Argyll Marine Partnership launches marine education game

A new game to help primary school children learn about the marine environment was launched on Saturday (15th May) at an outdoor learning event at Inverary Primary School.

The game is a new addition to the Sea & Learn pack, a suite of teaching tools created by the Argyll and Bute Local Biodiversity Action Plan Marine Partnership. (They really do have to stop naming public sector organisations the way children get carried away by hierarchical chains – all this needs is the addition of ‘The World, The Galaxy, The Universe’.)

The game pack is designed to teach children about the special marine and coastal wildlife of Argyll and Bute through a range of activities.

Developed with input from the Argyll and Bute Beach Forum steering group, the new game was tested on a group of teachers from across Argyll at the event on Saturday. Scrutineers were James Thorburn of the Scottish Sea Angling Conservation Network and Louise Robertson, the Beaches and Marine Litter Officer for the GRAB Trust.

Jane Dodd, Marine Project Officer for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) says: ‘We’re really pleased with the new game. It’s fun and interactive, and has been designed with no specific start or finish so it can be used to fill whatever time is available.

‘it’s also general enough to use with questions on either marine litter or sharks, or teachers and youth leaders can write new questions to test the children’s knowledge of other marine life.

‘We’ve had two copies of the board game printed on to four metre square canvas so that it can be played inside or outside, and the players can walk on the board – as long as they have taken their shoes off first!  The designer did a great job coming up with the stepping stones idea and bringing all our images together’.

Carole Evans, a teacher at Arinagour Primary School on the Isle of Coll says: ‘We all enjoyed playing the game, it’s very easy to adapt depending on what time you have and what subject you want to cover – I think the children will love it’.

The two copies of the large canvas Sea & Learn board game are available to borrow from Jane Dodd at SNH:

• phone her on 0300 244 9360
• email at  jane.dodd@snh.gov.uk

It will also be available to download and print as a conventional indoor board game, along with the rest of the Sea & Learn pack, from the relevant page of Argyll and Bute Council;s website.