As well as bespoke activities for you, your friends and family I am involved in lots of activities and events along with other businesses and organisations.
Some activities that I have been involved in....................
Stargazing at the BIG Bang WeekendI had a great night stargazing and exploring the cosmos with the Big Band Weekend in Wigtown. The skies were kind to us and we got a great view of all the constellations.
Orion overhead during Big Bank weekend stargazing
Stargazing at Wigtown Book FestivalWigtown Book Festival. I did several very successful stargazing activities at the Wigtown Book Festival. It is great to be working as a Biosphere Dark Sky Ranger at a prestigious event like this and all my stargazing evenings have been sold out with waiting lists.
From Stargazing at the Stones, Wigtown Book Festival 2016 © Paul Cooper
Stargazing and moon watching activity at Wigtown Book Festival 2015 © Sara Pinado
Kirkcudbright Cycles for Life hosted the Kirkcudbright Guides and invited me along to do some safe campfires with them after our cycle..
Day of the Region 4th September - I was at Glentrool's Day of the Region celebrations making some nature weavings
Ranger Water Lab at Nith Raid, DumfriesNith Raid with some of my water lab and making shelters. I was at this great arts event beside the River Nith in Dumfries finding out what floats and sinks. The day is all about boats and other water transport so to go with the theme we made toy rafts and boats. The designs were all fantastic.
Making art with the Cumbrian Wildlife TrustI did some sand raking as part of the Beach Art day from the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust. They have asked me to base my design on the undersea animal, the sea pen. These creatures are endangered by dredging and some fishing methods so they would like them highlighted.
|
Christmas StargazingWe did see a few stars but the weather was a bit cloudy over Christmas. Luckily I had another activity that we could do and this grown up family really got into making their home made rockets and were very competitive. We had good fun launching them and being out in the dark ready for any stars that put in an appearance between the clouds.
Making home made rockets - for grown ups
Loch Arthur Forest SchoolI lead a couple of sessions at Loch Arthur Forest School. The children are quite young and so we did some leaf collecting and stringing one week and shelter building the next.
Loch Arthur Forest School
Allanton Peace Sanctaury Forest SchoolI was at Allanton World Peace Sanctuary in August for a day of Forest Schools activities. They have just started their own Forest School and want to promote it and get more people involved. I will be leading a journey stick or weaving activity in the morning of the 2nd of August to help everyone get to know the area better.
Dock Park School Holiday Ranger Activities
We had some great times at the Dock Park in Dumfries with another mud faces activity and also the first appearance of my ALL NEW Water Laboratory. A good one to have after getting mucky and good to work with Dumfries and Galloway Council again. Especially in one of the places where I used to play when I was a kid.
I did a day time space session with Orchard Nature Nursery we had great fun with my sun spotter, finding out about the moon and making rockets.
Buccleuch Park School holiday ActivitiesStargazing in a place like Langholm so strongly associated with Neil Armstrong was a real treat. The sky was clear and all the families enjoyed the stargazing and some campfire cooking too.
Neil Armstong, first man on the moon
I did some activities in Langholm with Dumfries and Galloway Council to help get people out and using their local park. It is great to get people thinking about an area in a different way. I made rockets including bringing some of my lemonade bottle rockets to try out and people to added mud faces to the wonderful trees that they have there.
|
Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor and Woodland Learning - Skills Share
I lead a CPD Beach Scools skill share with the Dumfries and Galloway Outdoor and Woodland Learning for World Oceans Day. We discussed what the differences were between areas normally used by participants and Rockcliffe Beach. Tides were investigated and measured and a big difference was the lack of physical resources for shelters and fires etc. compared to woodland areas.
Team work is needed to create the perfect beach shelter
|
DGOWL Beach Schools Skills Share
|
Painting messages on beach shingle at Ballantrae Food Festival
I was at Ballantrae Food Festival providing an activity for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere who I work with regularly as one of their Biosphere Dark Sky Rangers. It was great fun and we wrote on the Biosphere Stones to leave messages and then used an Ayrshire potato stamp in the shape of the Biosphere logo to leave out mark. We have put these back on to the beach and they blend in really well so it will be interesting in the months to come to see if any are found.
Biosphere Stones returned to the beach with their messages
|
Biosphere Stones with favourite places on them
|
Castle Kennedy Gardens - Garden RangerI am the Garden Ranger at Castle Kennedy Gardens for 2016 and have been involved in their activities for many years
Laggan Outdoors activitiesSome fun activities for Laggan Outdoor for younger visitors which created more biodiversity around their centre and some great excitement with rocket launching.
|
Mud Faces at the Dock PArkI was worked for Dumfries and Galloway Council over Easter making mud faces and running a scavenger hunt at the Dock Park in Dumfries with loads of children. We made more mud faces in the summer too and added a water lab including a bottle xylophone.
Stargazing at Coresewall EstatesIf you stay in Corsewall Estate Cottages they often have Ranger Activities for their guests that I run. We made a great bug hotel and did some stargazing recently.
Travel Journalists at Knockinaam LodgeI recently went stargazing with some American travel journalists at Knockinaam Lodge, Port Patrick. Check out my blog on the night we had.
|
