Session Plan

Equipment List List of MaterialsProjector Pencils (for schools)Speakers Pens

Lesson plan Stickers (for children)Rope Outdoor ethics leafletsWildlife identification guide books Posters (for schools)Net Certificates Bivy bag Flip chartFirst aid kit Mini White boardsFlask Pens/ markersBacked Blankets for sitting outside RulersFire blanket Laminated cards & scenarios for activitiesBucket for soil/sand Laminated copy of games detailsFeedback form Blue tackTrainer Course Report sheet Thumb tacksUniform Camera*Check you have the materials needed for the individual activities you plan to carry out*

9 am Welcome & Introduction Hi my name is x and I am from Leave No Trace Ireland. It is so nice to be here, thank you for having me. Today we are going to be looking at the effects of recreational activities on our environment and ways to reduce this through some fun activities, games and informal chats most of which will take place outside, weather permitting! There will be a half hour break at 11 am and an hour for lunch from 1 – 2 pm. The toilets are x (point out location of toilets) and please stop me at any time if you have any questions. I hope you all enjoy the day which I hope you will find both enjoyable and informative.

9.10 am Introduction to Leave No Trace Ireland – the organisation

Leave No Trace Ireland is an Outdoor Ethics educational program which strives to promote and inspire personal responsibility for all outdoor enthusiasts so that ultimately we all have a role in protecting our wonderful natural environment for continued sustainable enjoyment of it. Leave No Trace was officially launched in Ireland in 2006 to encourage responsible outdoor recreation through education, research and partnerships. The programme strives to build awareness, appreciation and respect for Ireland’s natural and cultural heritage. The Leave No Trace message can be applied in Ireland’s uplands and lowlands, beaches, parks, forests, on lakes and rivers as well as in local neighbourhoods.

I am a Level x trainer and have experience in x (each trainer gives level of training and individual experience).You will each have a pen and paper in front of you, please write answers to the following 3 questions;

What do you already know about Leave No Trace? What would you like to know? Any other wild ideas?

(Very Important and necessary. Have a pre written flipchart to report back to at end of session)

(**Make links/connections between activities**)

9.30 am Take the group outside for Icebreaker – (3 sample icebreakers below)

Example 1; Pairs:

Write down the name of famous duos on separate pieces of paper. E.g. Thelma – Louise, Bonnie – Clyde, Batman – Robin. (This could be done in relation to irish Wildlife also e.g. pair Irish mammals with the name of its young – Hare & Leveret, Otter & Cub etc. or Irish Mammals and the name of their home – Badger & Sett, Pine Martin & Den etc. A pairing could also be made with Native Irish trees and their fruit – Oak & Acorn, Ash & Keys etc.)

Stick one piece of paper to the underside of each participant’s chair prior to them arriving, If outside each participant could pull a name from a bag.

Ask the participants to read the piece of paper and find their respective partners, explaining what the pairing is about i.e. a native Irish mammal and it young etc.

Ask them to elicit their partner’s real name, previous paddling experience, and reason for completing the instructor training course.

Write the responses onto a white board or flip chart and discuss briefly

Questions:

Prepare a list of personal description, e.g. someone who has jumped out of a plane, someone who is a teacher, and print off prior to the course. Ask participants to find a person who can match each description.

Example 2; Clint Eastwood

Participants stand in circle with the Tutor in the centre. All whistle the classic Clint Eastwood The Good, the bad and the ugly theme tune.

Tutor spins around, holding fingers in the shape of a gun.

The Tutor stops and shoots one of the participants, and shouts “bang”

That participant ducks down, the two participants either side have a quick draw. Last one to shoot the other and say bang is on in the centre, Tutor moves out of the circle.

Game continues in this way until there are only two people left who have a back to back shoot off, walking away from each other until the tutor claps his/her hands, they then turn and shoot.

Example 3; Animal Alphabet

The leader starts with the name of an animal that starts with the letter "A." From there, go around the circle and have each person say the name of animal each beginning with the next letter in the alphabet. 

This could be altered to the name of flora and fauna found in Ireland. First see if you can get to the end of the alphabet and then see how many times you can

complete the alphabet as a team. 

9.50am Plan Ahead and Prepare Activity:

Name of the Game: Pack a Bag

Objective: To stress the importance of knowing the details of a trip so you can adequately prepare.

Materials: A couple of rucksacks and a range of equipment that you would bring on a picnic or short trip.

Location: Outdoors or indoors – activity is most effective when done outdoors.

