This week is both Mental Health Awareness Week and Scottish Learning Disability Week. To celebrate, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has teamed up with Scottish Badgers and the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability to produce a range of activities that everyone can enjoy in nature.

In 2020, the theme of Scottish Learning Disability Week 2020 is ‘My environment, my place my planet’.

Wherever you live in Scotland, whether in a town or city, in the countryside or by the sea, we want you to think about what your local environment means to you and what you can do to help it flourish.

This week is an opportunity to share the stories of people with learning disabilities getting involved to help make positive change in their environment – whether it be in their own home and community, or in the wider world.

These additional resources provide those with learning difficulties the confidence to get out and experience nature as well as connect and enjoy the benefits that exposure to nature can bring both mentally and physically.

All of the activities are easy to follow and are designed to be as inclusive as possible. Videos are included to complement each one. All four activities are listed below, and here you can see Catriona from SCLD explaining how to make an indoor ponder patch.

Special activities for Scottish Learning Disability Week

• Do a neighbourhood scavenger hunt (easy read activity)
• Make your own seed bombs
• Create an outdoor sensory ponder patch
• Make your own recycled bird feeder
• Create an indoor sensory ponder patch

Easy read is one form of accessible information for people with learning disabilities. It is all about making written information easier to understand and uses short simple sentences with pictures.

The partnership runs as part of Let’s Notice Nature – Environmental education for all – a joint initiative from Scottish Badgers and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, delivered as part of the National Lottery supported ‘Earn Your Stripes’ project – a skills development program promoting both diversity and social inclusion.

You can join the Let’s Notice Nature Facebook group to get inspiration for even more wild wellness ideas and activities. It’s a wonderfully accessible way for everyone to notice nature no matter your ability.

Lyndsay Mark, Visitor Experience Manager