THE outdoor education charity behind the Malham Tarn field centre has launched a series of online environmental fieldwork lessons for schoolchildren during the coronavirus lockdown.

More than 255,000 children from the UK and other parts of the world are expected to take part in the live online lessons, which start on Monday (April 20) and are due to run for two weeks until May 1.

Aimed at children at least seven years old, the lessons in geography and science will demonstrate young people’s commitment to environmental learning, despite school closures, and a willingness to learn at home, says the Field Studies Council.

The new #fieldworklive lessons are being run in partnership with global learning provider Encounter Edu, and are being delivered by expert tutors via YouTube Live.

Lessons will be suitable for primary school children, from seven to 11 years old; and also secondary school children, from 11 to 14 years old. There will also be lessons for GCSE, level four and five students, aged 14 to 16 years old, and 16 to 18 year olds taking their A levels.

So far, more than 255,000 schoolchildren have been registered by thousands of teachers, mostly based in the UK, but also in the United States, Tanzania, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Vietnam and Switzerland.

FSC chief executive Mark Castle said: “It’s magnificent to see such a positive response to these new online fieldwork lessons. It demonstrates that many teachers and young people are both committed and curious about the environment which is terrific.

“This is a challenging time for everybody and not least teachers, parents and schoolchildren, the majority of which will be returning to a home-schooling set-up next week once the Easter break is over.

“We would usually be heading into the busiest period of the year welcoming hundreds of schools to our field study centres for a range of environmental courses but with centres closed we have devised these lessons so we can continue to support pupils, teachers, schools and parents."

The FSC, which operates a network of residential field study centres around the UK, closed its doors in March in line with Government guidance on the Covid-19 outbreak.

Further details about the lessons can be found at: field-studies-council.org/2020/03/31/fsc-fieldworklive/ and via the FSC YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/FieldStudiesCouncil.