The Guardian has an article that sets out to help new primary school teachers: “a few pointers to help you make the most of it.” There are 10 points made which range from: No. 1 – get to know parents, to No. 10 – let go. As might be expected, most are sensible and well-grounded in…
Simon Fearnehough, founder and CEO of the Hideout House Company, which specializes in developing products for schools to help foster environmental awareness and sustainable thinking, contributes today’s blog post. Simon writes: If we are going to make any significant difference to help ease the burden on our planet’s resources, then awareness about environmental issues and…
A recent article by Day Nursaries (UK) says that a lack of outdoor adventures and too much electronic screen time is damaging children’s health. The article begins: “By spending more than 86 hours of the summer holidays staring at electronic devices, children are missing out on traditional outdoor activities, according to a new study published…
We’ve had a couple of features on zoos in recent months. There was Allison Price’s feature article on US zoos, and blogpost about a Chris Packham zoos and their role in conservation. Today, here is a link to the BBC’s Discover Wildlife magazine, where there is an article about the killing of healthy animals in zoos.…
On Friday 21st August 2015, there will be a networking day at the Chelsea Physic Garden: Engaging science – creating links between science and environmental education. The day will explore how science can be linked to work in informal education such as botanic gardens, sustainability, museums and outdoor education settings. There will be opportunities to network, discuss, debate and…
NAEE has just completed its third year of awarding bursaries to schools. Known as Kenrick Days (after the late Hugh Kenrick), the bursaries are helping Birmingham schools to fulfil Anne Kenrick’s wish to see today’s generation getting outdoors, and learning about the environment, including growing and caring for plants. The bursaries go towards the cost…
As we have already noted, the Royal Society of Biology [RSB] has launched a ‘what’s the nation’s favourite insect’ competition. You might have already voted for one of the 10 insects identified by the Society’s ecologists. Or, perhaps, you’re sceptical of the whole idea. Here’s one such view, taken from our President’s blog.
Mairi Kershaw, Chair of the South West Learning for Sustainability Coalition, contributes today’s blog post. “A person whose goal is self realisation is helping to change the world at its most fundamental level, such people are perhaps the ultimate revolutionaries” This quote dates back to 1996. In this century, however, social networking has facilitated an…
The Economist reports on a UNDP report that sets out likely global population (by country) in 2050. You can choose to see the data by graph, map or in data files. The headline figures show that while Europe’s population will fall (from 2015 to 2050) by about 4%, that of Africa will rise by over…
NAEE’s 2015 AGM is on October 24th this year. It’s being held at the imposing Birmingham and Midland Institute in the centre of Birmingham. It starts at 1030, and we hope to see you there. More details much nearer the time.
The NAEE web team thinks that it’s the environment on planet earth, and our dependency on it for the quality of our lives, that should be our most pressing concerns, given its parlous state. However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t think about what’s going on outside the biosphere. Here’s an animation from the European Space Agency illustrating Andreas Mogensen’s…
NAEE President, Bill Scott, met Dhaval Patel from the Voluntary Nature Conservancy, VNC, last week to talk about environmental education in India and the UK. VNC is based in Vallabh Vidhyanagar in Gujarat, and began its work as a charitable foundation in 1988. Its activities are wide-ranging, including: Nature Education Camps An Outdoor Experiential Educational Programme Observational Outing on Sunday Mornings A Reptile…