Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is launching free online learning resources to help support home educators and learners during the Coronavirus lockdown.
The HES Learning programme helps people at all stages of their lifelong learning journey access HES sites, archives and digital resources for a wide range of learning purposes. In the last year HES engaged with over 128,000 learners through a range of access schemes and programmes, including self-led site visits, on-site activities, and outreach activities which took place in school and community venues.
Building on the success of its learning programme, Learn at Home is a new initiative from HES in response to the current situation whilst schools remain closed. It will allow the national heritage body to support educators and parents by providing free access to digital resources through its website.
Suitable for learners of all ages, the Learn at Home resources include:
- games to play
- Gaelic learning
- art activities
- crafts to make
- recipes to try
- educational videos to watch
Users can also choose to dive into the ‘Investigate’ section to explore historic sites and topics in more depth.
To ensure these resources are now easily accessible to all, a special area has been created on the Learn section of our website that will gather regularly updated digital content from across the organisation and provide links to further information.
To further help and enable learning from home during this period, access to the Scran website has been made free for the next three months. This online database of images features over 400,000 images, film and audio files from archives, galleries and museums across Scotland and the UK. Users can browse resources by topic, and these are linked to the Curriculum for Excellence in over 600 Pathfinder packs.
Teachers working from home can continue with existing access routes or register online. Home educators and parents can also get in touch by email.
As part of the new venture HES will use the hashtag #LearningWithHES across its social media channels to help inspire and support educators and those learning at home as well as addressing queries from learners.
Craig Fletcher, Senior Learning Manager at HES said:
Throughout this strange and stressful time, we know it can be a challenge to keep children entertained and a struggle to be productive indoors.
“With this in mind, we wanted to help in whatever way we could, using heritage themed materials, to support and inspire educators, parent, and learners. So, we’ve created a new online learning portal with digital resources that are easily accessible and updated regularly. Our goal is that these will be useful tools for anyone learning at home or looking for something different to do.”
“These resources will allow us to engage with audiences and provide new fun ways for everyone to learn and connect with Scotland’s historic environment from the safety of their home.”
Take a look at our Learn at Home resources today.
About Historic Environment Scotland (HES)
- We are the lead public body charged with caring for, protecting and promoting the historic environment. We will lead on delivering Scotland’s first strategy for the historic environment, Our Place in Time.
- Historic Scotland, Scran, Canmore, The National Collection of Aerial Photography (NCAP), The Engine Shed, Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle are sub-brands of HES.
- View our press pack and keep up to date by registering for media release email alerts. If you wish to unsubscribe, please contact us.
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For further information, please contact:
Dean Hendry
Historic Environment Scotland Media Office
Direct line: 0131 668 8714
Mobile: 07468 759 137
communications@hes.scot