Geogra3: May awareness days linked to Geography

Hello and welcome to this week’s Geogra3.  I’m sharing three geographically-themed awareness days that are coming up in May that you might find useful for topical lessons, extra-curricular activities or for assemblies.  

1. No Mow May starts on 1st May (#nomowmay)

I love this one!  It links really nicely with the International day of biological diversity which occurs on 22nd May and gives an easy way for people to get involved.  The day is organised by Plant Life to encourage people to free the wildflowers in their lawn so they can grow wild and provide a feast for pollinators, tackle pollution, and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.  You can register participation on their site here.  Perhaps those of you who run eco-clubs could ask site staff not to mow a part of the school field (maybe double check with the PE staff too!) and do a before/after survey of insects.

2. Europe Day 9th May 

Europe Day marks the anniversary of a speech given by French foreign minister Robert Schuman in 1950. Schuman envisaged a Europe free from war and founded on the ideals of cooperation and sharing resources.  This 'Schuman declaration' is widely considered to be the basis for our modern-day European Union.  On Europe Day, EU institutions are encouraged to open their doors to the public, with open days held in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee among others.  There are some useful resources available in the Learning Corner of the EU website, including a downloadable booklet called EU&Me answering questions like how is the EU relevant to your daily life, with a variety of activities included.  

3. Eurovision song contest final on Saturday 11th May

Sticking with the euro-centric theme, the Eurovision song contest in all its weird and wonderful glory takes place in Malmo, Sweden this year - the third time it has been hosted here.  There are 37 songs in the line up which you can see below; the outfits worn by Ireland’s Bambie Thug are worth looking out for! TeachIt has compiled a couple of ideas including a mapping activity, quiz and the suggestion of making bunting by using customisable templates.  Or head over to Twinkl where they have a whole load of resources if you’re holding a Eurovision party.

I’ve also just come across Steve Brace’s article that also has some great ideas including a StoryMap which you can find here. 

Other days that may be of interest to you and your students are:

World Fair Trade Day #BusinessRevolution - 11th May

• Full lesson plans, assemblies and home learning ideas can be found here.

World orienteering week - 18th-26th May

• Get involved with improving access to, and increasing participation, in orienteering.  Register your event and find out more here.

I hope that has given you lots of inspiration, especially for those of you running Geography extra-curricular groups and I’d love to know what you get up to, so please hit reply and let me know or share in the Facebook group. 

Also, if you don’t already have it, the free 2024 Geography Awareness Days calendar can be found here.

And that's it for this week!

PS - I love nothing more than supporting Geography teachers as we are a pretty awesome bunch.  

The Geography Teacher Box vault has been set up to help you take back your time by ensuring you always have a lesson to hand, whatever life throws at you!  

Inside you'll find over 90 different question and answer worksheets linked to relevant geographical documentaries so you no longer feel guilty about showing a video in lessons.  

Find out more by clicking here.