The Hevingham Primary School - Buxton Heath link : bringing nature back to the classroom !
The voluntary warden of Buxton Heath, Colin Penny, came up with the idea of linking Buxton Heath with the village primary school in a bid to bring the children closer to nature, in a hope that it might inspire them in future years to care for wildlife and habitats. He put the proposal to the head teacher of the school, Mrs Nancy Heywood, and she warmly embraced the idea. So, on 9th May 1994, the first 'good, old-fashioned nature study day' was held at Buxton Heath. The children had been delivered by Mrs Anthea Coldham of Sunbeam Coaches, and she collected them at the end of the day - all free of charge.
The children thoroughly enjoyed their day. They were led around the site and enjoyed seeing (and catching) lots of different species, some of them new to the voluntary warden ! After they'd eaten their packed lunch in the car park, local naturalist Rex Hancy arrived to conduct some interviews for Radio Norfolk. The day was rounded off by the taking of some study notes for later discussion in the classroom, and a walk to the Valley Mire for some pond-dipping. Helping to supervise the children on the site were Angie Hankin and Angie Somerfield, whose children were among the party.
So, that very successful day marked the start of the Buxton Heath-Hevingham School link, which lasted until Mrs Heywood departed for pastures new. Several other Heath visits occurred during her tenure, as well as visits by Colin to the school classroom, and a Buxton Heath Wildlife Group presence at school fetes. The photo albums below illustrate what was achieved.
The children thoroughly enjoyed their day. They were led around the site and enjoyed seeing (and catching) lots of different species, some of them new to the voluntary warden ! After they'd eaten their packed lunch in the car park, local naturalist Rex Hancy arrived to conduct some interviews for Radio Norfolk. The day was rounded off by the taking of some study notes for later discussion in the classroom, and a walk to the Valley Mire for some pond-dipping. Helping to supervise the children on the site were Angie Hankin and Angie Somerfield, whose children were among the party.
So, that very successful day marked the start of the Buxton Heath-Hevingham School link, which lasted until Mrs Heywood departed for pastures new. Several other Heath visits occurred during her tenure, as well as visits by Colin to the school classroom, and a Buxton Heath Wildlife Group presence at school fetes. The photo albums below illustrate what was achieved.