There was a buzz of excitement at the Dunbar nursery school this week as children’s TV presenter, Rory Crawford, joined the nursery children in their Beehive Wildlife Garden on a bug hunt adventure along with Jen Walker from Sustaining Dunbar’s Pledgehog Project.
The children became immersed in the minibeast world as they explored the undergrowth finding lots of insects and creepy crawlies. They were thrilled to share their findings with Rory who imparted many fascinating facts and stories about the natural world.
Rory is well known by many pre-school and primary school children as he has been presenting several animal-related children’s TV programmes over the past 9 years. He is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about wildlife and works in nature conservation.
Rory said “Spending time with three-year-olds who are intrigued by every living thing reminds me how important it is to connect with nature. It was fantastic seeing all the children so excited, running around in the wildlife garden completely absorbed in the bug hunt!”.
Jen Walker, Dunbar Pledgehog Officer added that “Wiggly worms, beetles, caterpillars, centipedes, slugs and snails were among the beasties found which the children loved examining under the magnifiers. As well as learning about the value of these invertebrates, having a bug hunt is an ideal opportunity to highlight the importance of trying to encourage nature into your own garden or outdoor space too. By simply having some grass (leaving an area to grow a little longer if possible and avoiding any chemical use) can provide the essential habitat needed for many creatures to live, and in turn more natural food for hedgehogs who are at threat of extinction in the UK”.
Charlotte De’Ath, Early Years Centre Manager enthused, “Our Nursery Beehive Garden has had a tremendous amount of support from Sustaining Dunbar with their Outreach Officer and volunteers from Dunbar Grammar having regular outdoor sessions with the children and developing the garden during monthly volunteering days. Jen from the Pledgehog Project has really captured the interest of our children by recording regular footage of our hedgehog visitor to the garden with a night-time camera and providing advice about encouraging a hedgehog friendly habitat. It’s lovely to have visitors to the nursery especially when Rory truly understands the importance of fostering children’s innate wonder of nature and we’re all very grateful to him for coming along”.
