As a nursery community, we are on a continuous journey to empower our children to improve their environmental awareness.  

There are lots of wonderful ideas that you can do as a family to learn more about the natural world and care for the environment, which supports STEM and literacy learning, as well as your child’s health and wellbeing.

RECYCLE

Introduce your children to the concept of sorting household rubbish for recycling into categories such as plastic, paper, metal and glass.  This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about different types of materials used for packaging, how they are made and how they can be reused.  

National Geographic have a great online game to do a recycle round-up and clean up the park: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/games/action-and-adventure/recycle-roundup-new/

RE-USE

Instead of throwing things away, encourage your child to think of great ways to reuse items.  Egg cartons work really well for growing herbs, glass jars are perfect for storing loose parts for play, and tin cans make really good pen and pencil holders.

COMPOST

Composting helps to teach our children about reducing the waste that heads to landfills by converting it into nutrient-rich soil.

There are lots of free and easy ways for your family to start composting.  

Use a recycled plastic drinks bottle – https://www.changeworks.org.uk/sites/default/files/Make_compost_in_a_bottle.pdf 

Recycle some wooden pallets – https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/give-nature-a-home-in-your-garden/garden-activities/startcomposting/

You could also simply create a compost trench in your garden or use an old bin or container – https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Kindergarden/kidscompost/CompostingForKids.pdf

So what should you put in?

Greens – these are things that rot quickly, and provide important nitrogen and moisture

• Tea bags
• Grass cuttings
• Vegetable peelings, salad leaves and fruit scraps
• Coffee grounds
• Old flowers and nettles

Browns – these are things that rot more slowly.  They provide carbon and fibre and also allow air pockets to form

• Cardboard
• Egg boxes
• Paper
• Leaves
• Twigs and branches
• Sawdust
• Egg shells

LITTER PICK

Visit a local park and spend some time cleaning up the litter.  You will not only be protecting the wildlife and caring for the world around you but you will also be helping your community.  It will hopefully inspire others to join in too.  Count how many bits of rubbish you find – you will be amazed!  Don’t forget to wear protective gloves and take a rubbish bag.     

GARDEN SAFARI

You don’t have to go far to encounter some amazing living things.  Going on a back garden safari in your own garden or to a local park or woods will be a real voyage of discovery.  It is such a fun way to explore and learn about local plants, animals and minibeasts.  You can simply sit and watch, take photos or a video, do a scavenger checklist or record what you found by drawing a picture.

There is lots of information on the WWF to help you get started – https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/love-nature/garden-safari

GROWING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Getting your child involved in growing fruit and vegetables is a great way for them to learn where their food comes from and make healthy eating choices.  Children can see first hand the growing cycle and develop an awareness of the seasonal nature of food.

Try growing indoors whilst the weather is still cold.  Tomatoes, carrots, peppers and beans work well on a nice sunny windowsill using a recycled container that allows drainage.

https://kidsgardening.org/gardening-basics-indoor-gardening/

Spring is coming soon and the perfect time to start growing outdoors if you have the opportunity.  You can plant in tubs, make a raised bed or create a garden growing patch.  

Fruits and vegetables that are easy to grow and mature quickly are strawberries, lettuce, peas, radishes, and courgettes.       

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/easy-crops-kids-grow

We would love if you could share your learning from home with us so we can use it as part of our action plan, either via Google Classroom or Twitter @GlenwoodFC #Glenwoodlearningfromhome