Observation and Recording

• Record numbers of different birds and where they were seen.

• Photograph different types of fungi, flora, fauna.

• Use i-Spy books or FSC leaflets – Trees, Birds, Wild Flowers etc.

• Identify and record different types of butterfly.

• Investigate the features and wildlife around rivers, canals and lakes.

• Creating a photo guide to the Countryside Code.

• Keep a detailed log of the weather throughout the expedition and how it affected your team (e.g. kit/food/morale/navigation).

• Explore & document cairns and ancient landmarks.

• Investigate changes in local agriculture.

• Photograph different types of boundaries and crossing points.

• Investigate Roman or Anglo-Saxon sites.

• Photograph & describe old buildings on your route.

• Investigate industry past and present in the area.

• Record number & state of local amenities in villages e.g. shops, post office, churches, village halls, buses.

• Monitor levels of litter & pollution & design a campaign to reduce this.

• Investigate the maintenance of footpaths and stiles.

• Record evidence of wildlife breeding programmes. 

• Human impact on the environment (industry, tourism, agriculture, leisure, economic).

• Create a vlog or video presentation of your expedition.

• Recreate a song or create a video featuring the scenery & your team.

• Planning a route and creating a signpost selfie guide. 

• Compose your own song or poem inspired by the expedition.

• Measure the impact of the expedition on your mind & body (mental health, weight, heart rate, BMI, breathing rate etc.)

Expedition Team Goals suggested by The Green Blue:

• Coastal Litter Survey.

• Inland Litter Survey.

• Surveying invertebrates to determine water quality.

• Sustainable Water Survey.

• Water Quality Testing. 

The presentation should bring your expedition to life and be more than just a report of you achieving your Team Goal. It should be based on your own first hand experiences, observations and investigations during your expedition and be in a format which inspires you.

Through creating a presentation and communicating your experiences publicly, you have to think carefully about what impact the expedition has had on you and what you have achieved. For this reason, the presentation should be more than a simple display of research results to achieve your Team Goal, it should be an account of your journey and adventures.

Many of your experiences, both the highs and lows, will be easily remembered and add an extra level of interest for viewers.

Your presentation should be made up of 3 sections:

1. A review of your expedition, highs and lows, funny anecdotes, pictures/video of the expedition.

2. Your Team Goal - how you achieved this, results of any research, opinions/personal views backed up by photos or videos.

3. Personal reflections on what you’ve achieved and personal development.

Try to make your presentation last no more than 10 minutes, ensure you involve all members of the team, and be prepared for questions to be asked at the end.

• Use photos (lots of them if you can!) as pictures “say a 1000 words”, and makes your presentation more interesting.

• When using videos, spend time carefully editing the content – keep it clean, brief and fun. Include humour, but avoid comments that could be misinterpreted, inflammatory or discriminatory.

• Involve all team members in the development and delivery of your presentation. Start thinking about your presentation during your expedition so that you have a plan as to what to do and how to do it.

• Avoid putting too many words on your slides. Bullet points with a short amount of text work best.

• Consider your audience – they want to share in your experience but don’t want to sit through a long speech or lots of holiday photos/videos!

• Practice your delivery – and keep practicing!

• Be entertaining and don’t rush your delivery.

• Be confident – and above all, smile!