5,000 schoolchildren connect with nature
More than 5,000 school children have been given a firsthand experience of nature in just the first six months of a free school trips scheme run by WWT.
The scheme is offered to children at schools in disadvantaged areas, who are least likely to have had the opportunity to connect with nature yet are most likely to gain from the experience.
WWT supporters are paying for the children to go pond dipping, hunt for minibeasts, explore wetland habitats and have fun learning together in natural and safe environments at WWT Wetland Centres across the UK.
Studies show that getting outside and interacting with nature helps children with self-esteem, reduces stress and stimulates creativity and co-operation.
The high demand for places is continuing with thousands more youngsters expected at WWT Wetland Centres in all parts of the UK in coming months. The scheme is open to every UK state school with at least 20 per cent of children receiving free school meals.
WWT Chief Executive Martin Spray said:
“WWT is saving wetlands for wildlife and people. We want to connect children with nature, so they find out about it, are amazed and inspired by it, and have fun together.
“Nature is good for children, and children do better when they learn and play together in the natural world. Teachers tell us that, and we’re doing everything we can to help teachers give their children a real life experience of things they learn in the classroom.”
Children and teachers who have been on free school learning days to WWT Wetland Centres across the UK say:
“Our visit today was magical! Their little faces came alive when we got back to school and they talked about their best parts of the day.” Churchdown Parton Manor Junior School
“The children learnt so much from this visit. As a school from east London, they're not used to seeing nature, it was an extremely worthwhile and unique experience for them.” Sandringham Primary School
“I liked feeding the bird and it tickled!” Mikey, age 8
“I caught a water spider and it had a baby spider too!” Shenya, age 6
The free school visits are funded by a range of supporters who share WWT’s aim to connect children with nature through WWT’s unique network of Wetland Centres. Avios, Tullow Oil, Cargill, SFIA Educational Trust Ltd, The Shears Foundation, Western Power Distribution, Morgan Sindall Group, RWE npower renewables and many generous individual supporters have all contributed to the Free School Visits Scheme for the 2012/13 academic year.
The free school visits are available at the following WWT Wetland Centres: London (Barnes), Slimbridge (Gloucestershire), Llanelli (Carmarthenshire), Martin Mere (Lancashire), Washington (Tyne and Wear), Castle Espie (nr Newtownards, Northern Ireland), Caerlaverock (nr Dumfries) and Arundel (West Sussex).
For more information on the scheme, visit http://www.wwt.org.uk/conservation/wwt-projects/inspiring-generations/
