Learning

Green Space Dark Skies was all about connecting people to beautiful landscapes across the UK. We want to help schools, communities, organisations and individuals to develop, make new contacts and access support and resources. Together with our partners, we created a wide range of experiences that encourage exploration, love and care for the UK’s green spaces.

Download our Outdoor Learning Resource for children aged 7-11 years below, to encourage children to connect with and reflect on their relationship to nature wherever they are living.

You can also download our Conversation Starter resources, designed for use in any activity group setting (ramblers, makers, activists, families or even just casual book clubs!), and scroll down to find your Lumenator Guide with details about the inspiration behind the project and the technology.

If you want more information on community and learning opportunities please email info@greenspacedarkskies.uk.

Outdoor Learning Resource for children aged 7-11 years

A moment of stillness, feeling the earth beneath your feet and the wind on your face, exploring outdoor sensations and textures, going on a sensory journey and making a green space story.

Our Green Space Stories activities encourage children to connect with and reflect on their relationship to nature wherever they are living. Inspiring curiosity, learning about the places that they live and visit, themselves and each other. Each activity aims to build confidence, self-expression and collaborative learning skills.

The activity pack is designed for teachers, parents, carers and group leaders to use with children and has a range of activities aimed at children aged 7-11 years, though they can be enjoyed and adapted for all ages. The pack also contains Printable Explorer Activity sheets, for children to record experiences outdoors and create stories and artworks of their own.

 

Download here

A group of Lumenators stand with their arms in the air and geolights at their feet. At the front a young boy has a huge smile as he reaches up as high as he can

Dunstable Downs, The Chilterns AONB, Photo: Phil Young

Two young girls, the one on the left is placing a flower crown on the head of the one on the right

Gortin Glen Lakes, Sperrins AONB, Photo: Brian Morrison

Conversation Starters

If you’re wondering how to start a conversation about the landscape with your group or class and don’t know where to start, or you’re looking for some inspiration, we’ve put together some free, downloadable resources for you use.

We explore subjects from dark skies to geology, accessibility to carbon footprint calculating, wellbeing and mindfulness to diversity in the outdoors; and you can take inspiration from poets, dancers, musicians and artists too.

 

Resource 1: Wellbeing and Mindfulness

Resource 2: Poetry and Art

Resource 3: Dance and Movement

Resource 4: Music

Resource 5: Welsh Landscape and Geology

Resource 6: Carbon Footprint Calculating

Resource 7: Accessibility

Resource 8: Diversity in the Outdoors

Resource 9: Bringing Green Spaces Home

Resource 10: Outdoor Time and your Weekly Routine

Resource 11: Dark Skies

Black mother wearing a colourful headscarf and daughter, wearing a cap, making butterflies out of card in a workshop at Dorset AONB

Maiden Castle, Dorset AONB, Photo: Activate, Jayne Jackson

Two young girls looking up at the camera as they use cardboard and paper to make kites

Dunstable Downs, The Chilterns AONB, Photo: Phil Young

Lumenator Guide

You can also download our Lumenator Guides explaining our inspiration for Green Space Dark Skies – the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass and the Right to Roam movement – our approach to environmental sustainability, our innovative Geolight technology and how you can help us build a free online archive of stories about our relationship to the landscape in Green Space Stories.

 

Cover visual of the Lumenator guide
Woman in red jacket and pink cap reading the Lumenator Guide with a young woman dressed in black jacket and brown woolly hat

Giant’s Ring, Lagan Valley AONB, Photo: Brian Morrison

A group of three children making paper flowers at a crowded table

Maiden Castle, Dorset AONB, Photo: Activate, Jayne Jackson

Here at Green Space Dark Skies, we believe that learning about our local green spaces is an important part of connecting with our neighbours, with our landscape and with our own personal stories. We look forward to seeing people of all ages and backgrounds using these resources and activities together, with family groups or with community groups and having their say about the outdoors

Jasmine Bertie
Green Space Dark Skies Head of Learning

Learning Programme

There will be more resources coming this summer, so keep checking this page for more details.