By Club Coach Jason Falconer

This half term I have planned, organised and delivered my first 5 day week of full programs of Orienteering coaching for 5 different schools. 3 of these Schools have hired me to make them a map for future use when I hand on the session plans to them, as Poolemouth sites they benefit from being able to take groups off site easily to Wessex Orienteering Permanent courses- at Kings Park and Darbys Lane.

Some of the children have informed me they printed off maps of our Parks courses and went there with parents, which is great! Families are always welcome at our events and activities and there will be people happy to get you started off- so if youre reading this curiously come along to something!

Its exciting to have two pairs of them close enough together to compete in inter-schools challenges in their neighbourhoods.   Hayeswood in Colehill also benefit from being near By the Way Field which has its own POC (Permanent Orienteering Course) for them to use.

The two schools below completed a six week scheme of work for year 5 including Elements of teaching below, weekly 1 hour sessions with an indoor theory aspect and outdoor P.E element. Plus one prior visit to the terrain used for the final weeks competition, this is of a 2.0 KM distance appropriate to the age range, and this season has been line courses of Odd and Even control numbers in the same area to keep students separate and consolidate their independent navigation skills.  Using Electronic timing I can then also share the results from both schools as a form of inter-schools competition. Looking forward to sharing these with them after this weeks competition.

Taking groups offsite from schools seems to get harder every year, with the necessary precaution of gaining enough parent helpers and considering the risks sometimes too much of a barrier to staff. However the rewards for the children are so great, what surprises me is how few of the groups have been to these local parks, even when they live less than a mile away. Darbys Lane for example joins both the Poole schools, but the children are more familiar with the Adastral road that bisects the Canford Heath Estate, the distance between them is less than a mile- yet car dependency in the area shapes their limited knowledge of the area in which they are growing up. I’m glad to be able to provide this alternative curriculum.

If you know of schools that also can leave site and be in one of the following without crossing a road, do pass this on to Senior Leadership Teams in schools. Bournemouth -Slades Farm (also Velodrome location) Queens Park. In Poole- Hamworthy Park, (We opened officially last weekend) Upton Country Park and soon to be Alexandra Park (Upper Parkstone).

Bournemouth –Kings Park Wessex Orienteers Area

St James Primary Orienteering Series.    Kings Park POC, Kings Park Drive ent.  BH7 6DW 1300-1500 pm

Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Series.  Kings Park POC,  Gloucester Road ent.  BH5 2BX 1300-1500 pm

Poole – Darbys Lane Wessex Orienteers Area

Haymoor Juniors Orienteering Series . Darbys Lane POC, Adastral Road ent.     BH17 8PJ  0900-1400 pm

Canford Heath Juniors Orienteering Series.  Darbys Lane POC, Learoyd Road ent.      BH17 8PJ 1300-1500 pm

wonderful

Example Scheme of work from this term with actual details of series.

Week 1. D.V.D intro/ Classroom map making/ Game

Using Control points Activity- Playground

Week 2. Orienteering kit check

Using Control points and Numeracy on school site map

Compass use and Cardinal Points of compass

Map 1. DNJ-53+93+109=255

MAP 2 CMG 15+61+96=172

MAP 3 ALK 112+86+37=235

MAP 4 DIM 53+62+61=176

MAP 5 JGA 109+96+112=317

Week 3. Symbols/  Colours/ Map Keys- classroom

Orienteering Terrain Team quiz- classroom

Symbol Team Relays- Playground

Week 4.  Indoors Star Activity- Navigation practice on classroom maps of Kings Park school field, direction finding to controls using 16 points of compass.

Map memory session on school site map with Literacy element. 9 controls in familiar places, star runs but 5 seconds to remember control location. Different letters to make an anagram then work it out. WONDERFUL- see picture

Week 5. Map Walks in local parkland with Permanent Orienteering course

Star Activity –finding controls in Kings Park (POC)

Week 6. 45 Minute Line Course Event using S.I Electronic kit in Kings Park.  Odds or Evens