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ever 3 r y day fo A big thank you for signing up your school to take part in the UK’s biggest and best nature challenge:
Welcome to 30 Days Wild!
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#30DaysWild
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild
Welcome to 30 Days Wild
1st – 30th June
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he Wildlife Trusts wants to help you and your pupils lead a wilder life this June (and all year round, too!). By signing up to the challenge, your class will be joining hundreds of thousands of others all over the UK doing something wild every day for a month.
Using the natural world in your classroom can open up new ways to engage your pupils and bring new perspectives on old topics, spark fresh enthusiasm and creativity. This pack is full of ideas to help make your 30 Days Wild an adventure to remember, but you don’t have to follow them to the letter. Let nature inspire you – go wild and make the activities your own! Find loads of downloadable resources (like wildlife spotting sheets, more lesson plans, a nature table template and lots of activity sheets) by searching 30 Days Wild Schools.
Going wild is good for you Here’s the science!
We worked with the University of Derby to test the impact that taking part in 30 Days Wild has on the health and wellbeing of those taking part. The report concluded that participants felt happier, healthier and more connected to nature after doing the challenge, and for months after, too! This study supports an ever-expanding body of research that proves spending time in nature has a positive impact on children. See if you and your pupils feel the benefits this June!
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wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
Making nature part of school life
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he 30 Random Acts of Wildness cards in this pack are yours to share with your class however you want. Whether your school is surrounded by grey or green – there’s something for everyone. Use them for inspiration to do your own thing, or build your 30 days around them. Whatever you decide, there’s plenty of ideas to help you connect with nature, learn about it or help wildlife. These cards can be adapted to suit different age groups and weathers. We’ve also included activities that can be done in the classroom, the playground or playing fields.
Random Acts of Wildnes Random Act of Wildne ss
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#30DaysW
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#30D aysW ild
of Wildness cards: Here are some ways you can use your Random Acts
Daily nature challenge
Lesson-plan inspiration
Use one card every day. Nominate a pupil to pick one at registration time each day for the whole class to complete.
Your Random Acts of Wildness cards can be moulded into a whole lesson plan. You can adapt them to apply to an array of subjects: art, maths, English, science, geography, history or PSHE.
Homework Your cards can serve as tasks for students to do at home or on their journey to/from school. This will not only help to inspire their family members but also act as discussion points for the next day in class.
Rewards Reward behaviour or performance by letting star pupils pick a Random Act of Wildness to carry out, either by themselves or as a class.
Design your own You or your pupils can design your own cards and do a big card-swap within the class or school. Encourage illustrations and fancy fonts!
Playtime Challenge your class every day at break or lunch time by selecting a Random Act of Wildness for them to complete.
Nature table Set up a nature table in your classroom for the month – each day adding something new to amaze and educate. You can find a nature table template on your wallchart with space for your discoveries.
Sensory basket For more Early Years children, try a nature-themed sensory basket: think feathers, sticks and stones.
Wild days out Field trip time! Plan a wild day out at one of your Wildlife Trusts’ nature reserves. From wood to wetlands, the 30 Random Acts of Wildness can be enhanced at a place where you’re surrounded by nature.
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
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Activity Sheets
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
Watch how your mini nature reserve grows over your 30 Days Wild challenge. Have any critters come to visit?
Creepy crawlies are all around us and really easy to get a close look at! Remember to put them back where you found them!
Illustration: Corinne Welch © Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts 2015
How to make a tumble trap
Illustration: Corinne Welch © Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts 2015
Ever been startled by the “thunk” of a bird crashing into your class window? Get arty, decorate your classroom, and make your windows bird-proof!
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
Wildlife spotter sheet
Great for working into a PE or science class
easts? of these common minib yground. Can you spot all pla the of s ner cor the and exploring Get your pupils outside
Spider
Slug
Bumblebee
Worm
Ladybird
Wasp
Snail
Woodlouse
Butterfly
Shieldbug
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
Pics: Garden spider © Chris Maguire, Bumblebee and 7-spot ladybird, © Jon Hawkins, Garden snail © Alan Price, Butterfly © John Higham, Slug © Nick Upton, Earthworm © Eden Jackson, Wasp © Richard Burkmar, Woodlouse © Chris Lawrence, Green shieldbug © Amy Lewis.
