CHILDREN in Warrington will be learning about nature through wild play thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their generous support and funding of £66,000.
Cheshire Wildlife Trust has received the award to support its Wild Warrington project which will provide a sequence of child-friendly activities to get children and families outside in the woods, learning about nature and having fun.
The Trust’s popular Forest Schools and Nature Tots activities will be run for families at the Moore Nature Reserve. WildPlay sessions will also be planned during school holidays to give children the perfect excuse to leave technology behind and step outdoors.
The WildPlay sessions, which start during May half-term, are aimed at children up to 13 years and are designed to encourage children to explore the natural world through exciting activities such as making feeders for birds, pond dipping, building dens, playing environmental games, experimenting with natural art, and searching for colourful creepy crawlies.
Jan Shore, People and Wildlife Team Leader at Cheshire Wildlife Trust said: “We were delighted to receive funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery to support our work in Warrington.
In a world where technology is at children’s fingertips from a very young age it is vital that we encourage them to appreciate their outside environment. Our fun events are a great way to achieve this.”
The weekly Nature Tots events will start in May and are aimed at parents and their toddlers. These sessions focus on getting pre-school children outdoors, learning from and engaging with the natural environment whilst having fun. Activities during these sessions include wild themed story-telling, muddy play and art projects using natural materials.
Jan said: “Our range of activities not only get children closer to nature, they also develop children’s self-confidence, improve mental and physical health and develop their personal skills such as communication, problem-solving and creativity.
I hope families will get to see the importance of outdoor play and find a way build this into their routine.”
More details on the events can be found on Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s website at http://www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on
