How to help wildlife at school

Whether feeding the birds, or sowing a wildflower patch, setting up wildlife areas in your school makes for happier, healthier and more creative children.

The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild Campaign has, together with the University of Derby, proved that children are happier, healthier and more creative when they are connected to the natural world.

Where best to have access to nature than in schools up and down the UK? From hanging bird feeders to wilding a small garden, there are options to help local wildlife whatever the size of the area you have available. A school wildlife garden presents countless learning opportunities, both practical and academic, while encouraging a connection to nature.

Children are happier, healthier and more creative when they are connected to the natural world

Ideas for a work wildlife area:

Recycle at school

Recycling at school is a great way to get other people involved in helping wildlife around the world. You could set up a recycling scheme even a recycling challenge! Having a recycling challenge is a fun way to get your students thinking about what needs to be recycled. If you help them understand why we should all recycle, the challenge will encourage them to become custodians for wildlife and, by the end, you’ll have a brilliant recycling system in the classroom!

A recycling challenge is simple to organise:

Make sure every class has recycling bins. If you need to separate your recycling, make sure each class has the right bins
Tell your students why recycling matters and how it helps wildlife – maybe they have their own ideas!
Think about how you all can recycle in school
Get recycling! Set your students the challenge of recycling all they can – from bits of paper, to plastic in their lunches, fill out those recycling bins!
At the end of the week, see which class has recycled the most by checking whose bin is fuller

Have a wild fundraiser for your local Wildlife Trust

Help the people caring for wildlife near you by fundraising for your local Wildlife Trust. From having a day of wild fancy dress to running a wild bake sale, there are so many ways to get involved in protecting wildlife. Get creative and go wild!

Some ideas to get you started:

Bake for wildlife – get together with some colleagues and bake some wild goodies like butterfly cupcakes or a hedgehog cake, or maybe even a traybake decorated with a ‘wildlife scene’!
‘Wild onesies’ – pay a pound to have a wild day wearing onesies at school! Or go in wild fancy dress to work.
Food tasting fundraiser – have a local gin distillery? Or a cheese specialist? Or maybe a wine shop? Organize a tasting session! Sell tickets, donate a cut to a local conservation charity and help a local business grow.

Up and down the country, local Wildlife Trusts are helping schools to get nature into the curriculum, into the school grounds and into children's daily lives.

Get in touch with your local Wildlife Trust for advice