Learning

It could be argued that some of the skills that are most vital to our children are not how to do quadratic equations or conjugate a verb, but how to live sustainably and self-sufficiently. Being able to make our own clothes falls into this category; how empowering is it for a child to design and make their very own customised garment? This kind of empowerment also in turn lessens the stranglehold of the big clothing multinationals. The more people are able to make and mend their own clothes, the less dependant they are on cheap, sweat-shop made items.

We are blessed to live in a country with many beautiful trees, and The Tree Council are keen to teach us about them and help us grow many more for our grandchildren to enjoy. Seed Gathering Season is their annual autumn festival, running from the autumn equinox on 23rd September through to 23rd October. The aim is to get as many people as possible gathering seeds, fruits and nuts to grow the trees of the future. Seed Gathering Season is a great opportunity for children to find out about their local trees, and The Three Council actively encourage schools to take part.

What a wonderful idea the International Day of Peace is. Taking place on 21st September, it’s an opportunity for individuals, organisations, and nations to come together to create practical acts of peace. Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon, sitting in silent meditation, or doing a good deed for someone you do not know. Or it can involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. The impact if millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together for one day of peace, is immense, and does make a difference.

Beachwatch Big Weekend is the Marine Conservation Society’s annual call to everyone to clean up our beaches! Running from 20th to 23rd September, Beachwatch Big Weekend supports individuals, groups and communities who care about the coast to get active in saving their shorelines. The weekend also sees the UK’s biggest survey on the health of our beaches. Last year nearly 240 beaches were cleaned and 3,500 volunteers took part. In total, 181,978 items of litter were picked up and 1,800 bin bags filled. Plastic was the biggest culprit.

With Scottish preschools opening their doors this week and the rest of the UK not far behind, many families will be seeing their three or four year olds embarking upon their school education. With government funded hours and a growing economic crisis, pressure to put children into preschool education is being masked by universally positive rhetoric. The truth about how appropriate it is for the individual needs of each child can be hard to get to. So, what is preschool all about and is it the best thing for every child?

These days, holidays are mostly about the destination. Holiday-makers sit in plane seats and are flown halfway around the world without seeing any of the sights along the way. When they arrive, hire cars are available so that local landmarks and tourist destinations can be reached quickly, before returning to the hotel or guest house to eat food cooked for the western palate. If this all sounds a bit boring, or familiar, you might like to check out the Slow Travel movement. Immerse yourself in local culture, savour the food...

Listening to the news can be a disheartening activity. We are bombarded with stories reminding us of what a violent, dangerous and disconnected world we live in; where people bomb each other and steal and attack and kill, and the natural world is a predatory monster devouring lives. It’s good to have an antidote to all that doom and gloom. To stop every once in a while and remind ourselves that yes, bad things happen, but plenty – PLENTY – of incredible, awe-inspiring, heart-warming, life-enhancing things happen too…every second.

In a recent survey on left handed people, 16% felt there was an advantage in being left handed at work. Most of these advantages centred around perceptions of personal creativity, artistic ability and the speed at which they felt they learned new information. But for a lot of left handers, there can be frustrations in a right handed world, from tools and equipment geared to right handers to work station layouts.

1st August marks the ancient harvest festival of Lammas, when the wheel of the year turned from growth to harvest. Celebrating the first wheat harvest, the festival was traditionally more important than Christmas. The Anglo-Saxon name ‘hlaefmass’ translates as ‘Loaf-Mass’, but the celebration has roots in the pagan festival Lughnasadh which honoured the god Lugh. Lugh is the Sun-god and his power is waning after Summer Solstice – this is his farewell celebration too.

If, like myself until fairly recently, you have had the good fortune to never have seen an episode of Peppa Pig – you may be wondering what you are missing. Her face is often seen on everything from T-Shirts to Tupperware and most children seem to be familiar with her. If you haven’t personally seen an episode before, you will likely know somebody who has.