Water Environments and Informal Education (original) (raw)

2018, Rethinking Outdoor, Experiential and Informal Education: Beyond the Confines

Veronica Strang, a cultural anthropologist, writing about the River Stour in Dorset captures in part the essence of the magical and picturesque qualities found in water: The water flowing down the Stour is both natural and cultural, responsive to a changing spatial, temporal, physical and ideational landscape. Its material qualities-its composition, its transmutability, reflectivity, fluidity and transparency-are inherent, but also responsive to context. Similarly, people's biological, sensory and perceptual experiences of these qualities are universally human, and yet simultaneously a product of a particular individual and cultural moment in time and space. Their physical, emotional and imaginative interactions with water render it mesmeric, sacred, comforting, stimulating, beautiful and fearful. (2004: 245) Always bearing in mind the complexity conveyed in the above the following chapter will seek to explore something of the background to water environments and their presence in outdoor education. However, before proceeding it may be helpful to consider how we sense and then 'make sense' of the experiences water environments offer informal outdoor education. Over 50 per cent of the world's population live within 3 km of a body of freshwater and only 10 per cent reside further than 10 km distant (Kummu, et.al. 2011). The furthest point from the coastline in England and Wales is just 110 km and a third of us dwell within 10 km of the seashore (Environment Agency 1999). Unsurprisingly Britain's cultural heritage has long been influenced by a history of living, trading and fighting on and near the sea. Although these links may have weakened the coast remains important not merely to those living adjacent to it but to those who travel to the seashore to enjoy leisure activities. Finally the absolute necessity of water for our survival means it