Biodiversity has been the central focus of our Early Years Eco-Schools project this term. The nursery children (our Eco-Schools team) gathered on the carpet to be introduced to the topic. We explained that biodiversity means all the living things on our planet—from towering trees to tiny insects. These living things work together to keep Earth healthy, and it’s our responsibility to be kind to the environment around us.
We read My Home My Planet to the children. As it is Winter, we decided it would be thoughtful to help local birds find enough food. With support from the DT department and the Year 5 pupils at lunchtime, a bird table and two bird feeders were built to support this goal. The nursery children also made apple and sunflower-seed feeders. The apples were kindly donated by our catering team, making it a great opportunity to reuse leftover food. The children carefully pushed the tiny seeds into the apples, giving their fine-motor skills a good workout. They also enjoyed making Cheerio bird feeders, counting and threading ten Cheerios onto their pipe cleaners.
The DT department and Year 5 pupils also constructed two hedgehog homes, which we placed in a quiet, sheltered spot in the outdoor learning area. The pupils filled them with dry leaves to create a cosy hibernation space and thoughtfully added a small saucer of water nearby.
At the end of January, we took part in the RSPB Great Garden Bird Watch. The children made binoculars using recycled cardboard tubes and took them outside to search for birds. We spotted pigeons, crows, and magpies, and even saw a friendly robin enjoying one of the Cheerio feeders. The pupils loved looking through non-fiction books about birds, learning about their features, and creating bird-themed artwork.
Our Waste and Healthy Living topics continue to flourish too. The nursery pupils have been wonderfully creative—reusing cardboard boxes to make snowflakes and repurposing recycling materials to build rockets as part of our To Infinity and Beyond topic. The pupils also continue to recycle food waste from snack time. This term, they have enjoyed working together on the Astro to build obstacle courses, jumping, balancing, and running to stay healthy. Making hobby horses and racing around the playground to celebrate Lunar New Year—and the Year of the Horse—was a particular highlight.
All these rich experiences support cross-curricular learning and cover every area of the EYFS curriculum.