Forest School Area
We’re delighted to be awarding Bugle School an Eden Geothermal Community Fund grant to help them transform their school field into an eco-friendly learning area.
The school has recently invested in training a member of staff to become a Forest School leader and now each of the 180 pupils at the school, all aged between 2 and 11, and every staff member, spends a minimum of 6 weeks in the Wild Wonderers’ Forest School, learning and exploring nature.
But the vision is much bigger than that. Thanks to the Forest School teacher’s passion and enthusiasm, combined with the “overwhelming” engagement of the children, what started out as a small forest school area is set to expand to take over more of the school field, as they create a 100 sq m wildflower meadow area with a wildlife hide.
All of the volunteer people power for the project is being provided by staff and children, who have already started clearing brambles to allow access, putting up birdboxes and creating wood piles, coppicing willow for the Wild Meadow boundary fence, and have built and put up eight birdboxes and a bat box. An area that could be turned into a small woodland setting for nature-connecting activities and learning has been identified.
“over time, we will be able to impact not only the pupils’ and community’s love and passion for all things great and small, but also create a sustainable environment where we can do our little bit to support and help the environment.”
The Eden Geothermal Community Fund is helping with the transformation by funding the tools (for both adults and children) and materials needed to build, plant and kit out the new areas. The grant will also fund some resources to ensure the new residents settle in (including a hedgehog house, bird tables and a squirrel snack box!) and to help the children to enjoy the space, such as bug investigation kits and children’s binoculars.
The school’s aim is that “over time, we will be able to impact not only the pupils’ and community’s love and passion for all things great and small, but also create a sustainable environment where we can do our little bit to support and help the environment.”
We wish them the very best of luck!