Audience: 12 years and over: Group size of no more than 30.

Duration: 20 minutes.

Description: Before the activity begins place all the items in a basket or container (so the kids can rummage through). Split your group in to smaller groups; ensure you have a rucksack for each group and have double or triples of the equipment).. Set the context for the activity by discussing the idea of planning ahead for an event or trip. Tell your group you are going on a trip and they need to pack a bag to bring what they will need, using the equipment provided. If they ask any questions you can answer them, but only answer the question they ask and no more! The aim is to show them that if they do not ask any questions about where they are going, they will not be able to pack adequately for the trip.

Below is the information that you have on the trip they will take. As they ask questions about their trip, you can give out the details of the trip.

The scenario: A picnic with friends for the day with a short stroll afterwards. There will be rain, their friend will twist and ankle and the farmer won’t let them onto their original place.

When the participants ask a question, you must supply them with the full answer. Such as are we allowed to go on the land? And you answer no, you do not have permission, but you have an alternative ready straight away. It is useful if you have multiple groups, to note what questions each group asked.

Possible questions they may ask or you can suggest at the end of the activity:

• Did they check there was access onto the land?

• Did they leave early enough to allow for everything they wanted to do?

• Did they bring a first aid kit?

• Did they bring protection from the weather?

• Did they bring a few sweets to keep the spirits up when things were looking bleak?

Now the trip begins and you narrate it:

Where you were planning on going, the landowner no longer lets people onto his land.

• Have you checked for permission for access on to the land? YES: But you checked before hand and are ready to go to another place without delay. NO: You have to choose another site. Making it later in the day than planned and a site they do not know.

• Do they have a map and compass? They don’t know this new site. YES: On the walk you get lost but as you have a map and compass you are able to find your way easily, but people are a little tired and someone sprains their ankle. NO: On the walk you get lost as you don’t know the area, people are getting tired and careless and someone sprains their ankle making them move slowly.

• Do you have a first aid kit and a phone for emergencies? YES: So you can bandage up the ankle and help the friend back along the path and call for help. (Along the path back to the road your friend feels a bit better and you all stop to have some of your picnic). NO: You need to help your friend to the entrance but with no bandages they are in a lot of pain, and with no phone you will have to help them all the way home. (Making it very late when you get there).

• Finally it begins to rain down on them very heavily. Have they asked about the weather? YES: They will have been told about the weather and will have brought rain gear so they simply put

on the rain gear and walk to the place to be picked up and they are home before dinner. NO: The walk takes even longer, and it is after dark when they arrive home, wet, cold hungry and tired.

Debrief: Finish up, discussing how important it is to ask questions about what you will need and where you are going. Round off the activity by reiterating the key points from the activity, and refer to principle Plan Ahead and Prepare.

10.15am Be Considerate of Others Activity

Name of Game: Be Considerate Activity (A group role play game).

Objective: To gain an understanding of how people can impact on the experience of others whilst enjoying Irelands natural environment. This activity is good fun and can be used to help a group engage with each other.

Materials: Cards with group descriptions written on. A Karimat, or similar, for the picnic group to sit on.

Location: Must be Outdoors, ideally along a path.

Duration: 15 - 30 minutes.

Audience: Any age. Four or more participants.

Description: If appropriate share the objective of this activity with your group.Identify or mark out a length of path about 100m long. Divide participants into 4 groups. Give each one a card with the following scenarios written on them:

Group 1: Walk along the path. Your group is loud, rude and almost aggressive. Group 2: Have a picnic lunch about 5metres off the path. Make lots of noise (music, singing,

laughing). You may even throw some rubbish in the direction of the path. Group 3: Stand 50 metres from the path. Laugh softly and appear to be having fun. Look at

the scenery and be unobtrusive. Group 4: Walk pleasantly along the path saying hello to the other groups. Be quiet, polite and

easy going. Walk in the opposite direction to the other groups and don’t get engaged with their behaviour.

Have a clear start and stop signal as role-plays can sometimes take on a life of its own. Also, be prepared for a very short activity, as some groups may not engage.Give the groups a minute or so to consider their roles then shout START. Shout STOP when it comes naturally to an end after about 3-4 minutes.Gather everyone together and prompt a discussion on how each groups’ behaviour affected others: • Which groups were the most pleasant to meet?• Which type of behaviour is common?

Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle. Does doing this role play encourage people to consider their own behaviour when outside?

