Junior Park Ranger Workshop Highlights
Our popular school based Junior Park Ranger Programme started again in September for Primary Schools in Milton Keynes.
Junior Park Rangers are enthusiastic ‘ambassadors’ for the Parks Trust who enroll on the programme with the support of school coordinators based within Primary Schools. The Rangers work hard to share seasonal and environmental messages within their school communities. They can be instantly recognised by their purple caps and big smiles – whatever the weather!
Part of the scheme is the opportunity for Rangers to attend exclusive VIP Saturday workshops covering a variety of conservation, wildlife and bushcraft topics. The workshops are organised to say, ‘Thank you’ to the Rangers for all their hard work during the school year - organising quizzes and competitions to encourage students and adults, to ‘get outside’ and explore their local parks and greenspaces.
Unfortunately, the latest Autumn workshop had to be cancelled but we wanted to share some highlights from our previous sessions over the last year or so. Our next workshop is planned for January - we’ve got our fingers crossed it will be able to go ahead!
Please note all activities shown were before Covid-19 restrictions were introduced.
Bluebells & Bushcraft workshops at Hazeley Wood
The Junior Park Rangers teamed up with the Trust’s Biodiversity team to help sow UK bluebell seeds in Hazeley Wood. This conservation activity will assist in creating a colourful and natural forest floor. Rangers also built their own dens in the wood, using Hazel and Ash branches, and finished off the session with tasty marshmallows toasted on the campfire!
Bug Hotels & Wild Scavenger Hunt at Elfield Park and Howe Park Wood
These sessions involved building new winter B&B’s for insects at Elfield Park and the ‘Starbugs’ hotel at Howe Park Wood which are now open for insects and small mammal visitors. Rangers also made their own 'mini bug pots' to take home.
British Wildlife and Birds, Habitats & Adaptations Workshops
The Junior Park Rangers joined mammal and bird experts exploring Linford Lakes Nature and Floodplain Forest Reserves. They searched for signs of animal tracks and trails, and took part in birdwatching, dissecting owl pellets and making Hedgehog footprint survey tunnels for the local Citizen Science project, MKHogwatch.
More information about the programme...
The Junior Park Ranger programme is based on peer education and is designed to engage young people in the natural world, their local parks and greenspaces and the wildlife they can find there. The programme is free, inclusive and non-competitive, simple to run and is fully supported by the Outdoor Learning team at the Parks Trust. All Primary Schools in Milton Keynes are invited to join.
If you work at a Primary School and would like your school to join the programme or require more information, please contact the Outdoor Learning team at jpr@theparkstrust.com or 01908 233600.
