Education

Young Rangers In Action

Volunteers learning new skills on Dartmoor

This summer, a group of enthusiastic young people carried out conservation work to keep Dartmoor’s popular Granite Tramway looking good. Fifteen volunteers endured foggy and wet conditions to roll up their sleeves, remove turf, repair eroded sections and keep the area looking spick and span so people can enjoy it. The event was led by Dartmoor National Park Ranger Pete Rich and youth engagement ranger Emily Cannon. Both said it was great to have them back involved with practical conservation work. Four of the group have previously been involved with the Junior and Youth Ranger scheme and eleven were new volunteers from diff erent parts of Devon and Cornwall. Following the conservation task, they enjoyed a walk and talk in the surrounding area. The Haytor Granite Tramway is a reminder of the times when the area was quarried with stone being transported along the granitebuilt tramway to Ventiford Basin and onto Teignmouth by boat. Over the years Dartmoor National Park Authority, supported by passionate and skilled volunteers, have worked hard to conserve the area come rain or shine. For some, the event was the fi rst time they’d been on Dartmoor as a ‘ranger’ since the pandemic outbreak in early 2020. Pete said: ‘It was fantastic to get the Junior and Youth Rangers together, see some new faces and carry out some practical conservation work that’ll make a valuable contribution to keeping Dartmoor special for everyone.’ Emily added: ‘Feedback was really positive, from how much they enjoyed using tools and carrying out practical tasks, to learning more about the tramway, and being in a team of people again. We’re always keen to hear from anyone who wants to join our Junior and Youth rangers’ programmes and I’d love to hear from anyone who wishes to join.’ Dartmoor National Park established the Junior Rangers Programme in 2015. It’s for young people aged 12 – 14 and gives them a chance to meet like-minded people and have loads of outdoor fun, learning practical and personal skills in one of Britain’s most iconic landscapes. The Youth Rangers programme is for graduating Junior Rangers aged 15 – 19. They get involved with more challenging tasks and can achieve a John Muir Award. Over the summer the young rangers have tackled Himalayan balsam, managed bracken on important archaeological sites, repaired boardwalks and bridleways, collected seeds and assisted in a tree nursery, and learnt the traditional skill of dry stone walling. This was made possible by working in partnership with several Dartmoor conservation charities, and thanks to Generation Green funding.

Generation Green aims to connect young people to nature, create and save jobs, and build a green recovery workforce. YHA (England & Wales) is hosting the project on behalf of the partners: The Outward Bound Trust, Scouts, Girlguiding, Field Studies Council and the 10 English National Parks. Funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund, Generation Green is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency, and the Forestry Commission. The Junior Ranger and Youth Ranger autumn and winter programmes are now available. In October, activities include gorse management at Haytor on October 9th; coppicing and woodland management near Bovey Tracey on October 17th; scrub clearance at Roborough on October 26th and gorse management at Gidleigh on October 29th. There’s also a free residential weekend at Okehampton Youth Hostel for Junior Rangers on October 29th - October 31st. In November, there are boardwalk repairs at Ivybridge on November 7th; Gorse removal at Newbridge on November 13th and tree planting near Darlington on November 21st, plus a free residential weekend at Okehampton Youth Hostel for Youth Rangers from November 26th until November 28th. Please e-mail Emily for more information: ecannon@ dartmoor.gov.uk or 07912 470778. n

The highly popular ‘JUST ONE Tree Day takes place on Friday, October 15th in schools all over the UK.

Schools throughout the country and around the globe have committed to participating in this international non-uniform day that encourages children to bring in £1 to plant a tree and help reforest the planet - a tree is planted for every £1 raised. Over 150,000 children from eight countries have joined together since JUST ONE Tree Day fi rst launched in 2019.

So what’s it all about?

The day highlights to children and young people how their individual actions can make a diff erence in the fi ght against climate change and the biodiversity crises. It is the fl agship event of JUST ONE Tree, a British not-forprofi t dedicated to removing CO2 from the atmosphere through global reforestation. The event is open to both primary and secondary schools - those taking part can access lesson resources that fi t in with the national curriculum. Although it’s taking place on October 15th, schools can choose any other day to participate if this doesn’t fi t in their calendar - and they could choose any type of fundraiser, it doesn’t have to be a ‘mufti’ day. As part of their fundraising activities, children learn about photosynthesis, the benefi ts of trees for both people and wildlife and the vital role they play in reducing the impacts of climate change. JUST ONE Tree founder, Amanda Bronkhorst, said: ‘JUST ONE Tree Day was born out of my passion to make a diff erence – not only for my young daughter, but for the future of all children. JUST ONE Tree Day has resulted in over 150,000 trees planted and I know that this year the “children’s forest” can grow even bigger. ‘School participation is doubly important, because not only do they raise funds, the forest planted on their behalf helps compensate for a school’s environmental impact. ‘Many children today struggle with climate anxiety, caused by the reality of our climate crisis. But JUST ONE Tree Day tells them that we can all make a diff erence with a simple action. By taking direct action it spreads hope and positivity. It’s important to involve our young, helping them tackle their worries of today while setting them up for a sustainable lifestyle that aids their future.’ The money raised is used to plant the ‘right trees in the right place’ – supporting reforestation projects in Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal and Zambia, including mangrove forests and kelp regeneration. For more information about JUST ONE Tree go to www.justonetree.life n

Fostering a curiosity for learning

Play, music, art and science all have a part to play

At Bambinos, we don’t just teach our children how to learn; we teach them how to love learning! We do this by creating a safe space full of wonder and imagination where every child feels welcome, supported, challenged but most importantly, loved. We have been welcoming our new children, establishing relationships with each other, and learning about our environment. As we get to know and trust one another, we are discovering interests to help us project future learning experiences for each child. Children are born with an insatiable curiosity for learning. But as they get older, it becomes harder to keep up that curiosity. That curiosity can be kept ignited in each child through an environment where children can explore their minds and bodies through play, music, art, and science. Our curriculum emerges from children, engaging them in hands-on activities that strengthen their cognitive skills while also building confi dence and self-esteem. Fine motor skills are an essential part of development and include all those activities that involve precision, a high level of hand-eye coordination, controlled movement, and concentration. Mastery of fi ne motor skills are essential for the acquisition of certain skills, such as writing, and subsequent learning. To help prepare our children for their future writing endeavours, we engage them in meaningful ageappropriate activities to help them develop their upper body, shoulder, arm, fi nger, and wrist muscles through activities such as painting on vertical services, scooping and pouring sand and water, interacting with playdough and using tweezers to pick up small objects. All these motor activities help to lay the foundation for a good pencil grasp in the future. A lot of dialogue and thinking goes behind the choices in materials that we make available to children - we see materials as tools for learning and discovery. They are treasures for the children to explore as they choose presented with an air of wonder. The wider the range of possibilities we off er children, the more intense will be their motivations and the richer their experiences and opportunities to actively use their senses as they explore their world through sensory play experiences, which is crucial to brain development. Materials and instruments found during this time of year, such as ornaments, pinecones, leaves and pumpkins are great tools to explore diff erent textures, sizes, weights, colours, shapes, scents, sounds, taste - the most unexpected fi ndings are always the ones that cause the most excitement. Sensory proposals allow our children to awaken curiosity, enabling them to make discoveries using previous knowledge to make connections. n

Sara Richards, Bambinos

School Drive, Woolwell, Plymouth PL6 7TH 01752 696616 woolwell@bambinosdaynursery.co.uk www.bambinosdaynursery.co.uk

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