issue no.25 www.damstodarnley.org New term at Dams to Darnley


We have reached the quarter century mark! Welcome to our twenty fifth edition of Wagtail, the newsletter and events calendar for Dams to Darnley Country Park.


Inside you will find:


– Fun in the sun! – Environmental education pack launched – Eilidh and Joe’s wildlife witter


– Doggie do’s and doggie don’ts


– Eco fair


– Spotlight on fungi – Autumn events calendar


The next edition of Wagtail will be out in winter 2014.


A Crookfur Primary School bug hunt helps to promote the new country park environmental education pack. Fun in the sun!


WE STARTEd ouR SuMMER events in May with ‘food for free’ where we learnt what leaves and flowers could fill our salad bowl. From wild garlic to gorse there was something to everyone’s taste. Our pond dipping event at the end of May was very popular and we found lots of beautiful beasties including the biggest leech any of us had ever seen. June’s butterfly event


was less fruitful. We found no butterflies but lots of beautiful moths. At the end of June there was a buzz in the air hunting for bumble bees and we found six different species at Patterton. In early July the Scouts


from Lapwing Lodge came out and taught us archery on our ‘bull’s eye’ event. It was great


Successful worm charmers.


to learn a new skill and lots of fun practicing. Our first family day was a roaring success in mid July. With a commonwealth theme and supported by Lottery funding as part of ’Celebrate’ it was a great warm up for the games. We had bouncy boxing, lawn bowls, joisting and much more. We are already looking forward to next year! During our final event in July we charmed some worms from the earth. This was no mean feat following a scorching week!


Environmental education pack launched


JuST BEfoRE THE SuMMER break pupils from East Renfrewshire and Glasgow took part in two activities to support the launch of a new country park environmental education pack for schools. The eco-committee from


Cleeves Primary School enjoyed an afternoon of pond dipping, mini-beast hunting and games at the country park. Crookfur Primary School P6 pupils also invited the countryside rangers to lead a bug hunt within their newly created woodland. The education pack


promotes the country park’s countryside ranger service as a free resource for local nursery, primary and secondary schools. It is full of ideas, games, activities and information to encourage and support outdoor learning. The pack is structured around


Pond dipping with Cleeves Primary School.


Curriculum for Excellence, with lesson plans and follow- up ideas for countryside ranger led activities available within the country park, school grounds or local green space. It also contains support for teachers leading their own outdoor learning activities. The pack is being


distributed free to all nursery, primary and secondary schools within East Renfrewshire and the two learning communities within Glasgow adjacent to the country park (Hillpark and St. Paul’s).


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