Orienteering at school for ages 6-12, Chapter 6: COOL, AWESOME AND EDUCATIONAL!

Chapter 6: COOL, AWESOME and EDUCATIONAL!

FULL SPEED to the first check point. The flash from the tag confirms the punch. Orientating the map using red to red - compass red needle points at the  red edge of the map. The stone on the lawn! The teacher points east. Where is it on the map? Students consider. Rotating the map. Glancing at friend’s thumb. “There, there it is” pointing vigorously to a black point. “Good! Anyone else who knows?” This is real Orienteering. Awesome!

SECOND CONTROL. “Where now”?? “That way!” “OK, then we’ll see you there.” Full speed again. Someone takes the lead, you find a control. Some others hesitate. Viewing map, red to red. Changeing direction and finding the right control. A extra marker is placed at another tree and discussion arises. This is real Orienteering. Educational!

“WHEN CAN I RUN BY MYSELF? I can do this and it’s first an intro course, then Challenge 1, then Challenge 2. 40 minutes of vigorous activity and 60 controls have been found at most. Sweaty, smiling kids make me happy. I’m feeling satisfied and fortunate to experience teaching in this way. “Will you come tomorrow too?” I’m somewhat shocked. Sprint at school. This is real Orienteering. Fantastic!

“MAY I RUN ONE MORE COURSE? Did I get the right check points? Did I run faster than the last lap?” The questions come quick and fast. I scan the tag, tear off the split time strip and give it to the curious boy with long running legs from Somalia. “I want to start orienteering” he says spontaneously. “Fun! Come to our training tonight. We are here, at the same place. But new challenges, of course!” “Hi, see you tonight!”Skol-Sprinten has arrived. This is real Orienteering. Cool, Awesome and Educational!

SKOL-SPRINTEN is a pilot project, implemented by Dalaportens OL and financed mainly with funds from Sport’s Foundations. At eleven schools in the Avesta, four schools in Borlänge and one school in Säter, Skol-Sprinten has been implemented at primary level. Over 3000 students have run as hounds after fleeing hares. They found and punched  120,000 orange-white markers and 650 meters of timing records have been printed.

THE APPROACH to orienteering has changed dramatically as a result. 90% of the young students thought it was ”good fun”, 8% ”fun” and 2% ”OK fun”. Sprint Orienteering at school is valuable and an important key for international orienteering to grow through. But also an educational asset to any school to develop and improve students’ knowledge of map reading, problem solving and perform orienteering in a fun way.

MAP KNOWLEDGE IS TODAY an important part of the school curriculum and teachers need both help with education materials and assistance in implementing their lessons to inspire student learning. School Orienteering can be used to help the school to achieve its goals while concurrently attracting a future generation of orienteers.

SPRINT ORIENTEERING on school property is both known and safe for students. Many details, continuous direction changes and frequent feedback when the students find the orange-white markers provide some very good educational experiences for students in map and spatial understandings and decision making when selecting routes between controls. Mistakes can be rectified, and learning reinforced. They just get back to the beginning and start again. Sprint is better than forest orienteering for learning orienteering in a fast and simple way.

THE CONCEPT is developed, we have inspiration and enthusiasm. The aim of this booklet is that you as a teacher have an educational tool guiding your teaching of orienteering for ”Agees 7-12” to enable you to deliver lessons that stimulate physically activity with fun.

WELCOME to a new world, with map and compass!

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