Natural Connections – The wonder of learning

Children's incredible aptitude for learning when the subject excites them and is different from the norm never ceases to amaze me. Last week Cumbernauld Living Landscape delivered four workshops about the wildlife you can find in Cumbernauld to P5-7 pupils at Woodlands Primary School.

We covered badgers, otters, deer, foxes, hedgehogs and of course the elusive but beautiful pine marten, as well as more well-known species like herons, robins and butterflies. You could feel the excitement in the class with all the children very vocal and animated. We all left the school with a lighter step and wee buzz in our hearts, not to mention ringing ears!

We're really looking to going back next week to show them how to assess their school grounds for wildlife and how they can improve things, and then rounding up the day with a game of eco musical chairs. This is a game set to Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi where we tell the story of habitat fragmentation in a simple and fun way.

Habitat fragmentation is a term that can be confusing to most adults let alone children, but by telling the story through a game, we can cover issues such as the impact on wildlife and loss of habitats. Then we introduce positive measures like wildlife tunnels under motorways and green bridges.