Children at St Nicholas at Wade CE Primary love going wild about nature and the school’s ongoing conservation initiative includes a strong link with Monkton Nature Reserve.
So when it came to designing Christmas decorations the young eco ambassadors wanted to share the festive spirit with their friends at the reserve. Pupils made a festive wreath and delivered it complete with a card and gift as a heartfelt ‘thank you’.
Head Teacher Taralee Kennedy said: “We really appreciate all the opportunities our children have had this year in helping with their conservation efforts. We are so thankful to have such a wonderful partnership with the reserve.”
The reserve’s conservation team are delighted with their gifts and also highlighted the strong link with the school. They added: “Year 1 also visited us this year to enhance their ‘Enchanted Woodland’ topic.
“In 2025 we are looking forward to welcoming other year groups to the reserve and to continuing this positive partnership.”
Mrs Kennedy believes the link with the project is valuable in helping the school’s ongoing conservation and eco sustainability ethos.
She added: “We are very fortunate to have such a fantastic resource close to our school and we are proud to be involved with their work – learning hands-on about the importance of respecting nature is really enriched every time we visit the centre.
“When our children were creating festive decorations for the school we wanted to share them with our friends at Monkton Nature Reserve for a group of our eco ambassadors made a special delivery.”
“This partnership allows pupils to support various conservation projects while benefitting from the incredible opportunities provided by the reserve.”
Children love embracing the big outdoors and the school has pledged to nurture the relationship with nature and redress the balance in a world that is increasingly focussed on technology.
Earlier this year St Nicholas held its Earth Afternoon organised by the school’s Outdoor Leader Abigail Hall where all year groups took part in a range of activities on the playing field that included planting seeds, making bug hotels, threading Cheerio cereal for bird feeders, mini-beast hunting, log slice drilling and decorating, and creating nature journey hats and bracelets.
The school has implemented various initiatives to promote sustainability. Its ‘wild’ areas contribute significantly to boosting the local bee population, while the allotments encourage pupils to grow their own fruits and vegetables.
Another initiative is a Recycling Week that resulted in hundreds of items, such as batteries and soft plastics, being diverted from landfills
A strong desire to nurture nature and protect the environment also led to a top eco honour this autumn when St Nicholas won the silver Wilder Kent Award in recognition of its exceptional commitment to sustainability, environmental responsibility, and fostering connections to nature among their pupils.
Mrs Kennedy added: “We believe that it is essential for our children not only to learn outdoors but also to develop a profound sense of appreciation for our environment.
“Equally important is our commitment to instilling in them a strong sense of responsibility towards caring for our planet.”
