New Forest Day
Spent today at Orchard Junior School taking part in their New Forest Day for Year 3. The day was divided into thirds with Sue Palma from the New Forest National Park undertaking map work, Suzy Moore from the New Forest Museum presenting New Forest artefacts, and then myself talking about local wildlife. The three classes were rotated amongst us, so we had over an hour with each. During my sessions we focused on the more unusual creatures of the forest, from muntjac to red-legged partridges, and then finished with a step-by-step drawing. Children’s knowledge of the immediate world around them can be patchy, and with the New Forest, literally, on their doorstep I was expecting a mixed level of awareness, but what was encouraging was that although they may only be able to name a handful of animals (I’m surprised at how many adults struggle to name 20), a deeper understanding of why we need to look after the forest was clearly present. Hats off to some amazing artwork, too.
Tags: Drawing Workshops, New Forest, Schools