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06 May 2011
During the summer term of 2010 Philippa McMurdo and Harriet Sharp delivered the “Experience the River” project to five South Cumbrian Primary schools. Each school enjoyed two half days of activities plus a full day which included a field trip to explore a local river.
A total of 113 pupils from years 3 - 6 participated from the following schools in 2010:
- Heversham St Peter’s Primary ( River Kent)
- Leven Valley Primary ( River Leven),
- Penny Bridge Primary ( River Crake),
- Cartmel Primary ( River Eea)
- Crosscrake Primary (Stainton Beck).
The project consists of an illustrated introduction to the river habitat and participatory games that encourage children to ask scientific questions in order to identify river creatures and their characteristics. The children also learn about food chains, life cycles and the adaptation of organisms to the special environment of a river.
Next follows a briefing on river sampling techniques, equipment, safety, the care of organisms and their habitat. Then it’s into the river and enthusiastic hand netting and collection of specimens, inevitably involving wet feet if not total immersion! As this session is brought to a reluctant close the children sort and identify their catch using keys before everything is carefully returned to the river.
Back at school in the afternoon the ecology is rounded off with a look at food webs and inter-relationships and how our own actions can affect a local river as well as wider issues such as the introduction of non native species.
The art project continues with sketching, copying and stencilling a variety of creatures on cardboard which is eventually built up as a collage with the addition of other textural items to provide an impression of the river environment.
During the final half day session these boards are carefully covered with silver foil, topped off with Indian ink and rubbed to a finished texture resembling beaten metal. The children are usually thrilled with the result and the final display is a valuable resource for use in the classroom and beyond.
SCRT is grateful for the generous sponsorship of this project from The Bridge Hotel, Grasmere. We would also like to thank the school staff and helpers, and the landowners for allowing access to local rivers.
Philippa McMurdo September 2010
