'Miss, what's a duck?' Schools tackle nature-deprived kids

UngulateNerd92

UngulateNerd92

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When school teacher Kim Leathley took her class on a trip to the local aquarium, she was asked an unusual question.

"Miss? What's that?" said a nine-year-old boy, pointing towards the waves, as they walked along Blackpool promenade.

It turned out he'd never seen the sea before.

A surprise, given the school is in the middle of Blackpool and only a few streets from the seafront.

Other teachers have had similar experiences over the years on school trips outside the city, she explains. A 10-year-old once asked what a duck was, while a pupil - spotting cows in the field - said: "Look at those horses."

"As a school, we're in a very built-up area in Blackpool," Kim explains. "We've had some very extreme examples of our children with nature."

Westminster Primary Academy is in an area with few green spaces where wildlife and nature are in short supply.

Although many children live only minutes from the beach, they may not get to spend much time there. And while Blackpool is surrounded by spectacular countryside, such as the Forest of Bowland, Kim says many parents don't have cars or can't afford public transport.

"They're just not getting the opportunities a lot of other children would get," she adds. "So, we thought, 'well, let's bring nature to them'."

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57174581.amp
 
I highly recommend anyone interested in this subject read Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv.
 
The school should organise a walking excursion to Stanley Park (the main green space in the town) and opposite the zoo. The park is overflowing with domestic ducks which have been deliberately released by 'caring' owners.
Probably says alot more about the education level in Blackpool that a nine year old cannot identify a common bird.
 
Quite depressing that a kid either in an urban or rural environment would not know what a duck is :(

The whole class should be taken to a WWT center to enjoy a day out and some decent environmental education IMO.
 
I am sure most teachers and most schools would absolutely love to be able to take every child on more educational visits to natural spaces.

Try campaigning for the government to value regular exposure to the natural world outside and make it a priority rather than trying to force kids to sit in the classroom learning more and more pointless crap younger and younger.
 
It certainly speaks of the scale of the problem when a nine-year-old kid living in Blackpool has never seen the sea. It's hardly Birmingham or Derby where hours of train or car travel are needed. Nowhere in Blackpool is more than three miles from the sea. It'd be more effort to hide it from the poor kid than to just have seen it.
 
It is becoming common, and even children who know common wildlife, usually know it only from the TV and internet, not personal experience.

Part of the problem is locking and rules of nature reserves. Children are not allowed to explore nature on their own.

Another problem is disappearance of cars from city centers. An urban child has difficulty physically getting to any forest or a pond. If it can, there are 100 of other places easier to get to.

I heard in Britain there is even a reality show which mainly shows common animals like mice and songbirds doing random things - something which should be easily seen simply by walking to any forest.
 
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