10.45am Ending Icebreaker – Spectrum of Choice

11am ` Coffee Break

11.30 am Outside

Name of Game: Is Leave No Trace relevant to Ireland?/ Discover Ireland

Objective: To reach a consensus with participants that Leave No Trace is useful by acknowledging the damage that has been done to Ireland’s natural environment and that there is a need to prevent further human impacts.

Materials: A length of rope and two sets of different coloured stones or objects.

Location: Outdoors.

Duration: 20-45 minutes.

Audience: 12 years and over. For young children you could scale the activity down by making a map of their locality.

Description: To begin, use the rope to make a rough outline of the shape of Ireland. Now gather all the participants together around your ‘rope map’ and begin with explaining that this is meant to be Ireland.

Now you need to ask everyone to go and find two white stones and two black stones, if you are in an area where this is not possible, suggest another object or pass out the stones or objects you have brought.

Ask everyone to think of their two favourite outdoor places in Ireland. When they have decided on their two places, they should place their white stones on the map in the correct position relating to where these places are situated in Ireland.

Once this is done, ask everyone then to think of two places, where they saw or experienced the land being misused or badly impacted. It can be anything that they feel impacted on their experience in a negative way. And again ask them to place their black stones on the map to represent these places. At this point, it is valuable to go around and ask everyone what places their stones represent and what the impact was that they encountered.

Now ask everyone to look at the map taking in the amount of black and white stones and lead into a discussion:

• Invite the participants to acknowledge the negative impacts caused by recreational use;

• Facilitate some discussion on the origin and extent of these negative impacts;

• Focus views on whether these activities can be reversed or minimised in future;

• Lead into Leave No Trace as a vehicle for this behaviour change.

Debrief: Round off the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to Leave No Trace principles. Encourage participants to reach a consensus on the potential of Leave No Trace in Ireland.

12noon Dispose of Waste Properly Activity

Name of Game: Breakdown Game.

Objective: To provide a visual and hands-on method to explain how long it takes for different materials to decompose.

Materials: 11 pictures of the following items or the items themselves.

• Somesheets of newspaper, a banana peel, a wool item (e.g. socks), cigarette butt, disposable nappy, tin can, aluminium can glass bottle, 6 pack plastic ring holder, hard plastic bottle (water or juice bottles), a rubber tyre and 11 printed cards or pages.

Each card/page contains a single time period (e.g. 10-20 years), to represent the number of years it takes for each of the items to decompose.

Audience: All ages. Groups of any size. Duration: 15 - 20 minutes.

Description: Distribute each of the pictures, one to each participant, or as many to each participant as necessary to distribute all of them, as evenly as possible.Distribute the cards/pages with the times marked on them in a similar manner. Try to ensure that no one is holding a picture that matches its associated time page/ card.Have the participants roam around trying to figure out what pictures match up with what time periods. As they make their matches, you can comment on their accuracy and have them try to correct any errors.

See below for a list of the decomposition rates for common items: - Cigarette butt.................................................1to 5 years - Aluminium can................................................80 to 100 years - Plastic 6-pack Holder.....................................100 years - Orange or Banana Peel .................................Up to 2 years - Plastic Film Container.....................................20 to 30 years - Plastic Bag .....................................................10 to 20 years - Glass Bottle ....................................................1,000,000 years - Plastic Coated Paper.......................................5 years - Nylon Fabric....................................................30 to 40 years

Leather............................................................1 to 5 years - Wool Sock.......................................................1 to 5 years - Tin Can............................................................50 years

Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle. This activity gets the participants to talk to each other to figure out how long each item takes to decompose. When they finish, you can line the items up in order of time from the shortest to the longest time of decomposition.

12.20pm Travel and Camp on Durable Ground Activity

Name of Game: Satellite Trails.

Objective: To demonstrate how easily ‘satellite’ trails are created.

Materials: N/A

Location: A meadow or grassy area works best for this activity.

Duration: 15 minutes.

Audience: All ages. Groups of any size.

Description: First ask the group to walk shoulder to shoulder across an area of grass that you have picked. Have them turn around and look to see if a discernable trail has been formed. Then ask the group to walk single file through an area of meadow (approximately sixty metres long) before turning

around and retracing their steps back to the start. Look back as a group and see the impact that they have made.

Debrief: Follow this activity with a discussion of how to travel off-trail with less of an impact. This game works well as an introduction to cumulative impacts. Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle.

12.40pm Travel and Camp on Durable Ground Activity

Name of Game : The Perfect Campsite .

Objective: To investigate what makes a great campsite.

Materials: None.

