WSA Game Angling Educational Syllabus
WSA is pleased to offer a set of modules aimed at introducing and fostering a long term enthusiasm for game angling and river ecology. It provides teachers of children aged 8 to 18 years with an educational tool that either meets with some of the Key Stage requirements of the National Curriculum in England and Wales or can be integrated into them as well as providing an interesting extra curricula activity.
The main aim of WSA in offering these modules some of which are educationally classroom based and others on a river or Stillwater is to get children interested in and excited about game angling. They will learn about the life cycles of game fish, the life cycles of invertebrates that form the food chains and the habitat that they all live in. The project is an excellent opportunity to take learning outside the classroom, to offer the children a new experience that might give them pleasure for their entire lives. Armed with nets, trays, ID charts, wellies and waterproofs, children are taken to the river or Stillwater to carry out kick sampling in order to seek out and identify the insects living amongst the mud, gravel and boulders that game fish feed on, fostering their curiosity for the natural world and demonstrating to them why habitat is so important and how THEY can look after it.
They will be introduced to the art of fly tying, linking the insects found in their kick sampling to the imitative patterns produced at the fly tiers vice. GAIA Professional instructors will teach the skill of fly casting in a manner that ensures a sense of achievement and instructors will praise them at every opportunity in order to build their confidence, leading to a final session practising those skills in a safe river or Stillwater environment.
Modules can be selected to suit a school or groups particular needs and the courses can be built on with more advanced skills being provided either within the school environment or as separate out of school activities.
The project is aimed at school age children, but as well as getting schools involved, it would be an interesting and fun activity for youth groups, scouts, etc.
WSA can facilitate the application of this syllabus by providing locations [rivers or Stillwater’s] and delivery teams of skilled Instructors. Each course will have a lead GAIA Professional Instructor with Level 1 and 2 coaching qualifications supported by other Instructors and/or trained coaching assistants all of which will hold CRB certificates.
