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BENFIELD VALLEY PROJECT
GETTING SCHOOLS INVOLVED
Encouraging children to learn about their local wildlife
WORKING WITH SCHOOLS
We are dedicated to getting children involved with the natural world. We believe it is important to connect children to the outdoors, not only to learn about the importance of habitats and wildlife, but how the natural world can benefit them.
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We also want to give them the tools for them to have their say in the protection of their greenspace.
BENFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL - FIELD TRIP
We had a wonderful day when the Year 5 from Benfield Primary School visited us at Benfield Valley for a guided nature walk. We looked for wildlife signs, spotted woodpecker holes and a woodpecker! We listened for birds and learnt about the different songs they have, we found the badgers favourite digging spot and explored the woods.
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The children and their teachers had a wonderful time, it was encouraging to see so many children excited about the wildlife on their doorstep. They were so engaged with the walk, asking questions, listening and learning about the space around them. It was such a privilege to have these children join us. They even had some words of encouragement for us!
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"I liked seeing the trees and the woodpeckers and learning more about them." Isla
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"I liked learning about nature and finding new places in Benfield Valley I didn't know existed." Riley
BENFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL - CLASSROOM VISIT
Following the field trip to Benfield Valley Nature Reserve Helen and Carla visited the school to follow up with the children and their teachers to tell them more about Benfield Valley, it's importance, to learn more about the wildlife and the threat it faces from development.
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"I liked all the information Helen and Kayla told us about trees" Eve
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"We really enjoyed working with the Benfield Valley Project this autumn, learning more about the nature in Benfield Valley and the implications building on it will have for animals' and birds' habitats. Helen and Kayla were brilliant tour guides, taking the children on woodland trails and pointing out lots of different plant and bird species. The children were fascinated by the details they shared with us and were left with a real appreciation of what a diverse space Benfield Valley is. Helen and Kayla then visited us at school and gave us a really powerful and informative presentation about proposals to build on land in Benfield Valley. Our children got a lot from this visit and as a result, wrote their best piece of writing yet this year, letters to persuade the Council to abandon the proposals. Without a doubt, Helen and Kayla's work with us really brought our geography field work topic to life and made the learning much more memorable and meaningful. Thank you Benfield Valley Project!" - Miss Hawkins
FIGHTING TO SAVE BENFIELD VALLEY - BENFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL LETTERS
Writing Letters to the Council
As a part of their literacy the Year 5 Benfield Primary School children wrote to the council in the hopes they would convince them to abandon the development proposal on our precious greenspace.