Botanical Folklore – Online

This is a 3-week course covering 3 topics, for which you will complete a variety of online resources and activities. Topics are concluded with an interactive Zoom workshop.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Identify some of the traditional and current uses for a range of common British tree species.
• Understand the folklore of five common British tree species.
• Identify the historical and cultural uses of British flowering plants.
• Share this knowledge with friends, family and fellow volunteers

Who Should Attend? – Nature enthusiasts, Students, Rangers, Keen folklorists

Knowledge Level – Introductory. Level descriptors can be found on the following webpage: Natural History Framework and Course Level Descriptors

Prior Knowledge – No existing knowledge, or experience is needed for this course. Just a willingness to explore and learn.

Bookings will close 2 working days before the start date to allow for all participants to be enrolled to the online platform – bookings will not be taken after this time. Bookings will close sooner if course capacity is reached

Understand how our online courses are delivered.

Live Webinar Information

There are 3 webinars for this course, taking place at the end of each week. Please see the listing for the day and time.

Please note – webinars will be recorded and uploaded to the virtual learning platform for learners unable to attend.

Timetable

Week 1: Historical Uses of Trees
Self-study material available at the start date
Week 1 live webinar

Week 2: Tree Folklore Stories
Self-study material available after week 1 webinar
Week 2 live webinar

Week 3: Historical and cultural uses of flowering plants
Self-study material available after week 2 webinar
Week 3 live webinar

The final deadline to complete any outstanding activities and self-study components is 2 weeks after the week 3 webinar

Time commitment: This course will require approximately 2-3 hours of your time each week. This includes covering course materials on our Moodle learning platform and the zoom session.

• 
  Expert Tuition

The course has been carefully created to help you continue to build on your knowledge as the course progresses. With content crafted to the online Moodle Platform and bespoke to the Field Studies Council.

The course includes:

45-minute interactive Zoom workshops to connect with the tutor and other participants

• Personalised feedback on a marked assignment
• Expert tuition for which the Field Studies Council is renowned
• Activities to work on independently in advance of each Zoom workshop
• Tailored course completion certificate

Once registered, you will follow well-illustrated, user-friendly ’books’ to pick up knowledge. Quizzes and skill-checks will give you instant feedback on your learning. Forums give students the chance to interact with each other as well as a place to share work.

• ★★★★★

  I loved the discussion-based aspects to the live parts of the course, as opposed to rehashing what we had already covered in our pre-learning each week. It was great to have a few more facts and tidbits sprinkled in also.

• ★★★☆☆

  I loved the discussion-based aspects to the live parts of the course, as opposed to rehashing what we had already covered in our pre-learning each week. It was great to have a few more facts and tidbits sprinkled in also.I found the course material interesting and easy to follow. I am an illustrator, hoping to work further within the field of natural history illustration. The course provided a good basis of knowledge and inspired me to keep studying. It provided lots of potential areas of interest for my personal illustration projects.

• ★★★★★

  The last session on the 10 wildflowers was very interesting and helpful. It was good just to focus on 10, as it is easy to get distracted when looking at a whole book.

• ★★★★★

  The organisation of the course has been excellent. I found it easy to log on, the set up with the tasks was easy to navigate, the reminder email prior t the zoom meeting with the link . All very helpful.
  Thankyou

• ★★★★★

  Amazing subject, knowledgeable tutor, SO INTERESTING. Absoluted loved it. Something I have always been interesting and this course has been a wonderful structured introduction and foundation that enables you get to grips with a wide subject. Would like a more in-depth version for further study.

• ★★★★☆

  The Wildflower section - very clearly laid out; the balance of information was relevant to the course title and upheld my expectation.

• ☆☆☆☆☆

  I loved the challenge to write your own folklore. It has got me back into writing poetry again. Thank you!

• ☆☆☆☆☆

  It had a wider variety of perspectives on plants than I expected.

• ☆☆☆☆☆

  Wildflower folklore will be very useful additional knowledge in my guided walks for school children.

• ☆☆☆☆☆

  The online materials were very helpful and well presented.

Student Discount

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off all Biodiversity courses.

Accessing Your Course

• Once you sign up you’ll receive an email at least 24 hours in advance of the course opening with details of how to access our easy-to-use platform, Moodle.
• Moodle can be accessed through a browser or an app.
• Webinars are via Zoom so you won’t need any new software to attend
• Recommended Devices

It is recommended that you access your course through a PC or laptop. Please be aware that there will be reduced functionality if you decide to access the course through a tablet or smartphone. The Field Studies Council is unable to email content directly to you.