#337: The State of Nature

This piece in Unearthed explores the state of the River Test in Hampshire, one of our rare chalk streams and it is under pressure. Many of our natural treasures (chalk streams are very rare on a global level)

I have a chalk stream running through my village: the River Nar, and am concerned that it will be polluted eventually.... 

Let's hope that the new Government will get to grips with the water companies ....

#179: Chalk Stream Challenge

A cross posting from my LivingGeography blog.

It refers to the latest (at the time of posting) episode of the Geographical Association's GeogPod podcast - hosted by John Lyon. I've posted about that previously. This is the 70th episode of the PODCAST, which is an impressive achievement.

This talks about an opportunity for those living near a Chalk Stream to take part in the Chalk Stream Challenge.

This has been developed with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

From the website:

The challenge is suitable for Scouts, Guides, and similar groups. It involves activities that can easily be customised to suit different age ranges. There are several set routes to choose from, all of which are 'off-road’ but close to public transport, parking, and places to find refreshments and toilet facilities.

The Chalk Stream Challenge was created by two brilliant volunteers, Hazel and Sarah, as part of the Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme. 

The scheme features many projects focused on the Rivers Test and Itchen headwaters, including free education sessions for young people.

This might make a suitable field activity for GCSE Natural History students in time.

I shall post about the Watercress and Winterbournes project separately. There's a whole lot of geography in there too.

The Podcast can be listened to below:

#178: Natural History Podcasts #6: GeogPod

GeogPod is the Geographical Association's Podcast, hosted by John Lyon - my former colleague at the Geographical Association.

He has been presenting this for eleven full seasons. 

The most recent episode, at the time of posting, is the seventieth episode.

In that time, John has spoken to a whole range of people, including me in episode #53. 

Several of these episodes have a connection with some of the likely themes within the new draft specification.

There is also a focus on curriculum in many of them, and how decisions about what and how to teach are made - relevant to the decisions that will need to be made about curriculum time, timetabling, sequencing lessons and how synopticity can be built in to the overall 'narrative' of the new subject. Some interesting decisions still need to be made.

The twelfth season has just started, and starts with an excellent episode on Chalk Streams.... more on that in the next post.