The Harmony Project

Pupils at Salway Ash C Of E V A Primary School in Dorset recently had an exciting visit from Catherine - Head of Schools here at The Harmony Project - as she announced them as the UK winners of Design For Change (DFC) I CAN 2024 challenge. You may remember that we shared the school's sustainability success story earlier this year, with the story of their reuse, recyle and repurpose beach box which was installed on Freshwater beach, for summer visitors to donate and borrow unused beach toys and equipment. These smart-thinking sustainabilly champions at Salway Ash had identified the challenges and problems that come from excessive manufacturing, purchasing and discarding of beach products each year, and they worked together to find a way to help overcome it. Thanks to their new beach box, which was designed, built and painted by the students themselves, instead of visitors and holidaymakers buying items for single use and then discarding them in the bin or, worse still, on the beach itself, they can donate unwanted items for other beach-goers to borrow, in turn reducing mass consumption and waste - and saving people money too! We are delighted to tell you that in celebration this incredible success story, Year 4 children will be taken to Discover Oceanography at Southampton University, where they will learn more about the health of our oceans and the biodiversity within, and spend an insightful and informative day hanging out with marine scientists. We hope the children have a wonderful experience and we thank them for the work they have done to deliver change to their community. Well done Salway Ash 👏

In partnership with Sustainable Food Trust, the Beacon Farms initiative has been created to support farms in developing relationships in their local communities. These Beacon Farms are inviting young people aged between 5 and 14 from local schools to spend time on the farm learning about sustainable and regenerative farming and developing a deeper understanding of the story of our food. As part of this initiative, we are developing a series of curriculum-linked resources to help farms looking to become educational platforms that inspire children and educators to engage more with the important topics of food, farming and sustainability.

Our latest newsletter, which features a round-up of 2024 and a glimpse into some of the things we have in store for the New Year ahead, will land in inboxes very soon 📩 If you're not yet registered to receive our updates, be sure to sign up at the bottom of our homepage: https://lnkd.in/dtpEmq4

Primary science leads, have you downloaded our science subject leader handbook? It outlines and explains The Harmony Project's approach to curriculum design in science, which has sustainability and Nature at its core. This curriculum is holistic, interconnected, rich in primary-focused best practice and rooted in community, hope, relevance and inspiration for both school leaders and learners alike. We have been delighted by the number of teachers and subject leads accessing this handbook since its launch earlier this year. And alongside the guide we have begun our termly Sustainability in Science webinars, which expand on the content of the handbook and provide further insights and examples of the Harmony approach in practice. If you are not yet signed up for our next webinar on 6th February, you can register your spot via the link below – and if you're looking to prepare ahead of time, the subject leader handbook can be downloaded here: https://shorturl.at/mCtad

As the seventh of the principles of Harmony that we work with at The Harmony Project, geometry both enriches children's learning and offers them another way to explore the themes of an enquiry of learning. Geometry is a key part of the interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that is central to a Harmony curriculum. It's an approach that helps students make connections between subjects and encourages interdisciplinary thinking. In this way, geometry can be seen as one of the 'golden threads' that runs through our curriculum. If you would like to learn more about The Harmony Project's curriculum, drop us a line at info@theharmonyproject.org.uk

Did you know that there are 35 different types of snowflakes? ❄️ With thoughts of possible snowy days ahead, we have a great resource to share with you which offers a fun, festive and creative activity and also provides an opportunity to explore symmetry and shape. Using this simple step-by-step activity, students will learn about rotational and reflective symmetry of six-pointed snowflakes, and create beautiful works of art. The activity supports our Year 6 enquiry, 'Is Antarctica worth protecting?', but it works equally well as a standalone lesson. With the festive season just around the corner, this might be just the thing to bring some wintry inspiration to the classroom - whether you want to create a snow-themed display, festive greetings cards, party decorations or even backdrops for winter performances. Enjoy! https://lnkd.in/e-ynyuSt

While we may all spend a little less time outside over winter, there is still the chance you might spot butterflies and moths as they chase moments of winter sunshine. Here are some to look out for 🦋

Science subject leaders and sustainability enthusiasts looking ahead to the new year – we have a date for your diaries! Following the success of our recent Leadership for sustainability in science webinar, during which we presented our curriculum framework for science and discussed how we are supporting schools to deliver the science curriculum through the lens of sustainability, our next event takes place on 6th February 2025 at 4pm. We were delighted to see so many teachers and educators in our first session, and as a result we have many schools involved in piloting our science lesson plans. Their feedback is incredibly valuable in helping shape the resources we have in development. If you are keen to be part of our pilot and to work with us to embed sustainability in your school, do join us for this follow-up event in February. It's open to all teachers and educators who would like to learn more about our work and how to be part of taking it forwards. Here's a glimpse at the agenda: •A brief overview of the recent work of The Harmony Project •Discussion of the connection between our resources and the development of Climate Action Plans •Insights into practical starting points that will support the inclusion of sustainability within the primary science curriculum and beyond •Next steps to join our free spring lesson plan resources pilot The link to sign up can be found below.

If you are keen to take part in the RSPB's Big Schools' Birdwatch at the beginning of 2025, don't forget to register your interest with the organisation before December. You can do so via the link below. Bird counts play an incredibly important role in helping to build a picture of changes in environments, habitats and species population. The data helps inform the RSPB about the species that are thriving, declining or under threat. You may remember that last year, the leaderboard of most frequently spotted birds looked like this: 1) House starling 2) Blue tit 3) Starling 4) Woodpigeon 5) Blackbird It will be interesting to see if there are any changes to this top five or to sightings of other UK birds. The RSPB relies on the observations made by the general public in areas across the UK so join the count today to make a real difference in supporting the UK's birds. 🐦⬛🪶 https://lnkd.in/e3QCvfMR

At this time of year, fallen autumnal leaves in all sorts of shapes, colours and sizes reveal the rich diversity of Nature. 🍁 🍃 They also invite creativity and play. Children enjoy gathering leaves and building and scattering leaf piles, and there are opportunities to create leaf prints and leaf rubbings or create natural artworks. To explore autumn leaves further, our geometry teaching pack explores their diverse forms and shows how they can be used to identify our native trees. The activities in the pack guide teachers and students through the process of using geometry to recreate a range of familiar, distinctive leaf types. The pack also features insights, information and conversation starters about leaves and trees, and how they have adapted to their surroundings over time to aid their growth and survival. Did you know, for example, that trees in hot, dry places often have small, narrow leaves? This means they lose less moisture through their surface. On the other hand, trees that grow in tropical climates often have very large, broad leaves, which scientists think could help trees regulate heat. The six activities in this pack can be used to support learning about shape in maths, to enrich an exploration of leaf shapes in art or to teach geometry as a standalone activity. They could also be used to introduce students to the principle of Geometry. For each activity, step-by-step text instructions are provided as a guide for teachers, with accompanying diagrams and lists of the resources students will need to complete each activity. There are photocopiable templates as well as a factsheet introducing different leaf shapes. This pack, perfect for autumn planning, can be downloaded here: https://lnkd.in/ewBqPuJY