As we look to the end of the summer term the Outdoor Learning team will soon have a chance to have a brief rest before gearing up for a summer of kids’ events! It’s a much needed rest, with this term having over 600 students and a personal record breaking 41 classes come to the Water of Leith to learn about the rivers history, morphology and ecology. We’ve had the opportunity to take students out doing conservation work, clearing invasive species on the Rochied path; taking part in ecological surveys; practical hands-on geography river studies; and, as always, plenty of river dipping for invertebrates. We’ve also got a work experience student here to help out – who has helped deliver two classes in her first two days with us!
As spring and summer have progressed, the Craiglockhart Dells have exploded with life, and the mayflies have come out, allowing us to show students this wonderful creature’s life cycle happening in real time, in person. Hands-on experiences with nature like this really help to build a relationship with the natural world and allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the river.
On land, the meadows managed by the Trust are bursting forth with beautiful flowers and grasses. This has allowed us to further develop our plant and pollinator ID skills – we’ve been working with Professor Graham Stone, an ecologist with the University of Edinburgh, to improve our research techniques. As part of this skill development we’ve also began working on plant guides to the Water of Leith – with Ruth focusing on flowering plants and Laura on grasses. We’re hoping to develop this into a resource that can be used by the people of Edinburgh to help ID the plants surrounding this river for years to come.