Helping Younger Generations Understand Sustainability

Our Latest School Visits

During the spring and summer terms members of the Sustainable Three Rivers team have continued our series of workshops for schools. The aim is to help youngsters to learn about sustainable living - and have some fun at the same time!

Sunflowers, Birds, Bugs & Bulbs

In May, we visited the Russel School to work with Year 3 and 4 pupils on making bird boxes. As well as finding out how they can encourage and conserve wildlife, the pupils got the chance to learn how to use tools such as screwdrivers and power drills to put their bird houses together.

The children had a fantastic time and learned how to work together as a team to meet the challenge they were set. Over 15 bird boxes were made and we also left the children with sunflowers and broad bean saplings to plant in the school grounds. The Russel School is currently working towards an application for a prestigious Green Flag award.

We also teamed up with the Rickmansworth Library for a visit to St John’s Primary School, as part of the Library’s Growing Into Reading Scheme. We helped the children sow sunflowers and bulbs and enjoyed some bug themed stories with the Year 2 class. We received some great feedback from the children:

“It was a great afternoon because I’ve never touched a sunflower seed before, I’ve only seen them when they have grown big.”

“My favourite part was getting my own cardboard pot that I got to put a bulb in. I can’t wait to see it grow.”

“I’ve never planted my own bulb before, only seeds, so it was interesting to see before the roots and stem grow.”

Student Council Forum

In July, we attended the Student Council Forum at the Watersmeet where 11 primary schools from Croxley and Rickmansworth presented all the things they had done within their school to promote sustainability. 

Ted and Jane delivered an interactive presentation encouraging the audience to notice where food is grown, how far it has travelled. We demonstrated how, just taking a look at the food packaging and noticing where our food comes from, we can make better choices. By reducing the food miles we consume, we can take action to reduce climate change. 

Local Plants and Pond Dipping

Continuing a very busy schedule of events, we also paid a visit to Arnett Hills School, where we led sessions with pupils from Years 1 and 3. The children learned about the various plants in the school grounds and did some pond dipping in the school pond. They enjoyed learning about the creatures that live beneath the surface!