New Forest Education Service. Mar 2021.
This week Years 1- 6 have had special virtual assemblies from The New Forest National Park Education Service
They explained the vital work that those who work for the New Forest carry out, looking after the nature and wildlife in our local area. We also got to have a Q&A session with the team.
Many of us asked questions about bees in the New Forest and how many species of bee there are, as we have been very passionate about the New Forest Big Bee Rescue! The team told us that there were hundreds!
We also asked about the possibility of building tunnels under roads for rabbits, hedgehogs and frogs to safely cross the New Forest roads! Apparently, some small villages elsewhere in the UK already have implemented this great idea!
The children also asked about the New Forest Ponies and what makes them different to horses. The main difference is the height; they have shorter legs and wider chests. But ponies usually have thicker manes and coats that help protect them from the cold. This makes them well adapted to their local environment. Did you know there are more than 5000 New Forest Ponies in our local area?
The team also taught us about 'Sphagnum Moss' which is also known as a “bog-moss”. We found out that Sphagnum Moss can only survive in certain parts of the forest and in the
right conditions. Sphagnum mosses play a vital role in the creation of peat bogs - they store water in their spongy forms, they prevent the decay of dead plant material and eventually form peat!
We learnt that there are lots of different ways that we can protect nature in our local environment. There are three key things to remember.
Take Notice – When you are in the New Forest observe and listen to the environment
around us. The more we appreciate the forest around us the more likely we are to
protect it!
Make Space – In our own homes and gardens it is important to make space for
nature. At school we have hedgehog houses, bird houses and we are also going to
be making bee feeding stations!
Share the Message – Sharing what we have learnt with others can help share the
message of how important our forest is and how it can be protected.
Thank you again for a super assembly!