185 schoolchildren from Year 5 & 6 combined a morning or afternoon of canoeing along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Burnley with an indoor hands-on science workshop, designed to help explain factors that affect whether an object sinks or floats.
This new programme, held between 25 and 29 September, was part of a whole host of initiatives we offer to schools free of charge and was run in conjunction with its Desmond Family Canoe Trail, the UK's first coast-to-coast canoe route, which runs through Burnley.
Last year we reached 90,000 children with free, accessible and curriculum linked educational resources. However, this is the first time that we've had so many children try canoeing in such a short space of time.
Katie Hutchinson, our Education Coordinator explained: "Our 2,000 miles of canals and rivers offer endless opportunities learning opportunities and we've been amazed by the demand for this new STEM inspired programme has been with both schoolchildren and teachers. We would love to hear from schools interested in finding out about our canal and river education programmes."
Rob Hardy from our Desmond Family Canoe Trail said: "Canoeing is a great way for children to get active, closer to nature and experience the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from a totally new angle. It's been great fun as well as a chance to encourage team work and learn new a new skill. I hope we've inspired some of the children to continue to enjoy their local canal by canoe."
Mrs Bibby, Deputy Headteacher from St John the Baptist Primary School in Burnley said: "The children were able to apply the basic principles of floating which they learned during the practical canoeing session in their science lesson, while having fun at the same time. It's a brilliant initiative which I hope the Canal & River Trust and Desmond Family Canoe Trail will continue to offer."
