Education

“Learning is experiencing, everything else is just information”
Albert Einstein

We are in an age where children from 11 to 15 spend over 50% of their working time in front of one screen or another. Much of the learning that takes place is within a 2 dimensional virtual world.

Recent research has shown that this is seriously detrimental to healthy cognitive development.

At Embercombe we view the daily rhythms and needs of the 50 acres of wildlife habitats, garden, woodland and farm as the curriculum, an “outdoor classroom” of infinite resources.

The Awe & Wonder Programme
Our “Awe and Wonder” programme is focussed around food and its journey from seed to table. The children collect and cut firewood, build a fire and harvest vegetables that they have helped to grow. They then prepare a meal and we eat together.

Hands on activities in the outdoor classroom support and compliment many national curriculum subjects, in particular the Sciences and the Arts, incorporating creative writing and craft skills.

We hope to inspire and encourage teachers, children and parents to develop their own school grounds as an educational resource.

This and other programmes for older children provide experiential insights into phenomena such as the Carbon Cycle and photosynthesis as well as the nutrient and mineral cycles.

Integral to all the educational work at Embercombe is the recognition of a need for sustainable land management practices. Our Land-based Learning Centre, crucial to the development of our educational work, will involve the construction of a traditional green oak and cob Linhay, built from materials sourced from Embercombe. The finished building will contain craft workshops, animal housing, food and seed store as well as a fully functional milking dairy and kitchen.

We are currently raising funds to complete the construction of this valuable resource. If you think you might be able to help or would like to make a donation, please contact Jo Clark, Head of Land-based Learning or visit our Donations page. Thank you.

Curriculim Link - click here to download the curriculum document (PDF document 100Kb)

All enquiries to:
Jo Clark, Head of Land-Based Learning
01647 252983

		Jo Clark – Head of Land-based Learning Jo was born in Devon and has been involved in farming all his life. For the last 8 years he has been teaching land based "outdoor classroom" activities to children aged from 7 to 16 at the South Devon Steiner School. Viewing the outdoor environment as an infinite resource he has developed the connections between the land and many aspects of the school curriculum particularly the sciences. Establishing the connection between the food we eat and how it is produced where the children are involved experientially in every aspect of the process has been a major thrust of his work.
		Mike Gardner – Forester and Forestry Education Mike has a degree in Forestry and ecological sciences from Edinburgh University and runs a local Forestry and sawmilling and Carpentry and Timber Framing company. Mike has worked extensively with children and young people creating innovative and inspiring tasks in the woodland. A brief description of his business can be found on his website www.woodmanship.co.uk.

Awards For All www.awardsforall.org.uk	Dartmoor Sustainable Development Fund www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk	Forest Education Initiative www.foresteducation.org
Faraday www.faraday.com	Gen Re www.genre.com	The Embercombe Trust www.embercombe.co.uk