slightly shorter and more cost-effective version to make it inclusive and accessible to schools. On board today were Cottesmore St. Mary Catholic Primary School in Hove, East Sussex (https://www.cottesmore.brighton-hove.sch.uk/) and Hugo Meynell C of E (VC) Primary School near Market Drayton in Staffordshire…Continue readingOff to meet the Kambebas!
Tag: images
A new stance for 2025-2026!
Our first events of this academic year were timed to coincide with COP30 being held in Belem, Brazil. Some of our friends from the Kambeba indigenous community in the heart of the Amazon were intending to be there, so we were keen to share their experiences, messages and key takeaways with individuals here. Whilst our new stance is still aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils, particularly those in Year 5 and Year 6, it is a slightly shorter and cheaper version to make it inclusive and accessible to more schools. On board today were four schools located throughout the UK, namely Newburn Manor Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear (https://www.newburnmanorprimary.co.uk/); Willow Wood Community Primary School, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear (https://www.willowwoodprimary.org.uk/);…Continue readingA new stance for 2025-2026!
A full house!
Quite an ambitious week-long initiative for us with five schools and more than 420 Key Stage 2 pupils and their teachers on board! At this point, thanks must go to Tewkesbury Rotary Club for funding two school places, namely for children at The John Moore Primary School (https://www.thejohnmooreprimary.org/) and Tirlebrook Primary School (https://www.tirlebrook.co.uk/) within the town. These schools were joined by children and teachers from Vernon Primary School in Cheshire (https://www.vernonprimaryschool.com/), Brimington Junior School (https://thelearnerstrust.org/brimington-juniors/) and Dronfield Junior School (https://www.dronfield-jun.derbyshire.sch.uk/), both located in Derbyshire. All the youngsters impressed us greatly. After formally welcoming everybody and introducing myself and Marcella, 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…Continue readingA full house!
‘Building bridges’ and learning together
Today, we were joined by Year 4 pupils and their teacher from St. Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School in Richmond, London (https://www.st-marymagdalens.richmond.sch.uk/), and did they wow us too! After formally welcoming everybody and introducing myself and Marcella, 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 miss an opportunity to enhance pupils’ locational and place knowledge! Our first task was to challenge any misconceptions that pupils had. We asked them what they thought Brazil was like and where they believed the Amazon was located. Some interesting comments were added to the chat feed. We…Continue reading‘Building bridges’ and learning together
We managed to squeeze in another week-long initiative before all the Christmas festivities well and truly kick in. This time, we were joined by more than 120 Year 5 and Year 6 pupils and their teachers from two schools, namely St. Wulstan’s Catholic Primary School in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire (https://stwulstans.sch.life/) and The Olive School in Blackburn, Lancashire (https://www.oliveblackburn.com/). 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 miss an opportunity to enhance pupils’ locational and place knowledge! Our first task was…Continue readingOff to the Amazon one last time before Christmas!
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!
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!
The Great Imagining, Canning Town, London
We were really pleased to be invited to take part in The Great Imagining‘s exhibition this month. Hosted by Deborah Curtis, this was the first in a series of events aimed at bringing together artists and practitioners working at the forefront of sustainability. This exhibition commanded a graphical representation of our project and we encouraged individuals to dream together, reflect, reconsider their carbon footprint and make renewed commitments. The audience was able to follow a narrative told through various images, which inspired them to think critically about climate change and issues facing the Amazon. They also had the opportunity to have their hand projected into a tree-shaped image, themselves becoming seeds of change and making a commitment to live in…Continue readingThe Great Imagining, Canning Town, London
Off to Tate Modern and COP26!
Well, what a busy two weeks it has been! Towards the end of October, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with The Great Imagining (https://www.thegreatimagining.org/) for an initiative at Tate Modern linked to climate change and our future world (https://www.tate.org.uk/). Click on the web-link below to watch a short movie clip about our venture. I think you will agree that education for sustainability is a great way of building bridges! Under the guidance of Adriana Meirelles (a professional film director and animator originating from Sao Paulo in Brazil, but now based in Bristol in the UK), the children from the Kambeba indigenous community within the heart of the Amazon worked to create a series of short movie…Continue readingOff to Tate Modern and COP26!
Off travelling once again!
Virtual multi-schools event: ‘What makes the Amazon so amazing?’ Click on individual images to enlarge them. Our first multi-schools event of this academic year was very aptly scheduled; just as the Amazon and deforestation were being discussed by world leaders at COP-26! On board for this ‘amazing Amazon adventure’ were more than 200 teachers and Key Stage 2 pupils from three schools in different areas of the UK, namely St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Bromley, Kent (https://www.st-josephs.bromley.sch.uk/); St.Mary’s C of E School in Truro, Cornwall (https://www.st-marys-truro.cornwall.sch.uk/web) and Chandlers Ridge Academy in Middlesbrough, Teesside (https://chandlersridge.org.uk/). Andrew Hadley, Director at the Centre for International Learning and Leadership (https://cill-uk.com/), also joined us at various stages during the day to discover more about…Continue readingOff travelling once again!
