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It was a glorious sunny October day, when 12 pupils from Thames View Primary School set out to support Riverside Country Park as part of their Play Your Part day. The Yes Futures, Finding Futures Programme aims to develop four important ‘talents’; confidence, communication, resilience and self-awareness.
The pupils eagerly waited in anticipation to discover what they would be doing and how they would be helping their local community. Park Ranger Mark explained that they would be helping wildlife prepare for the winter by managing their habitats. This involved the important task of raking hay in the field, in order to create habitats for the animals to hibernate in.
Pupils were divided into teams of three; in each team, one person was to rake the hay, another was to use a pitch fork to move the hay into a wheelbarrow and the third person took the wheelbarrow to the edge of the field, where the contents were emptied. They each took turns to try out the three activities.
After the morning break, the pupils began to develop creative ideas for their habitats. Some decided that their habitat was going to the biggest haystack; others thought of building a hay mansion, however, after much discussion, they collectively decided to build a ‘Yes Futures’ hay hotel!
The pupils intermingled with the other teams and supported each other appropriately. They communicated confidently and encouraged each other to join in their creative design. Teamwork was crucial for this physically demanding task to be a success, which the pupils managed with ease and enthusiasm.
After lunch, the pupils joined Park Ranger Mark for a very windy walk along the Medway Estuary. They learned that the Medway Estuary is a site of Social Scientific Interest. They also learned about the plants around the estuary, as well as information regarding wildlife they could expect to see, such as crabs and birds, and about the history of the area through stories at Horrid Hill.
This was the third occasion that I had met the pupils and it was lovely to see their confidence and resilience gradually develop and grow. They were beginning to develop their self-awareness and identify their strengths. I look forward to seeing them progress further over the next few months. The day has been positive for all pupils in different ways.
Thank you to Mark and the Riverside Country Park team for supporting us throughout the day and inspiring the students with your wildlife knowledge!
By Wasfee Khan, Yes Futures Coach
To find out more about how your students could get involved with the Yes Futures Programmes, please contact Sophie, Impact Manager: sophie@yesfutures.org, 07908 687779 or visit our website.
If you're interested in becoming a Play Your Part partner, please contact Helena, Head of Programmes: helena@yesfutures.org.
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