My classroom
For Issy, wildlife is all about learning. It’s her enormous outdoor classroom.
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Chwilio
How to start a wildlife garden from scratch
Use the blank canvas of your garden to make a home for wildlife.
Teacher Training
We offer INSET (In Service Training) for teachers to further your use of the outdoors and wildlife in teaching the national curriculum.
Spear thistle
A common plant of disturbed ground like roadside verges and field edges, the spear thistle has purple, fluffy flower heads that appear in summer. Its flowers attract insects and its seeds feed…
Horseradish
Horseradish is used as a well-loved condiment. This member of the cabbage family is actually an introduced species in the UK, but causes no harm in the wild.
Common dandelion
The common dandelion is a most familiar flower: counting down the 'clock', while blowing the fluffy seeds from its head, is a favourite childhood game. Dandelions are an important early…
Mallard
The much-loved mallard is our most familiar duck, found across town and country. If you're feeding the ducks please don't feed them bread - it's not good for them! Instead, they…
Conservation Grazing
Conservation grazing is the method of using low intensity grazing by livestock to help restore damaged habitats to places rich in natural diversity.
Wryneck
This well-camouflaged woodpecker used to be a common breeding bird in Britain, but is now only likely to be seen passing through on migration.
My classroom
Pupils from Abingdon Primary School in Middlesbrough, Jon and Abdul, really enjoy learning outside the classroom, especially sketching butterflies.
My reward
Carole has been volunteering at Idle Valley for seven years now; whilst she used to get involved with the heavy work out on the reserve, the garden is now her domain, working with the Recovery…
Breadcrumb sponge
This sponge is found on rocky shores around the UK and looks like a thick bready crust (if you use your imagination a bit!).