An Choill Bheag (Little Woodland)

Primary and Secondary schools can opt in to the programme if they want to plant a small woodland to serve as an outdoor classroom on their grounds. An Choill Bheag provides a 4-day woodland planting educational programme through a series of hands-on outdoor workshops. The first workshop focusses on getting to know your soil. Students test the pH of soil from a range of locations on their school grounds and then carry out a jam jar test to examine the different layers within soil samples and identify the types of soil. The next activity in this workshop is a biodiversity investigation and this includes recording the worms and insects found. The final part of the workshop is using the soil test results and biodiversity record to create a plan for the small woodland to be planted. This includes deciding on a suitable location and learning about how the soil is taken care of afterwards using bark mulch and cardboard.

The programme actively engages young people with nature and soil, fostering a greater connection and understanding, using interactive and playful activities. These experiences create a sense of connectedness with nature and nurture future sustainability leaders who are passionate about soil conservation and environmental sustainability. By instilling these values early on, this initiative encourages participants to preserve our planet’s resources.