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exploring, bark rubbing

maps and posters

more posters and maps

more posters and maps

some of our posters of the SOAC and maps of our wild places

A few technical issues getting things up and running our end, but here is the first update from our new John Muir Group. We started up in August, and here is an over view of what we have been up to so far. Our first few sessions were spent getting the lie of the land around the school. We have a nice wooded area at the back of the grounds that we will be using mainly for our work. We have also been out walking in the Ferry Glen, a nice walk directly across from the school. Once we got ourselves settled in, we started activities within the school grounds: We have been IDing plants and trees using guide sheets showing leaf shapes and seed and fruit types to get an idea of what trees we have in the school. Learning to measure the height and girth of trees. Learning to tie a series of knots that can be used for a number of tasks, Lashing poles together, joining ropes, securing ropes to objects, and using rope to drag heavy objects. We have been learning to use hand tools safely, such as bow saws for removing dead wood and harvesting wood for poles for building. We have also been learning about drone photography, which allows us to get aerial photos both of the plants and trees around the area as well as taking aerial photos of the group working. We will be building some birdhouses to put up in the school grounds, and have been asked by the Police to build them planters for the Queensferry station. They are supplying us with pallet wood to build them from. All in all, some busy times ahead for the Queensferry High John Muir Group!

We collected mulch to use in the school flowerbeds.

Robins and sparrows were the birds that we identified as needing our help. We talked about locations, heights and the best directions to position each of boxes. We looked at the size of holes and the types of birds who would fill them, we learned about habitats and what types of birds would be attracted to the habitats we had helped to develop. As always we worked and learned together in this the biggest of classrooms and when finally our nesting boxes were in place we stood back and admired the changes that we had made. “Everybody needs beauty...places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.” JM