Education and learning
My Beach Your Beach is our campaign to support bathing water quality at a selection of Scottish beaches where this is a challenge: Ayr, Troon, Irvine, Saltcoats/Ardrossan, Kinghorn Harbour, Portobello and Fisherrow Sands. The campaign encourages people to adopt better habits at the beach and also indoors in order to help protect the sand and sea. Head to the campaign homepage to learn more.
Bathing water quality: diving in
Local schools can get involved to support the campaign and their local bathing water quality in the following ways:
Classroom resource
As part of the 2021 Year of Coasts and Waters, we have created a curriculum-linked classroom resource for S1-S6 on the water quality issues that can affect your local bathing water. A follow-up assignment further invites pupils to reflect on and celebrate their local beach by telling us about it in the form of a report.
The resource includes a 50 min classroom presentation as well as an assignment.
Why get involved?
- Teach your class about a topical local environmental quality issue and encourage them to care for beaches and bathing waters.
- Create applied local Learning for Sustainability opportunities, aligned to the Curriculum for Excellence and the Eco-Schools Scotland Green Flag Award
Working on this issue could also fit well within the Eco-Schools Topics of Water or Litter and Waste and any work you do can be counted towards your next Green Flag Award assessment.
Interested? Get started!
Download the beach-specific power-point presentation:
Ayr
Troon
Irvine
Saltcoats/Ardrossan
Kinghorn Harbour
Portobello
Fisherrow Sands
Download the Teacher's guide and Assignment.
Take action
Put the learning into context with activities on your local beach:
Put the learning into context with activities on your local beach:
- Carry out a litter survey
Engage first hand with the types of litter present at your beach, reflect on where they're coming from, how and why they end up there and what can be done to prevent this. Pupils will fain experience with surveying and contribute to national monitoring efforts both for My Beach Your Beach and our broader Clean Up Scotland campaign.
- Carry out a litter pick
Engage first hand with the scale and impact of litter, both left of the beach or brought in from the sea -80% of which starts out on land! This activity can give a taste of what's involved in litter management whilst also providing a valuable service to your community. Consider liaising with the council to ensure you go out at the end of their cleansing cycle
Raise awareness
By displaying campaign materials at school you can help raise awareness and reinforce important campaign messages with pupils and staff.
- Download the campaign poster pack
- Order bathroom stickers - Can be displayed in bathrooms and bathroom stalls. Please email us with how many you would like.
