We're in the midst of a biodiversity crisis so educating children from an early age about how and what they can do to help and support nature's recovery is hugely important.
Wilberfoss School, just outside of York, already have an outdoor play area as well as a garden with trees and a pond but they were attracted to having a NatureArk® so they can expand on what they are currently doing for biodiversity.
The installation went really well with all the year groups getting involved, sharing tools and making sure all the younger ones were included in the tasks. They helped to add the soil and plant the wildflower plugs and they enjoyed asking our Biodiversity Manager, Terry Smithson, lots of questions.
It's early days, but the NatureArk is benefitting everyone at the school. The staff use the area for meetings but it's the children's responsibility to look after it and to find materials for the different habitats. Miss Pemberton, Assistant Headteacher, said "We are all so excited to have a NatureArk in our school. It's a beautiful addition and provides great learning opportunities, especially in science. We expect that it will become a big part of our nurture programme".
As well as being a useful tool for education, spending time outdoors and making time to appreciate the nature around you, does wonders for your mental health and wellbeing. The NatureArk will be an invaluable resource for the whole school to exercise this.
When we asked Miss Pemberton for her feedback about BioScapes, she replied "I would absolutely recommend BioScapes to others! The expertise has been invaluable. It's been great that it feels like a collaboration rather than just an installation and the advice given on how the NatureArk can be used but also leaving room for us to practice our own thoughts and ideas has been really useful".
We hope to visit the school over the coming months to find out how much the school are enjoying it and what learnings the the children have gained from having it.