Getting youngsters engaged with nature is increasingly seen as a positive thing, so it's been a pleasure for our Club to have helped a local school buy camera equipment to encourage their youngsters to take an interest in wildlife.
Pilgrims' Way Primary School is a local school in Canterbury that has a 'Forest school' as part of its activities. Through this the children learn about the natural environment while gaining skills, knowledge and confidence. It's a key part of their curriculum and gives the youngsters an opportunity to learn through nature and physical activity.
While out at the Pilgrim's Way school in relation to our Children's Story Writing Competition, members of our Vocational Committee were approached and asked if our Club could help the school get two cameras that would help the children learn about wildlife and discover more about the creatures that live around us. The Committee agreed to the request and a donation was duly made. We've just received the following lovely message from Rebecca Daynes from the Forest School. It's been a pleasure for us to have been able to help and we look forward to updates with more pictures.
"We would like to express our sincere thanks to The Rotary Club for funding two wildlife cameras for the Pilgrims’ Way Forest School. We have already captured some wonderful photos and videos of all sorts of visitors including hedgehogs, foxes, squirrels, lots of different birds and some curious cats! The children have been absolutely amazed by the footage, especially the ‘night vision’ videos of the surprisingly speedy hedgehogs who visit us every night. A video of a rather rotund cat being given the run-around by two cheeky squirrels produced peals of laughter, and there were some very wide eyes when a large fox come right up to the camera. Among a lot of cries of “Cool!” and “Sweet!” one child said it made them very happy to see that after he and his friends went home the animals came to play in their school, because sharing was one of the most important things we learn about in Forest School. With new footage being uploaded every week so that the children can watch it in class, and regular posts on the school Facebook page which have been very popular with parents, the cameras are already bringing a lot of joy to the school and are a wonderful way to interest pupils in the natural world around them. We are even planning a creative writing initiative based on our furry, feathery and prickly Forest School visitors. We are so passionate about getting our children engaged in the outdoors and learning about the natural world around them, and this kind gift from the Rotary Club has enabled us to further enrich our outdoor curriculum. I have no doubt that the children's already keen interest in wildlife will be furthered by your thoughtful donation.
Thank you from all the pupils and staff at Pilgrims’ Way."
Picture: Screen grab from a video showing a fox visiting Forest School early one morning before the school opened. Picture credit: Forest School, Pilgrims' Way Primary School & Nursery. (Reproduced with permission). Video is shared on our facebook page.
You can also visit the school's facebook page to see more pictures and videos.
