Young people up and down the country become habitat heroes
Last week on Outdoor Classroom Day, young people in schools, nurseries and colleges took part in the Nature Park’s Habitat Heroes activity, making over 900 observations (and counting!) of nature in their outdoor spaces.
From Somerset to Northumberland, young people across the country followed prompts to discover the homes for wildlife they have on their learning sites, uploading their findings to an online map.
Discoveries ranged from sturdy fences and benches supporting spider webs, to dark hiding spots for worms and frogs.
Downpours in many parts of the country didn’t dampen our habitat heroes’ spirits, although the weather may have had something to do with to the top observation category being homes for slugs and snails!
Lots of settings also took part in our Hidden Nature Challenge activity, which now stands at over 5000 observations.
News teams from ITV visited nurseries, schools and colleges across ten regions in England, showing what young people are getting up to through the National Education Nature Park on the six o’clock regional news.
It’s not too late to get involved – both the Habitat Heroes activity and Hidden Nature Challenge are available in our growing library of free resources and are great ways to get you and your class started on your Nature Park journey.
Both foster connecting to nature and prepare you for the ‘mapping your site’ activities – a vital first step so that learners can understand their starting point and work out how best to improve their site for both people and wildlife.
Have you taken part?
Congratulations on being habitat heroes! Check out some of the activities and resources below to celebrate and continue your Nature Park journey.
- Now you've got familiar with your outdoor spaces, it's time to start mapping your site
- Celebrate your achievement by downloading our Habitat Heroes certificates
- Share what you have been up to #EducationNaturePark