Nature’s Classroom

Weeks three and four for our Peatland Progress interns have really solidified their skills with school groups and surveys.

In this update, our interns have been immersed in the Great Fen for nearly a month. Their confidence and knowledge is growing rapidly.

Every Day's a School Day

Lucy

What a week it’s been, full of sunshine, new experiences, and plenty of learning opportunities. Each day brought something fresh!

Monday kicked off with a visit from Alderman Jacobs Primary school, where I helped deliver a nature-packed day for a group of energetic and curious kids. Whereas my fellow interns had met school groups in previous weeks, this was a totally new experience for me. I've never worked with children before, but it turned out to be one of the most heart-warming days yet.

Watching the kids connect with nature so enthusiastically was lovely. One moment in particular stood out: a boy turned to me during one of the activities and said, “I actually really love nature”, which melted my heart. Hopefully they all left the day with a little more love and curiosity for the natural world.

Natalie

I was very excited to get involved with another school visit. My group started the day pond dipping and all the students were very enthusiastic and keen to learn about pond life. We found lots of different creatures including water boatmen, pond snails and dragon fly larvae, which were even more interesting under the microscope.

After the pond excitement, we moved on to den building and I really enjoyed seeing the students work together and creatively design their own structure.

To cool off in the afternoon we went on a nature walk to discover the wildlife living at Ramsey Heights. I was impressed by how observant the students were as they were able to spot signs, such as rabbit holes and deer paths, without seeing the animals.

To conclude the visit I lead the closing activity which reflected on which animals live at the nature reserve. I enjoyed the interactivity of the game and seeing the students understanding which species live here. This experience has improved my confidence working with young people and developed my patience and adaptability when solving problems.

Natalie holding up a picture of a peacock butterfly to a group of school children in the outdoors shelter

Natalie running the Yes/No game at a school visit to find out what species live at Ramsey Heights

Tree covered in Ermine moths and their silk webbing

I also had the opportunity to help out with Forest School, which was a really exciting experience. We had lots of different activities set up but the main attraction appeared to be the Bird-cherry ermine moths, which had taken over a tree in the forest school area. The children were fascinated by the transition from caterpillar to moth they have seen over the past couple of weeks and particularly enjoyed looking at the moths under the microscope. I also helped out at the clay station and enjoyed seeing the creative designs the children came up with.

Branding and Design

Lucy

This week, it was also all systems go as we began preparing for the upcoming Royal Norfolk Show. I was involved in organising props for our paludiculture display and creating labels that were both informative and visually appealing. It was a satisfying mix of creativity and logistics.

Natalie

I collaborated with the other interns on a variety of design projects, which involved developing postcards and posters. This was an informative experience where I learnt key elements of branding and design principals to create effective resources. Designing the posters has also involved research and has highlighted to me all the great upcoming events at the Great Fen.

I then had the opportunity to help create event boards for the visitor center with the other interns. I enjoyed getting creative and decorating the boards with lots of creatures found at Ramsey Heights in summer. Whilst starting with a blank canvas appeared daunting, working together with the interns made the task more manageable and painting outside in the sunshine was a lovely experience. I will definitely be getting involved with as many events as I can.

Blackboard standing against a log showing the upcoming summer events including wild in the woods day camp, creatures of the night and family picnic day

Upcoming summer events board created by the interns

Three young ladies in Wildlife Trust tshirts stand in front of a wooden bungalow on concrete stilts

The Peatland Progress interns at Woodwalton Fen

Old wooden writing desk with moth displays

Rothschild's desk in the bungalow at Woodwalton Fen - Sarah Smith

A purple emperor butterfly on a white-painted window frame

Purple Emperor butterfly - c. Andrew Knights

History Lessons

Natalie

My fourth week started with an exciting trip to the Rothschild Bungalow, which felt like stepping back in time! It was very interesting to see all the past flood heights marked on the concrete stilts and the books and equipment Charles Rothschild used on his field trips to study insects. I was also lucky enough to spot my first Purple Emperor butterfly, as they seem to like the paint on the bungalow, which was a very exciting experience.

A lined notebook with a stem of cleavers stuck to one page and written description on the other

Homework

Lucy

After taking part in a few surveys now, I have begun putting together my own grass ID book, a personalised guide that I'm building from scratch. The idea is to improve my identification skills for the next time I'm out surveying! I’m already finding it to be a great way to reinforce what I’ve learned so far.

I’m still feeling so grateful to be a part of this team! Every day is different; the people are all so positive, and I'm learning more than I could have imagined. Here’s to more weeks full of discovery!