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In recent years, and particularly with the transition to Curriculum for Excellence, there has been a shift towards outdoor learning. has endorsed as a 'powerful way to deliver Curriculum for Excellence', and there's no doubt that it's those moments outside the classroom, the field trips and days away that we remember when we look back on our schooldays. To date, 45 MSPs have signed up to a mission statement supported by a variety of outdoor education groups, stating that 'every child, regardless of their background should have regular access to inspirational and challenging outdoor learning, where they can enjoy first-hand experience of their cultural heritage and natural environment, as part of a complete childhood.'

I posted previously about the films we made with and the , growing their own vegetables. This was a great example of a real cross-curricular activity that took kids out of the classroom, gave them a range of new skills and introduced them to people who had stories of their own to tell and pass on. An enriching experience, I'm sure you'll agree, but it's only one example of how CfE and the outdoors go hand-in-hand.

I know, I know... the weather we have here in Scotland isn't always conducive to taking a group of learners outside. Especially as we approach the dark days of winter. On the other hand, why not? I came across in the , about an innovative project called Classroom at Sea, and it's clear from the article that the pupils didn't really mind getting wet or cold, they just enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot from it. Under the guidance of a small but hardy crew of staff, the students sail a boat and take part in all elements of life on the waves. I got in touch with Alistair Thomson from , who is mentioned in the piece to find out a bit more. He was keen to highlight the importance of the process of selecting the candidates for the scheme - there is extensive consultation on which learners will get the most out of the project, and they come from a wide range of learning styles and abilities. I think this is crucial - too often learners can be pigeonholed by what they're 'good' at, and don't get a chance to try new things.

And it's not just the pupils learning new things - the teachers can go on and learn new skills which they can then use as part of outdoor lessons. The allows them to build on each outdoor experience by learning from and with experienced outdoor professionals, rather than fellow educationalists.

There's many different ways you can get involved with outdoor learning, whether it is by taking on a whole project like Classroom at Sea, or by introducing elements of the outdoors into traditional classroom projects. Have a look at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland Outdoors site to get your creative juices flowing!

Image from ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland Outdoors Sailing in the City gallery. Sailing in the City is a RYA Scotland initiative to provide sailing opportunities for children between 8 and 14 years of age.

Just in time for the run up to prelim season, Standard Grade Bitesize is back with a bang - all relaunched and shiny, just like the Higher site.

There's more active content but with a new look and feel: videos, games and audio, as well as favourites such as the Test Bites... and more new content to come over the next year. Revision is one of those things that we all have to do, and it can be a slog - but we try to help make it fun, while making sure that Bitesize remains a useful tool to everyone studying for exams. So go on, give it a try!

If you have any ideas or suggestions please leave a comment here, or contact the Bitesize team.

The L.A.B. is our space where groups can come in and make their own content - animation, photography, audio or video. It's become a real success, and competition for workshops is fierce! However, the L.A.B. team also engage in outreach work with community groups and people who may find it more difficult to come and visit us here at PQ.

One of the projects they've been working on recently is 'The L.A.B. serves up Food', which is a tie-in with our programmes on Food (coming soon), as well as the national 'Dig In' campaign which encourages people to grow their own vegetables. Our team, led by Jaqui McAlpine, followed the stories of two allotments: one from a primary school in the south side of Glasgow, and on the other side of the city, a community food initiative aimed at helping refugees and asylum seekers grow their own food.

The whole project included the added element of doing what the L.A.B. does best - encouraging media literacy, as the groups began to film their own progress with the team's help. From a curriculum perspective, the obvious areas that jump to mind are literacy, sustainable development education and outdoor learning... but then you could look at calculating growth rates, making healthy food choices, learning about scientific processes... the list is pretty extensive!

The videos are entertaining, informative and I urge you all to have a look - as someone who is far from green-fingered, I think the allotments look wonderful, and I'm keen to have a bash at planting now, inspired by these films.

This week we've had some exciting news here at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland Learning.

You may have seen the story about the Canadian billionaire and founder of the Cirque du Soleil theatre company, Guy Laliberté, in the . He became the first clown in space and is indeed only the seventh tourist to venture into the 'great beyond'.

As part of his tour 'up there', Guy Laliberté is hosting a 'poetic social mission' on Friday the 9th of October to raise awareness of water issues internationally. The two hour event is being broadcast live from the with contributions from 14 cities across the world. It's happening at 8pm if you happen to live in New York but for all of us on this side of the Atlantic it's on at 1am on the morning of Saturday the 10th! You'll be able to watch it live at .

Central to the event is a poetic tale written by Yann Martel (author of "Life of Pi") which will be read by renowned personalities like former U.S Vice President Al Gore, former Brazilian Minister of Culture and composer Gilberto Gil, actors Matthew McConaughey and Salma Hayek, musicians Shakira, U2, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and many more.

Water education through the medium of poetry with a large dose of Science and Technology! Just the kind of cross curricular project that is aiming for.

So, what does this have to do with us? Well, alongside these giants of entertainment stands ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland Learning! Earlier in the year we produced a short film about an ingenious which formed part of a longer programme called 'The Designed World'.

And we're delighted to tell you that this film is to be featured in this extraterrestrial event! But if you can't wait up late to watch the broadcast, remember you can always watch our film in the Learning Zone.

Gerald Strother
Director/Producer - "Low tech approach to design"