Location: Indoors or Outdoors.

Duration: 15-20 minutes.

Audience: Any age.

Description: This is a good wrap up activity. Ask everyone to sit in a circle either on the ground or on chairs. Ask everyone to close their eyes and relax. You would like them to dream up their idea of a perfect or dream campsite, they have been outside walking all day and it’s getting cool. Their stomachs are starting to growl and they are just waiting to find a perfect spot to stop for the night. Give everyone a minute to think about what would be there and how it would look.When they are ready, ask everyone to open their eyes. What were their campsites like and what elements make up the best campsite?

Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle. Ask how they would keep their campsite naturally beautiful for the next person.

1pm Lunch

2 pm Presentation / slides

2.30pm Outside – Icebreaker

Leave What You Find Activity

Name of Game: Invasive Attack!

Objective: To demonstrate to participants how invasive/alien species impact on native Irish species.

Materials: A long piece of rope (or string) - at least 50 ft., a list of native species in the area and a list of invasive species found in the area.

Location: Outdoors.

Duration: 15-30 minutes.

Audience: 8 years and over. Groups of any size, however groups of 8 or more work the best. Description: Assign every participant a species by dividing the group into native species and invasive species. Have the native species form a large circle, leaving at least one arm’s length between each ‘species’. Have the native species hold the rope (instruct them to make a large circle of rope) that represents an intact ecosystem. Ensure some slack is left on the rope between the native species. Then ask each invasive species to push their way into the circle of rope taking up the slack left in between each native species. This effectively fragments the ecosystem and demonstrates how easily invasive species can create disjointed islands of habitat between native species.

Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle. Explain to participants that outdoor users can play a role in spreading invasive species when they move from one area to another. Invasive species can transfer to backpacks, to boot soles, to the bottom of boats, to fishing gear and even to mountain bike tyres. Encourage participants to inspect and clean their outdoor equipment between trips to different areas to decrease the chances of spreading invasive species.Also encourage them to work with land managers to identify and remove known invasive species in order to protect native plants and animals. Remember, the more participants you have, the longer the rope and the longer list of species you will need.

3pm Dispose of Waste Properly Activity

Name of Game: Toilet Ice Breaker.

Objective: Have participants talk comfortably about human waste disposal.

Materials: Toilet paper and its substitutes, good and bad (leaves, nettles, rough stone, smooth stone, paper, cloth etc).

Location: Indoors or Outdoors.

Duration: 30-40 minutes.

Audience: 16 years and over. Groups of any size.

Description: Gather everyone in a group and begin to establish a vocabulary. Go around the group and ask everyone to give a different word for poo. At the end agree with everyone in your group what word they are most comfortable with and be sure to use that for the remainder of the session.Discuss the various options for toilet paper in the outdoors using the items around you, or some you brought with you e.g. a smooth stone, piece of bark, big leaf, nettle, soil. Get the group to order them into the best and perhaps nicest to use. Discuss what would be best for rapid breakdown rates of the poo and what would be best for the environment.

Some questions:

People who scrunch toilet paper and wipe please go to the left and people who fold and wipe please go to the right.

People who have had a ‘poo’ in the outdoors please go to the left and people who have never please go to the right.

Finish up by saying that it might not be the nicest topic but we all do it, and we should care about what happens to it, especially in Ireland’s natural environment.

Demonstrate how to dig a cat hole if possible: Use a very good trowel, cut the sod on top, (a pen knife is very handy to cut the top so it stays intact), it should be 15 - 20cm deep. This is not always possible in stony ground. Then return the sod to the ground showing how this ‘plug’ can make it look as though nothing happened there. Talk about decomposition rates, how to increase them and how different soils will affect them. Also the other options available instead of a cat hole i.e. wag bag, poop tube, and go before you leave the house options.

Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle. Discuss the benefits of cat holes and chat about what people would be comfortable doing on their next outdoor expedition to dispose of human waste properly.

3.30pm Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife activity

Name of Game: Animal lives – find your match.

Objective: To look at the inadvertent impacts humans can have on wildlife, to understand the sensitivities of animals and to create awareness about the consequences our behaviour can have on wildlife and farm animals.

Materials: A set of cards with the scenarios printed on them (see below).

Location: Preferably outdoors but can also be done indoors.

Duration: 20 - 40 minutes.

Audience: 12 years and over. Up to 14 participants.

