Visions for the Nature Park in 2024
The beginning of the year can often be a time to pause and reflect, as the months ahead lie before us full of possibility and opportunities. During this first month of 2024, lots of schools have been making the most of the winter season by taking part in the Write a vision statement activity, where pupils come together to create a shared vision for what they want their Nature Park to be like.
Creating a vision statement can help during idea generation in the Getting to know your space step of the Nature Park cycle and guide you on your Nature Park journey as you start to make changes. It’s all about having a shared goal and shared values for your outdoor space, so everyone can bring their different skills, interests, and ideas together to transform it for nature.
A sanctuary for children and nature at Grimes Dyke Primary
The Science and Nature Club at Grimes Dyke Primary in Leeds is one such group of children who have been thinking about how they want to boost nature on their school site, to improve it for both wildlife and the school community. They worked together to discuss key questions, such as ‘How would you like it to make you and other people feel?’ and ‘What would you like to be able to see?’, before narrowing down their thoughts and agreeing the final statement together.
Louise Hill, Headteacher at Grimes Dyke Primary School said ‘Our very popular science and nature club are passionate about working through the activities from the National Education Nature Park to improve our school grounds further. For these children, our school grounds are a sanctuary’
We can’t wait to see Grimes Dyke Primary’s vision statement start to become a reality as they move through the Nature Park programme – keep up the good work!
Inspiring visions from across the country
Thank you to all of the schools who have taken part in this activity this month and shared their vision statements with us. We’re excited to see these inspiring visions come to life.
‘Our Nature Park will be a place where people feel welcomed and invited to express their thoughts and feelings. Animals feel safe and are able to live peacefully. We would like this place to be more open to wildlife and help them live in a safe environment where it’s all calm. Everyone would see more nature and colourful plants and flowers. We want this to be an inclusive space, where both plants and animals can grow and live with no worries and people will enjoy themselves.‘
Year 7 student, Salford City Academy
‘Our Nature Park will be a place where people and nature are happy and joyful because the colourful flowers attract bees, butterflies and many more.’
Year 4 pupil, Ellenbrook Community Primary School
Take part
Having a vision statement is a brilliant activity to undertake during the ‘Getting to know your space’ and ‘Identifying opportunities’ step of your Nature Park journey, so you can move forward into the drier and warmer months with a shared vision of how you want to improve your site for nature. Take part with your class, and don’t forget to share with us using #EducationNaturePark or emailing [email protected].