Illustration: Corinne Welch © Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts 2015
Make a mini nature reserve
Help birds avoid windows
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You can find more of these activity sheets at
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Home sweet home
SCIENCE KS2 1 hour (including 10 or more mins outside)
This lesson will open your class’ eyes to the hidden habitats around them, and begin to recognise and identify how animals have adapted to life in their natural homes.
Equipment
Lesson Aims
Card pairs featuring habitats and animals (see prep) Paper with printed grid Pens Clipboards Magnifying glasses
Students will be able to recognise that habitats are found all around us, and understand that animals have adaptations that make them suited to their homes.
Key learning outcomes
Wild word play
Explore your outside space of choice and breathe life into your class’ writing with this sensory journey! Challenge the children to exercise their creativity, drawing inspiration from nature.
Equipment
Following this lesson, students will be able to…
Paper
Define the term ‘habitat’
Pens
Lesson Aims Students will be able to produce original writing inspired by nature, applying appropriate descriptive devices.
Identify and give examples of a variety of habitats and microhabitats Interpret how the features of living things are suited to their habitats Apply learning to design a fictional animal well-adapted to its habitat
Key learning outcomes Following this lesson, students will be able to… Name all five human senses Use appropriate descriptive language to describe the natural environment and objects in nature Write original compositions, selecting from a variety of descriptive devices to write about nature
Time
Activity
Time
Activity
Prep
• Create a set of cards (approximately 3-5 pairs per group), one half featuring a habitat and the other half featuring an animal that might live in each habitat. Make sure you’re familiar with your outdoor space to establish any safety and practical considerations, and for ideas of what your class might find in their exploration.
Prep
• Find and properly assess your outside space according to your requirements. Depending on your students, you may decide to carry out these exercises verbally or in books or worksheets.
5
mins
• Introduce the topic and an outline for your lesson, asking your pupils if they know what the word is for where an animal lives (habitat).
20 mins
5
• Ask if anyone can think of a type of habitat and name a few key examples (e.g. forest, river, mountain etc). • With each habitat named by the class, get them to also name an animal that lives there, and write them on them on the board.
• Prepare your group to venture out. Explain that you will be thinking about all the ways they sense and take in details about their surroundings. Pair up your class with their working partners.
• Divide class into small groups, and using the habitat cards, ask the groups to match up habitats to the animals that live in them.
mins
30 mins
• Go through the answers as a class and choose two animals to focus on, and review their adaptations. A combination of terrestrial and aquatic (or maybe something that can fly!) is ideal for contrast – e.g. a rabbit and a fish.
mins
• Ask the class where animals might live on your school grounds? What habitats they think you might find outside? Think big and small – include microhabitats like moss and beneath rocks! • Fill out grids as a class (grid of 4 to 9 big squares: adjust according to your space): write (or draw) one habitat you expect to find outside on each square.
mins
15
mins
• Pair off your students • Send pairs off on the hunt for the habitats on the sheets: They will have 5 minutes (or more depending on the size of your exploration zone) to find them, and note down any others they can find that something might live in! • Call everyone in and regroup.
20 mins
• Round up any additional habitats everyone found and discuss what kind of animals they think might live there.
Ask students to choose their favourite habitat of the day and design an imaginary creature, labelling the characteristics that would make them particularly suited to that habitat.
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
• Tell your class that they will be using the descriptive devices from the earlier challenges to write an acrostic poem about nature, using the word ‘nature’ as a base. Depending on your class, you may choose to write the poem as a class, or individually, perhaps letting them choose their own word. • Ask them to think about what they experienced using their senses earlier. If you’re heading back to class for this part, the journey back would be a good time to do this.
• Did anyone find all the habitats on their grid? Where were they?
• Challenge your class to include each descriptive technique explored earlier, including onomatopoeia and similes, remembering that it doesn’t have to rhyme!