Description: The basic premise for the game is that there are seven scenarios with two sides to each scenario; one side is the human perspective and the other is the animal perspective. In each scenario the human is an aggressor/perpetrator and the animal is a victim. Every human story is partnered with a corresponding animal story and the participants of the activity much match up the two sides to each scenario. First set the context and introduce the Leave No Trace principle ‘Respect Farm Animals and Wildlife’. If appropriate share the objectives of the activity with the group. To start the activity hand a card to each participant for them to read. Having read the card each participant should figure out whether they are a human or an animal and then find their paired /corresponding human or animal. The participants should interact and ask questions of each other’s situations to find their partner. It is useful to put a picture in the corner of some of scenario cards to give a clue to who their partner is (where it is not obvious). E.g. give the rock climber a picture of a Peregrine Falcon and the Peregrine Falcon a picture of rock climbers. The aim of the activity is for the participants to acquaint themselves with certain animal sensitivities.When everybody has found their partner, discuss in a group the finer points of the scenarios, what is actually happening in each scenario? Then come up with some ways you think that this could be prevented in the future.

Human Scenarios:

1. Children throw sticks at a pregnant badger A guide takes a group of ten young children out for a walk in autumn to a forest. He knows all the really interesting spots to bring the children. They stop by a badger set, the children are fascinated by it and start shouting “hello” into it and they give them ‘presents’ by putting sticks and stones down the different holes of the set.

2. Horse riders leave food for a fox Three friends decide to go horse-riding in a forest together; they have heard that there is a nice trail to a waterfall. Half way through their day, they stop for lunch at a scenic spot where people often picnic. After lunch they continue on to the waterfall. On their way home they pass the place where they had lunch and notice that all the food they had left behind was gone and they wonder who or what ate it.

3. Rock climbers scare a peregrine falcon off its nest Two rock climbers exploring the hills find a great spot to climb and since they have their gear with them they decide to give it a go. After a couple of hours climbing one of them is quite high up and hears a bird calling, the bird flies out above them and they see where the noise was coming from. The bird appears agitated but eventually flies off so they continue on up.

4. A dog off its lead chases a hare A family out for a drive with their dog get out of the car to go for a walk in the mountains. Since they are not near any other people they let their dog off the lead. He stays close by loving the freedom. About half an hour later they hear some strange noises and realise that fluffy (the dog) is nowhere to be seen. Worried they start calling him. A couple of worrying minutes pass before he comes running back. Relieved that he is ok and that no wild animals hurt him, they head back to the car.

5. A hill walker photographs a deer A hill walker comes across a herd of deer, tries to get close to get a picture but the deer scatter and he is unsuccessful. He reckons that they haven’t gone far and if he follows their tracks he may be able to find them again. So he does, but the same thing happens and he still hasn’t a photo. He tries for a bit longer, but eventually he gives up after about three hours as the light is fading.

6. A tourist warms up a cave and wakes up the bats An unsuspecting tourist goes for a walk in a scenic area. He decides go a little off track and stumbles across a cave. Thinking it must be the one from the tour brochure that everyone can go to, he decides to explore a little. It is only a small cave but it feels cold to him, he stands there for a while and the heat from his breath and body changes the temperature in the cave. He goes a little bit further in and the cave narrows considerably. He gets a fright when some bats fly out and decides to go back outside. Perhaps this isn’t the tourist cave after all.

7. Some children pick all the flowers and leave none for the butterflies A group of children are out for a school tour with their favourite teacher and are having a great day. A few of them come up with a great idea to pick a bunch of flowers for their teacher to say thank you for such a wonderful day. The idea spreads throughout the class and suddenly everyone wants to pick some flowers. So they spread out and find as many as they can. They put them all together, and proudly present them to their teacher who is so very flattered that she praises them for their effort. They brag they picked every flower they could find for her.

Animal Scenarios:

1. A pregnant badger attacked with sticks and stones “Today I was sitting minding my own business in my home when all of a sudden I could hear a thudding sound. It was people walking past and by the sound of their voices they were young. I started to get nervous as I am heavily pregnant; my cubs are due any day. I have to clean out my sett again because they threw stones and twigs down here, some of which actually hit me.”

2. A fox eating some picnic leftovers from 2 horse riders “Today was great some people left yummy food behind. I didn’t even have to run far or chase it, which is good because I’ve not been too well lately either. It’s been ages since I’ve had to hunt and I’m getting quite fat. I wonder will they be back tomorrow? Oh dear my red fur is not looking too good; maybe it’s not enough food?”

