Connecting Children to Nature in Bournemouth and Poole Green Spaces by Anneka Schofield, RSPB Dorset Schools Outreach Officer
As part of the Aldi-funded Green Space Outreach Project we have been busy connecting 1,702 children to nature across Bournemouth and Poole during the summer. We have attended 52 events ranging from river dipping on the River Stour, bug hunting in Poole Park to looking at coastal wildlife at Boscombe Beach. Our aim was to engage families in nature activities for a minimum of 30 minutes each so that they would feel a level of connectivity with nature in their local green spaces. The hope is that some of these children will continue their connection to nature at home, school or in other activities run by the RSPB and other conservation organisations. These children will be the future decision makers of the world and we hope that if we can ignite a spark for nature, these decision makers will make more environmentally sensitive decisions.
The RSPB have created some fantastic resources to help us connect children in cities to their local wildlife. We have had children seeing how many different coloured shells they can find on the beach, matching them up to a colour chart and then identifying the animals that lived in them, and finding out more about where they live. Families have been having fun playing wild bingo in parks, by the river, at festivals and along the coast. We have been getting creative in nature by scavenging for natural objects along trails, parks and school grounds and using these to make nature-inspired postcards and masks. We’ve even had a go at outdoor clay sculptures and cooking on a Dutch oven alongside our nature connection activities. To celebrate the end of the school term children visited the Kingfisher Barn on the River Stour with their families to take part in a masquerade party. Children and adults created natural masks from scavenged items found by the river, explored a pond, tested their mimic radar on our animal mimicry trail and drank hot chocolate with a toasted marshmallow.
Highlights of the summer have been spotting an otter frolicking on the banks of the River Stour, opposite children catching and learning about creatures inhabiting the river. It has been fantastic to see dog walkers, fishermen, Bournemouth Council Rangers and people of all ages interacting together to showcase the best of nature and give families an experience to inspire them for the future. Families who had little previous experience of nature made repeat visits to our sessions and were keen to develop their nature journey.
There has been fantastic feedback from children beaming after catching their first woodlouse to parents surprised with how engaged their children have been with activities. Here’s just a sample of the amazing feedback we’ve received:
“This is fantastic to offer to families. You are enabling real family time and making it easy for our children to play outside in nature. Other organisations offer good ideas and lists to follow but you have to do this all by yourself. We love how you are giving us ideas to help nature in our garden as well as providing the expertise to engage our children in nature” (Mum of three under 10-year-olds, River Stour).
“We didn’t even realise that you could get down here (River Stour), but we saw this event advertised on a leaflet and thought river dipping and pancakes sounded like great fun! We will be coming down here again.” (Mum, River Stour).
“I didn’t think my kids would enjoy this so much...but they love it! They’ve found the biggest spider ever, grasshoppers and even a baby ladybird” (Dad from forest explorers).
“Look at what I’ve found, a blood worm, hundreds of snails and these really fast spinning things” (Boy aged 5, Kingfisher Barn).
Our volunteers deserve a huge applause for their dedication and hours spent engaging families at our green space events. Our volunteers have collectively given up almost 200 hours of their time over the summer. Without the efforts of these dedicated nature connectors, we would not have been able to engage so many children in such meaningful activities. There has been plenty of fun including building giant sand snails and making pancakes on a fire pit for over 80 children, but more importantly, these volunteers have passed on their knowledge and enthusiasm to a new generation. It has been fantastic to witness children eagerly listening and then repeating what they have learned to their parents and grandparents. What a fantastic project to be part of!
We now look forward to the autumn term where we will be continuing the journey by visiting primary schools with our FREE outreach sessions.
Click here for more information about the scheme
All Photos by Anneka Schofield