• Finish off your session with a review of your class’ highlights: Which was the smallest habitat they found? Which was their favourite? Did they spot anything else during their exploration?
Further work:
• Challenge 1: What does it look like? Keeping the object hidden, students must take it in turns to describe what it looks like to their partner, using single adjectives: After each single adjective used to describe the object, partner guesses, keeping count of how many words are used.
• Challenge 3: What does it feel like? (similes) This time, you will be targeting different textures, using similes to describe them. Choosing objects to focus on (be sure to bring along some hand sanitiser!), take it in turns to describe how it feels to the touch by comparing it to other familiar objects. Some examples might be bark (sandpaper), moss (pillow), or think outside the box and include the elements – sun, wind and rain if they’re present!
• Prepare to go outside, explain that you’re going to go on a “habitat hunt”!
10
• On your journey or at your location, instruct each student to find a small object (e.g. pebble, twig, feather), and keep it hidden from their partner – they will need this for the first task:
• Challenge 2: What does it sound like? Ask your class if they remember the what they call a word that sounds like the thing it’s describing. What sounds can they hear around them? In their pairs, challenge them to list as many onomatopoeic words they can, relating to sounds they can hear around them, or relating to nature more generally. You could use prompts e.g. water or wind to help your class along. Have a little fun when sharing favourite words with the rest of the group; get everyone to perform the word in a chorus!
• Ask if the rabbit would be good at surviving in the fish’s habitat (and vice versa), and why not? What would it need to be able to survive there? Permission granted to be a little silly here!
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• Start by asking the class how we sense the world around us. Can they name all 5 senses? • Ask your class how we describe the world around us using words, discussing, or asking them to suggest some of the different ways this can be done. Importantly, define the devices used in this lesson: adjectives, similes and onomatopoeia.
• Come back to your list (or a few highlighted examples) and discuss – what do these animals have that make them really good at surviving where they live (adaptations)? E.g. Squirrels have claws for climbing, a tail for balance, fur for warmth.
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ENGLISH KS1/2 1 hour (incl 30 mins or more outside)
• Share the finished poem(s) with the class.
Further work:
Write a final draft of the acrostic poems produced during the lesson and present them creatively; maybe illustrating the page or having fun with the layout!
ore Download m t a lesson plans s.org/ wildlifetrust /schools 30DaysWild
wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild/schools
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Find your Wildlife Trust
Wherever you are, there is a Wildlife Trust standing up for wildlife and green spaces near you.
T
he Wildlife Trusts give millions of people the opportunity to connect with nature in the communities where they live and work. Our staff and volunteers work with thousands of schools by welcoming them to our nature
reserves and education centres, and by making visits to schools to help children discover nature. To find out how we can help, how to get your school involved, or about our membership schemes, find your Wildlife Trust at wildlifetrusts.org
Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy of wildlife in their daily lives. In a poll by YouGov, commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts*, we found that…
91
%
of parents think that having access to nature and wildlife is important for children in general
27
%
of children aged 8-15 had never played outside by themselves, beyond their house or garden
37
%
of children had never seen a hedgehog in the UK
We know that, sadly, not every school has easy access to green space. We hope that 30 Days Wild will help you to notice and find the nature around you, wherever you are.
Follow us… @WildlifeTrusts @wildlifetrusts @thewildlifetrusts *Figures from YouGov Plc. online survey, 16-20th Oct 2018. Sample size 1,082 children and 4,224 adults, of which 1,070 were parents of children agreed 18 or under. Figures are weighted and representative of all GB children aged 8-15, and all GB adults aged 18+. Take care when exploring wild places. Be careful not to damage wildlife or yourself. Never eat or drink anything wild unless you know it is safe to do so.
T: 01636 677111 E:
[email protected] wildlifetrusts.org/30DaysWild The Wildlife Trusts The Kiln Mather Road Newark Nottinghamshire NG24 1WT Registered Charity No 207238
Pic credits: Ryan Blackwood, Emma Bradshaw, Helena Dolby, Paula Irish, Shutterstock.
The Wildlife Trusts want to see Every Child Wild
