Projects for young people

Children are naturally curious about wildlife and, close contact with nature can be truly inspirational for them. All you have to do is provide the opportunity! Nature conservation is something everyone can become involved in. The first step is to record what is around, so we can then go on to help protect it.
 

The surveying techniques suggested in the other sections of this toolkit can easily be adapted for younger people. Wherever their interests lie, whether it be mammals, amphibians, minibeasts or birds, capture their enthusiasm and encourage them to take part in nature conservation. Here are just a few a few activities which have been designed to inspire and enthuse young people to find out more about the wildlife that lives on their doorstep. We hope they will help inspire a new generation of wildlife recorders and field naturalists.

Transfiguration – ever imaged you are an animal?

The idea behind this survey is to encourage young people to view a local area through the eyes of an animal. Find the perfect habitat for a particular species. In this case we have chosen a house sparrow and a hedgehog but any native species will do. (Try and lead the children away from choosing tigers and monkeys!).

Equipment
For the animal mask
  • Template
  • String
  • Scissors
  • Hole punch
  • Colouring pencils

Equipment
For the survey
  • Clipboard
  • Pencil
  • Survey Form
Get them to think about:
What their animal eats
Where they would find food
Where animal would sleep
What dangers their animal faces
 
Design a set of questions (a survey) that they then have to go out into a local area to try and answer, wearing their animal mask.

Take it further…
Once they have carried out the survey, they can then decide how they could improve the local area for that species and maybe even implement some of the ideas. For example, they could make a woodpile to attract food for hedgehogs to eat.

 

Keeping track…

Just because you cannot see an animal it does not mean it is not there. This activity is designed to encourage young people to use their observation skills to find clues that animals have been using a local area.

Equipment
  • Scavenger hunt card
  • Pencil
  • Clipboard
  • Tracks and trail guide

Get them to think about:
The animals that might live in the local area
The tracks, trails and signs these animals may leave

Design a scavenger hunt card or download one from here

Go searching
Encourage the children to walk carefully and slowly, otherwise they may step on a clue.  Make them look down low and up high, under things and in things – signs can be hidden anywhere. When they find one of the things on their scavenger card they can simply tick the box, or they can try and identify the actual animal that left it.

Take it further…
Why not photograph the signs you find, or take a cast of a footprint.

 

Flower power

There are thousands of flowering plants in Norfolk and this survey is designed to show how many different species can be found under one footprint. You can survey different habitats and compare them to see which ones have the most species (the greatest biodiversity).

Equipment
  • Footprint - Card, Pencil, Scissors
  • Flag - Cocktail sticks,Stickers
Get them to think about:
Different types of flowering plants, including trees.
Where they would expect to see the highest number of different species. For example in the middle a school playing field or on a pavement.
The different habitats in their local area and which ones they could survey.

Step to it…
Make the footprint by drawing around a foot and then cutting out the middle. Make approximately ten flags, by folding a sticker around the top of a cocktail stick.

Go outside and randomly throw the card onto the ground. Mark each different species of plant with a flag. Count the number of different plants that can be seen inside the footprint. You may not be able to recognise all the different plants, especially ones that are not in flower. However, by careful observation of different leaf-shape children will be able to estimate how many different types of plants there are in their footprint.

Take it further…
Why not leave an area of grass to grow tall over the spring and summer? How many species of plants are found in this area compared to the area of grass that has been cut?

 

Mini marvels

Minibeasts come in many different shapes and sizes and like to live in lots of different places. This activity has been designed to show the different species that can be found living in a small area. It also encourages young people to think about the needs of different animals.

Make a minibeast home
If you have the space and the time, have a go at making a minibeast mansion as shown above. If this is not possible, just take one element of the minibeast mansion, such as the plant pots stuffed with bamboo canes, or the logs with holes drilled into them, and put these outside in a secluded corner.

Get them to think about:
What a minibeast is.
Where minibeast live.
What they need to survive.
What could be incorporated into the minibeast mansion.
What sort of minibeasts might be attracted to the mansion.

Make a minibeast passport
Every month carefully check the minibeast mansion or minibeast homes and record the different animals you find there (use survey form w). One good way to get children to observe the minibeasts closely is for them to make a minibeast passport. This encourages them to look at how the animal moves, what it looks like, and what type of food it eats.

 

Butterfly bingo

Compared to other groups of animals there are relatively few species of butterfly in Norfolk, and most are fairly easy to identify. The idea behind this survey is to encourage young people to identify butterflies within a set area.

Equipment
 
  • Butterfly bingo card
  • Colouring pencil
  • Identificaiton book

Get them to think about:
Why butterflies are different colours.
Where you can find butterflies.
What skills you need to be able to spot a butterfly (for example to move slowly and quietly, and be patient while they wait for them to land).

Get the children to accurately colour in the butterfly bingo card, using an identification book to make sure they use the correct colours. Carry out the butterfly survey on a sunny day, preferably between May and September. See you can spot the most species of butterfly in a set period of time.

Take it further…
Why not carry out a butterfly transect on a regular basis (once a week or once a month)? First chose a set route, draw a basic map highlighting key features and habitats. Record the butterflies you see along the route.

 

Track down trees

Trees are perhaps the easiest forms of wildlife to spot – nobody in Norfolk lives far from a tree! There are lots of simple projects to encourage young people to look at their local trees. Here are just two ideas:

Carry out a simple tree survey
in a park, school grounds, a garden, or anywhere with safe access where trees grow. If you are worried about tree identification then simply focus on recording five common types, for example oak, ash, birch, beech and alder.

Get them to think about:
Which trees are the commonest.
Where they grow. Do they grow in particular conditions such as wet or dry places?
Which trees are the tallest.
 
Take it further…
Collecting leaves and making a labelled display with the name of the species, where it was found, when the leaf was collected and by who is a brilliant way to get over the basics of a biological record (what, where, when and who). You can laminate each sheet to make your display but it is a good idea to press and dry the leaves first.

Don’t get in a whirl over whirligigs…

Need help identifying that mystery animal or plant?
Upload your photograph here or email the photograph to [email protected].


Join us for an eventful time

Norfolk Wildlife Trust runs many wildlife events for young people and families -  check out our event section for further information.