Our Coastal Activity Leader Training (CALT) is a unique alternative to Beach School which consolidates the most essential outdoor skills needed to lead your own exciting outdoor coastal sessions. CALT empowers educators with the skills, knowledge and expertise to deliver inspiring environmental education, tailored to the needs of your students, patients or clients.

In the UK, we’re never more than 70 miles from the sea and usually much closer. As an island nation, the UK boasts some of the most stunning coastlines in the world, rich in marine and coastal flora and fauna. The coast is one of the most exciting and interesting places to learn about the natural world and our CALT provides an in-depth, seven-day training course ideally suited to anyone interested in leading groups of all ages and abilities on an exploration of the weird and wonderful world of marine and coastal ecosystems.

CALT covers a broad array of topics including:

Environmental education methodology – Gain insight into the many methodological approaches to outdoor learning and plan sessions which are accessible for people of all abilities.

Naturalist knowledge – Learn about the animals and plants which inhabit the coastal environment including the ecology of rock pool invertebrates, marine mammals, animal tracks and signs, coastal birds, seaweeds and coastal plants.

Health and safety – Understand risk assessment and group management techniques for safely leading groups in the outdoors. We will discuss legal considerations and responsibilities including access, emergency procedures and leader requirements.

Tool use – You will learn to demonstrate and supervise the appropriate and safe use and of knives, saws and loppers.

Fire lighting – Practice effective and safe fire lighting using flint and steel (fire starters) including making tinder and kindling from natural materials as well as structuring a fire to deal with coastal weather.

Bushcraft – Learn a variety of outdoor skills including wood carving, making shelters, setting up tarps on the beach, knot tying, coastal foraging, environmental craft ideas using natural and washed-up coastal materials.

Environmental Education Games – Come away with a wide variety of fun coastal themed games and activities for a wide variety of abilities, ages, learning styles and learning objectives.

Conservation Activities – Learn how to leave natural environments in a better state than when you found them, with leave-no-trace policies and conservation ideas suited to coastal habitats.

You will gain:

A level 2 qualification, accredited by the NCFE.
Your first coastal session plan, designed by yourself for use in your own context.
Confidence to deliver inspiring outdoor sessions in safety.
Naturalist skills that will help you bring the coastal environment to life.
A tool-box of environmental activities and games that will enable you to get outdoors with students straight away.
The CALT course handbook, packed with resources and further reading.
Access to the on-going support of our instructors and fellow students, as well as useful resources to help you develop further session plans in the future.