The show must go on!

Due to several staff being taken ill EcoACTIVE were unable to run the planned workshops with 5E and Year 4 today. However, that didn't stop Eco Week from continuing across the school.

In Year 2 the classes got creative (with some help from Blaise) and made 'bee hotels'! They reused plastic bottles and newspaper before painting it in bright colours to attract the bees. They cut bamboo to fill the shell so that lone bees have somewhere to lay their eggs. Give bees a chance!!

How are your hands Dawn?

Blaise to the rescue!

Meanwhile in Year 6 they were also creating! Half of the children were at school where they are entering a craft competition in which they are making examples of sealife out of reused plastic. The competition is highlighting the issue of plastic pollution in our seas and the damage it is wreaking to the wildlife.

One child was clearly engrossed by the task

The other half headed off to the Heath where they were taking part in an exciting conservation project with the Hampstead Heath education centre. They were making and then positioning some hedgehog houses. The number of hedgehogs has gone down dramatically recently. So the hope is these little homes will protect and nurture them and encourage breeding. Hopefully it will help the population to grow again.

Year 1 visited the local farm to have a demonstration of how to create compost and then how it is used.

The full first day of Eco Week

So following the morning assembly to get things started, the EcoACTIVE team went over to nursery to set up two stations for the children to come and investigate. In one area they had some worm and bits of food and organic matter to show compost being made. In another area there was some of the rich compost soil that the children could use to plant seeds to show how using biodegradable waste can lead to growth and continue the cycle! In Reception the EcoACTIVE ran an exciting workshop about minibeasts and compost. To continue the theme of the day, the children discovered what happens to our food waste and the role that worms play in creating compost. Then the children made pots from recycled newspaper and planted wildflower seeds. Lots of questions were asked and children shared their ideas. The children particularly enjoyed singing along to the song "There's a worm at the bottom of the garden!" with actions!

Phase 2 and 3 get involved

The second day of Eco Week began with an assembly for phases 2 and 3 in the big hall. Kate from EcoACTIVE had an enthralled and well informed audience as she talked through the issues of litter, recycling and energy. One terrible fact: it was pointed out that plastic bags look very much like jellyfish in the ocean so turtles try to eat them which makes them very sick and can kill them 😢 Another fact: as landfill sites rot they release methane gas into the air 💨 In Year 2 they met some worms and woodlice and learnt how composting benefits their diet and creates habitats. They also made seed balls with clay and wildflower seeds to do some guerilla gardening on the heath or in their back gardens. They also reused rubbish by turning litter into glitterbugs. In Year 1 they redid the compost cycle using pictures and ordering. They planted wild seeds in paper pots that they had made made and made insect hotels out of...

GO Eco Week is under way!

Our Eco Week here at Gospel Oak kicked off with an assembly for the key stage 1 children led by Eco Active the charity that are leading workshops across our school over the course of the week. The children learned about why composting is important and all the stages of the compost cycle from waste to growth! Now Eco Active are off to Early Years to work with the children using worms and seeds! Check back later to find out what the children learned...

GO Eco Week

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