To celebrate UNESCO’s fourth International Day of Education on 24 January, the invertebrate conservation charity, Buglife, is launching a new national educational resource aimed at Key Stage 1 and 2 students. UNESCO’s recent global Futures of Education report says that an urgent rebalance of our relationships with each other and with nature is needed.
Buglife is doing its part to help UK school’s bring nature into the classroom using its award winning B-Lines programme – an imaginative and beautiful solution to the loss of wildflowers and pollinators by creating insect pathways across our towns and cities. The invertebrate conservation charity has produced a new free national pollinator education and resource pack for primary schools.
Aimed at Key Stages 1 and 2 (ages 5-7 year olds), these free to download resources celebrate bees, wildflowers and the importance of pollination, giving children the chance to learn about some of the small things that run the planet.
From building-a-bee games and puzzles, to challenges on how to create a favourite meal without the help of pollinators, the resources aim to provide students with an understanding of a bee’s life cycle whilst showing their amazing diversity and importance. The resources will also help with outdoor activities such as minibeast hunts and creating wildflower areas in schools.
Scarlett Weston, Buglife Engagement Officer and pack designer shared: ““The pack was initially created out of necessity during Covid, when I was unable to deliver educational sessions in schools in Cornwall, but it quickly grew from there into a comprehensive resource that can be used by teachers across the UK. I wanted teachers to not only have an array of exciting activities to weave into their lesson plans, but to also have access to our Buglife expertise about some of these incredible species.”
In the 2022 “Children’s People and Nature Survey” led by Natural England, 8 in 10 children interviewed agreed that being in nature made them very happy and a similar number said that looking after the environment was important to them. A further review of 20 global studies concluded that nature-based learning activities led to positive outcomes for students educationally and delivered positive impacts on the social outcomes of children too. Nature and natural spaces are important for both education and connection.
Scarlett adds: “I hope that the pack will inspire pupils to have a more positive relationship with our precious pollinating insects and empower pupils to help protect them. It is important that when children learn about the biodiversity crisis they don’t feel powerless to help. We want this pack to inspire children to make an impact for our invertebrates”.
The resources provide activity ideas in both structured and unstructured education settings; meaning they can not only be used in schools but are an excellent resource for families looking for something fun and educational to do in their own time.
To download and find out more about Buglife’s new national pollinator education and resource pack for primary schools please visit Activities for Schools – Buglife
- View & download the B-Lines Education Pack for Primary Schools
- View & download the B-Lines Resource Pack for Primary Schools
