Well the journey begins...I left Scotland at around 2pm yesterday to fly to Dubai and then on to Perth Australia. The flight to Dubai was longer than expected due to air traffic over the city...this gave the added bonus of the plane circling the city for spectacular views of Dubai at night...a grid of burning orange lights highlighted the streets, framing the bright white of the buildings. Amazing. Landing in Dubai I was instantly hit by the 35 deg temperature despite it being the middle of the night. The airport was more beautiful than I remembered from a previous trip...everything was so well considered, helpful and perfect. After a quick location of my gate, I boarded the plane for Perth WA. This was a very turbulant journey, despite which I managed to sleep through most of it. Landing in Perth, I went straight through security and not only was my bag the first on the convayor, but I was first to the hotel taxis also! A brief drive and I arrived at my hotel where they insisted on paying for my taxi! A possitive start to Australia so far - long may the good fortune continue! Here I am having my first overnight stay and a much needed rest to relieve the onset of jetlag before an early start in the morning and an 11 hour journey to Karridale - home of the first outdoor centre I am visiting.
Let the adventures begin!...
Who is Fiona Wood?
- Miss Fiona Karen Wood
- Dundee, United Kingdom
- I have always had an interest in design. I am currently working on a three year PhD focused on exploring the influence of design in outdoor education on children’s early learning about sustainability. This research study is concerned with the exploration of children’s early learning experiences in outdoor education which are especially relevant to the notion of sustainability. This analysis explores the possibility of deeper underlying learning in outdoor education which would be appropriate to governmental concerns for confidence building, social learning and citizenship. The aim is to understand these deeper motivations and to design new activities and facilities which would support and extend learning in these areas without destroying the child’s enjoyment and play. This project is one of a small portfolio of design research studies from the Centre for the Study of Natural Design, University of Dundee (http://www.vrc.dundee.ac.uk/) on the theme of ‘Nature’s Academy’.