Science Week 2023

 Science Week and the Big Scrub

Monday 20th March 2023

Today marks the end of Science Week and the Big Scrub on the Nature Reserve. What a glorious day it was. Our visitors were the reception class. Despite their young age, they all joined in and had great fun planting, finding the bug hotels and exploring our space.

Planting team at the ready

Taking trees home

Market garden

Explore  the space

As of today we have planted well in excess of a 1,000 trees - plenty of space for more. Myself and Mr Brown really should not be together, we have many more hidden gems on our grounds - watch this space.

Talking about hidden gems, here are 4 of our students giving a preview of the next stage in the Reserve - or apiary project:

To help the bees on their way they will need plenty of pollen bearing plants. Here's one of our Eco Leaders showcasing a sapling crab apple on a windy outcrop:

For the moment, that's all folks but we'll bee back soon!

Tuesday 14th March Update

Today at the Reserve was Year 2 day. Replace yesterday's wind with rain and you get the picture. We were undaunted by this and got stuck in.

First task, before the Year 2s arrived was to get the ground ready in our cherry orchard area. Quite a lot of concrete under the earth, so I'm told.

Here's the after. Plenty of space for our new cherry trees.

Down to business with the visitors - planting seed potatoes and getting ready for a bug hunt:

Today we welcomed further visitors to our school and Reserve. Here's Mr Brown saying hello to Sir Ian Blatchford (Director Science Museum Group) and Susan Raike (Director Education at the Science Museum)

Mr Gallears helped out on the Reserve today. Here we are talking to the Year 2 students busy with their planting:

Our visitors were given a guided tour of the Reserve by three of our school reps: James, Shimon and Ben. Despite the rolling grey sky, we managed to get to all corners of the 4 acres:

On our tour we found yet another group of Year 2's out looking for our bug hotels - look carefully and you'll see one on the right:

This has turned out to be a very busy and productive Science Week. Plenty of willing hands in school volunteers taking part in the Big Scrub.

Window for us to look at how we could develop the Reserve further and discuss the work of the Science Museum and the opportunities that they present to future scientists. It's not all lab coats. Monday and Tuesday of this week has seen serious scientific exploration undertaken and action to promote even greater biodiversity in our Reserve.

Well done all and thanks to all our visitors - big and small!

Monday 13th March Update!

Wow! What a day. I'm not sure it could have been windier on the Reserve. Undaunted, our Eco Leaders and the pupils of Culverstone Green Primary planted the back perimeter area of the Reserve. 

Making sure we have the right sized tools for the right sized people:

Here's before:

Stretching into the distance, here's after:

Our visitors engaged in the tree planting with great energy 

In the short time they were with us, our band of primary eco warriors explored the site, investigating how wildlife can be cared for:

Investigating who is at home in the Bug Hotel

And possible residents of a bird box made from recycled wood:

12th March

Our Nature Reserve opens its doors to the pupils of Culverstone Green Primary for Science Week on the 13th March. The students and staff will be supported by our Student Voice, Eco leaders and other volunteers.

All of the Key Stage 1 classes will visit us to help with the Big Scrub. In return for their planting of trees each pupil will leave with a tree to plant at their school or individual gardens. With any luck, that will mean two trees planted for each pupil, increasing carbon capture for the future and removing small pollutant particles from the air. 

Just a small portion of the 800 trees we have on site waiting to be planted!

The sustainability doesn't stop with the trees, Mr Brown has a newly ploughed plot of land ready for vegetable planting. Little hands will be involved in planting our first crop ready for harvest in late summer. 

One of the questions asked about the Reserve is "What insects do we have in the winter?" Our visitors from Culverstone will be cataloguing what crawls through inspection of our temporary insect pit traps.

Away from the ground, they will also combine a hunt for our bug hotels to record activity in them. They'll need keen eyes as they are well disguised and spread over the Reserve.

Alongside his market garden work, Mr Brown will also be enabling the students to create outside shelters from the materials found in the Reserve. They do need somewhere to eat their lunch!