Having access to discover, learn and play outdoors is surely an essential part of childhood. If a child hasn't ever got their hands mucky, climbed a tree, explored the darkness of a cave or felt sand between their toes, how can we expect them to care enough to protect wildlife? We believe that every child should have contact with nature and on Friday 24th June, we, along with the Field Studies Council and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, will respond to this by opening the doors to all our teaching sites and centres.
Children from schools local to RSPB Rainham Marshes have invited their local MPs - Jon Cruddas, MP for Havering and Jackie Doyle-Price, MP for Thurrock – to join them on their visit to the reserve to see field teaching first hand. It's the first time that school children have invited their local MP to share an outdoor learning experience at our field teaching sites. We hope these MPs will get their hands dirty, their feet mucky and see first-hand the enormous benefits to be gained from regular contact with nature for children, and become champions for learning outside the classroom.
The event is being held in response to calls by teachers for more outside facilities to ensure all children and young people have the opportunity to learn outdoors and have contact with nature. Both schools are taking part in a tailor-made programme, with hands-on discovery, exploration and the natural world at their core, bringing learning to life. Whilst increasing knowledge, skills, confidence, literacy, bringing real world links from the classroom to the natural environment and of course having fun!
You can check out Martin Harpers (Director of Conservation – RSPB) Blog at
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/martinharper/default.aspx