3.4 Watery Wildlife Education

Project Update

June 2021

Credit: Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Wednesday 23rd June saw the first of our Watery Wildlife Education events where children from Caston Primary School visited Thompson Common in Norfolk.

“Thank you so much for such a wonderful day in the common yesterday learning about nature and the pingos. We all had an amazing time. The children absolutely loved it!”

Aims/Objectives

• Inspire in-depth learning in young people from four local communities about the watery wildlife in the Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers area
• Build confidence of teachers and group leaders to visit local wildlife sites with young people through the delivery of a series of focused workshops
• Raise awareness in the Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers area of the designated wildlife sites and their importance
• Build upon the partnership between Norfolk and Suffolk Wildlife Trust established during the Breaking New Ground Landscape Partnership

Summary

Norfolk and Suffolk Wildlife Trusts will work intensively with four key primary schools and surrounding communities in the Brecks, Fen Edge and Rivers project area to introduce the staff and children to the wealth of watery wildlife in their local countryside.

The five-year project will enable the Trusts to work in-depth with the schools and community groups, investigating the full range of wildlife, from water beetles to newts and water-voles to dabbling ducks, building confidence in the outdoors and inspiring learning about the nature around them.

Wildlife workshops for group leaders and teachers will provide greater understanding and knowledge about the local wildlife sites and build confidence in self-guiding children’s groups

School /group visits will help build detailed wildlife knowledge in the young people in the community and why their local area is so special

The project will establish a legacy of continued engagement of the participant schools in local conservation, and education materials will be made available online for wider use.

A Watery Wildlife calendar, promoted to all Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers schools, will help spread the word about what can be seen when and where, helping to encourage people venture out to see the wildlife of the wet Brecks.

If you’d like to get involved in this project contact us for more information or to be added to the project mailing list: bfer.admin@suffolk.gov.uk

Resources

Two films have been produced about Thompson Common which is aimed at the younger audience. They teach about the wonderful Pingo Ponds and the habitats that live at Thompson Common.

To view the films click the video:

SWT & NWT WATERY WILDLIFE CALENDAR IS HERE!

Click the images to download the calendar.

You can find more videos which are great for teachers and the younger audience here: Teacher Hub – Inspiring Norfolk