Biosphere Education
Biosphere Education
Many organisations and charities deliver education that helps people to understand and appreciate the Isle of Man's environment, in support of its UNESCO Biosphere status.
Here are details of these organisations/charities, what they offer to which age groups and how to contact them.
If you wish to be added to this page, email biosphere@gov.im or ring 01624 686080.
Pre-school
We give presentations in pre-schools, speaking about the impact of rubbish on wildlife and the environment and offering simple explanations re how children can make changes to improve matters.
We encourage children to go home and educate their parents on the subject. We also host beach-cleaning sessions, providing all necessary equipment, together with risk assessments and public liability insurance.
Contact name: Bill Dale BEM
Short talks, short walks, outdoor and indoor activities.
Storytimes.
Contact name: Michelle Storton/Neil Morris
Bug hunts at Rushen Abbey annually as part of Manx Wildlife Week.
Rock pooling at Niarbyl.
Contact name: Anthea Young, Education Services Officer
With the help of her friend, Perkyn the Porpoise, Jen Adams will visit your nursery group and talk to the little ones. Sitting in a circle with a laptop presentation she will guide them through various whales and dolphins; how some and teeth and some do not, how they talk to each other, sing-songs and play games. Using Perkyn, she will teach them the names and functions of the body parts; dorsal fin, blowhole etc. The session is 30 minutes, maximum.
Contact name: Jen Adams
Nature walks, natural artwork, storytelling in natural settings, bug hunting and rock pooling activities. Equipment and risk assessments supplied Free downloadable activity and spotting sheets.
Contact name: Dawn Dickens
Schools
The One World Centre educates for a fair and sustainable world for everyone through regular in-school projects across all year groups as well as promoting initiatives and running events for businesses and the general public.
Regular school projects include annual events such as One World Charity Challenge, Fairtrade Primary Conference and the One World Poetry Slam.
Using the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, the One World Centre can offer bespoke lessons and activities on global, environmental and sustainable development issues as well as broader global citizenship themes.
Contact name: Wendy Shimmin
We give presentations in schools, speaking about the impact of rubbish on wildlife and the environment and offering simple explanations re how children can make changes to improve matters.
We encourage children to go home and educate their parents on the subject. We also host beach-cleaning sessions, providing all necessary equipment, together with risk assessments and public liability insurance.
Contact name: Bill Dale BEM
Key Stages 1 and 2:
Assemblies, class-based activities, school grounds activities, off-site, field-based activities, educational activities linked to the curriculum, one-off standalone sessions, citizen science (RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch), nature club, bird craft, show and tell (bones, nests, eggs etc)
Collaborative working with MNH, Beach Buddies
Signposting to Manx Wildlife Trust.
Key Stages 3 and 4:
Assemblies.
Collaborative working with Beach Buddies.
Signposting to Manx Wildlife Trust.
Further/higher education:
Talks.
Contact name: Michelle Storton/Neil Morris
Key Stages 1 and 2:
Fabulous Feathered Friends workshop in partnership with Manx BirdLife.
Animal Adaptations looking at the Museum Collection in the Natural History Gallery.
Life on the Farm at Cregneash school workshops.
Medieval Medicines at Rushen Abbey.
Contact name: Anthea Young, Education Services Officer
Key Stage 1:
Discover the incredible marine life we can see around the Isle of Man and how each species looks different to one another and what they eat. Also offer separate sessions about dolphins and whales with practical activity.
Key Stage 2:
Session 1) Discover the incredible marine life we can see around the Isle of Man and how each species looks different to one another and what they eat. Go into detail about hunting techniques and communication. Can tailor sessions to cover adaptation and evolution. Session 2) Separate sessions about dolphins and whales with practical activity. Session 3) Marine predators – Not just sharks and killer whales. Session 4) Threats and Conservation Issues. Session 4) Outdoor learning.
Contact name: Jen Adams
Key Stage 1:
Various field trips including nature walks, rock pooling, stream dipping, wallaby walks. Trips can be local, a beach, Glens or on a reserve. Talks given in the classroom and assemblies on a variety of habitats and species. Sessions can be tailored to topic requirement. Links to UN sustainability goals included in activities and help given with eco schools topics. Advice given on improving school grounds. Schemes which can be joined include hedgehog tunnel pawprint monitoring and butterfly counting, Equipment and risk assessments supplied. Free downloadable activity and spotting sheets.