3. Peregrine Falcon frightened by rock climbers “It’s quiet! That’s how I like it, nice and quiet with no one around to steal my eggs. This is a good spot I picked. Just try and get me this year egg collectors! Oh dear, what’s that noise? What’s that smell? Oh no, not again, just leave my eggs alone! I’ll fly down and squawk at them to frighten them off. It’s no use they’re too close, I should save myself.”

4. Two sheep chased by a dog off its lead “What a fabulous evening Baa-baa, isn’t it just perfect for rummaging around the heather? The grass is good today. What’s going on over there, some birds are flying up? Tell you what, we’ll take it in turns to watch just in case. You go first! Maa-tilda Look! It’s a monster coming, it’s going to kill us. . I think we should run for it! There will be no eating for us tonight. Let’s split up. It can’t follow both of us. Good luck Baa-bara!”

5. A hibernating bat that has been woken up early by false heat “Joe sure you’re not going to believe what some idiot human did in February, well there I was having a great blooming sleep I was dreaming about this gorgeous Daubenton’s bat in my cave for the winter. I had just enough food eaten to get me through the winter sleep and no more. The temperature changed in the cave, which of course as you know yourself means it’s summer and there is food outside, time to get up. So I reluctantly left my dream of Delia Daubenton and got up, only to find out it was some human being standing around for so long that he warmed up the cave. I don’t know what I’m going to do now, I’m hungry, there’s no food around and I can’t go back to sleep.”

6. Deer being pestered by a photographer “I’m telling you guys I can smell something. What is it? Oh look over there! It’s another one and it’s got one of those things they put in front of their face. Look it’s trying to get closer. I can’t eat with it staring at me besides we have already lost three good deer to the guns this year. I’m going just over the next hill so it can’t see us.” A little while later. … “for crying out loud its back again, are we ever going to get to eat in peace today?” Three hours later … “well thank goodness it’s gone at last but I’m weak from hunger. Let’s get some food, it’s getting very late.”

7. Two butterflies find all the flowers picked from the field “Oh no there has been a massacre, oh goodness, Orange Tip have you found any yet?” “No I haven’t, what are we going to do?” “I’ve no Idea at all, will you go ask the dragonflies? Go on, I am scared of them.” “Alright but check with the Ladybirds and see if they know what happened to all the flowers. I just don’t know what we are going to do!”

Debrief: Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle.

4pm Minimise the Effects of Fire Activity

Name of Game: Night Lights.

Objective: To demonstrate alternatives to campfires by having each participant make their own night light.

Materials: Brown paper bags (recycled brown ones are inexpensive and sustainable), scissors, knife or other cutting tool, stencils, sand, candles or tea lights (small decorative candles that come in their own recyclable aluminium cups – a safety-conscious alternative to tapered candles), small cutting board(s) or thin pieces of wood that will easily fit into the lunch bags.

Location: Outdoors.

Duration: 30-45 minutes.

Audience: 10yrs and over. Groups of any size.

Description: 1. Give one bag to each participant and tell them that they are going to be making a ‘campfire’ in a bag. 2. Using the cutting board(s) or the pieces of wood and the stencils participants can cut designs into each side of their bag. This will allow light from the candle to shine through. Remind the participants to be careful with the sharp cutting tools. 3. Once the designs have been cut into the bags, fold the top edge of the bags down about an inch for extra sturdiness. 4. Pour sand into the bottom of each bag, approximately one to two inches. The more sand, the more stable the luminary will be. 5. Place a candle or tea light in the middle of the bag, anchored firmly in the sand. 6. Ask participants to put the luminaries where they would like them to go and light carefully. Keep away from flammable vegetation or materials. These are not recommended for use in a strong wind and always obey fire regulations.

Debrief: Discuss how luminaries can provide a nice, easy alternative to campfires, which can be damaging to the environment if not made properly. Luminaries provide light and evening ambiance and are a great campfire substitute. Round of the activity by reiterating the key learning points from the activity and relate back to the Leave No Trace principle.

4.30 pm Debrief

Revise how you could use Leave No Trace in your organisation What you will do next

Reflect on personal Introduction – do they know more about Leave No Trace now? Ask them for something good about the session – something they enjoyed and something

they would have liked done differently.

In the debrief – link to introduction – revise whole group pen and paper again – link in, get them to realise what they can do now and how much they have learned – how can we ‘leave no trace’ in Ireland? End on a positive note.

Award Ceremony – hand out certificates, take photographs

Hand in Feedback form Give details of facebook, website, schools resources, join as a partner Thank you and Goodbye