Key Stage 2:
Various field trips including nature walks, rock pooling, stream dipping, wallaby walks. Trips can be local, Glens, a beach or on a reserve. Talks given in the classroom and assemblies on a variety of habitats and species. Sessions can be tailored to topic requirement. Links to UN sustainability goals included in activities and help given with eco schools topics. Advice given on improving school grounds. Schemes which can be joined include hedgehog tunnel pawprint monitoring and butterfly counting. Equipment and risk assessments supplied. Free downloadable activity and spotting sheets.
Key Stage 3:
Assemblies to highlight environmental issues such as plastic reduction, climatic change. Talks given on the marine nature reserves, local natural features and ASSIs. Citizen science projects which schools can join in such as the butterfly count and hedgehog tunnel paw print monitoring. Field trips for natural artwork, stream dipping, rock pooling, plant identification and its links to pollinators, seed dispersal, photosynthesis and its effect on woodland structure. Food chains within ponds and woodlands. Help given with school eco councils, Eco School projects and school ground improvements. Free downloadable activities and educational videos.
Key Stage 4:
Assemblies to highlight environmental issues such as plastic reduction, climatic change. Talks given on the marine nature reserves, local natural features and ASSIs. Citizen science projects which schools can join in such as the butterfly count and hedgehog tunnel paw print monitoring. Field trips for natural artwork, stream dipping, rock pooling, photosynthesis, and its effect on woodland structure. Help given with school eco councils, eco school projects and school ground improvements. Free downloadable activities and educational videos.
Key Stage 5:
Support given with A level biology and geography.
Residential trips for A level biology students.
We offer sessions for tidal zonation, plant communities, mammal trapping, invertebrate trapping, stream invertebrates, leaf litter search for decomposers, dune succession and salt marsh succession. Plus data gathering to support kite diagram work, Simpsons Diversity Index, mini investigation projects. Visit to a reserve to see how it is managed for wildlife. Free downloadable activities and educational videos.
Further/higher education:
Debates and talks about pollution, carbon off setting, renewable power sources . Field trips to investigate different habitats can be arranged. Sessions tailored to requirements. Free downloadable activities and educational videos.
Contact name: Dawn Dickens
The UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man Project Officer delivers bespoke workshops on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals at an age-appropriate level, utilising the resources of The World's Largest Lesson.
Contact name: Jo Overty
Youth groups
We give presentations to youth groups, speaking about the impact of rubbish on wildlife and the environment and offering simple explanations re how young people can make changes to improve matters and encourage the children to go home and educate their parents on the subject.
We also host beach-cleaning sessions, providing all necessary equipment, together with risk assessments and public liability insurance.
Contact name: Bill Dale BEM
50-minute talks or outdoor, land-based sessions about marine species for Scouts, Guides, etc.
Contact name: Jen Adams
Community
We host public, private and corporate beach-cleaning sessions and plus community clean-up sessions, providing all necessary equipment, together with risk assessments and public liability insurance.
We encourage children to educate their parents, and to bring them along to beach cleaning sessions, or to organise their own events, not only on beaches, but throughout the community, especially close to their own homes.
We encourage companies to get involved as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes and encourage sponsorship opportunities to help our charity move forward.
Contact name: Bill Dale BEM
Birdwatching activities, ideas for children and families to complete on website
School holiday activities.
Partnership work with libraries to run sessions during half terms.
Educational talks and sessions, evening talks, seminars, biannual event Celebrating Manx Birds.
Contact name: Michelle Storton/Neil Morris
Manx Wildlife Week programming.
Art in Nature Family workshops at the House of Manannan.
Contact name: Anthea Young, Education Services Officer
Activities in the MWDW Visitor Centre in Michael Street, Peel, include educational and craft sessions available during school holidays.
There are also monthly public sea watches during the summer.
See the Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch facebook page.
Contact name: Jen Adams
Family membership of Manx Wildlife Trust.
WATCH membership for children with bi-annual magazine, monthly meetings and summer season events exclusively for our WATCH members.
Talks given, touch sample sessions, talks supporting our citizen science projects and involvement in hedgehog footprint tunnels, butterfly counts etc given. Nature walks can be arranged for groups.
Contact name: Dawn Dickens
The One World Centre educates for a fair and sustainable world for everyone through regular in-school projects across all year groups as well as promoting initiatives and running events for businesses and the general public.
Regular school projects include annual events such as One World Charity Challenge, Fairtrade Primary Conference and the One World Poetry Slam.
Using the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework, the One World Centre can offer bespoke lessons and activities on global, environmental and sustainable development issues as well as broader global citizenship themes.
Contact name: Wendy Shimmin
The UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man Project Officer delivers tailored talks on the project to community groups and audiences.
Contact name: Jo Overty
