Eco Team

WELCOME TO OUR ECO PAGE

WASUP  - World Against Single Use Plastic (December 2020)

KS2 were lucky to meet virtually with Professor Rashid Gatrad to hear all about the campaign he is involved with; World Against Single Use Plastic. Over a Zoom meeting, Professor Gatrad explained all about his work with school children and what a difference it can make to our world if we do not use single-use plastics. The children learned about the damage caused to our oceans and wildlife and what harm micro-plastics can do to humans too, if ingested via the food chain.

The children listened carefully to the presentation, which gave them plenty to think about and talk about afterwards in their classes. We hope they've spread the word with all of you at home too, because by reducing our use of single-use plastics, we can make a difference to the world in which we live.

Professor Gatrad contacted me afterwards to tell me how much he enjoyed speaking with everyone, and commented on everyone's enthusiasm and great answers to his quiz questions. Well done KS2!

Visit to Envirosort Recycling Centre - January 2020

Our 13 eco-warriors were taken to Envirosort to find out what happens when we put recyclable materials in our green bin at home and in school.

We listened to a presentation all about what happens at the centre, took part in activities to help us remember which materials can be recycled in Wychavon and then we had a tour of the factory.

We heard about the sorting machines which first separate out the glass by breaking it up, then remove the flat paper and card. We saw how the magnets sort the metal cans for recycling and then how the machines bundle up all our recyclable materials so they can be used again!

It was a fascinating morning out for us all!

Wonderful Water Assembly and Workshops - January 2020

We were visited by Maxine from Severn Trent Water who came in to tell us all about what we can do to save water at home and in school. She talked to everyone in a whole school assembly and then worked with children in Key Stage 2 to encourage them to think of ways they can be water savers at home! Everyone took home some very important messages.

Thank you Maxine!

The children in the eco-committee know how important it is to feed the birds that come into our school grounds as the colder weather sets in and the food is harder to find. They were enthusiastic about the task of making "bird cakes" and mixed the breadcrumbs, seeds and nuts with lard. We set the bird cakes in the fridge and thought about where they should be placed around our school!

Eco Assembly - November 2019

Our Eco Warriors, with help from all the other Eco Club members, led an assembly reminding all pupils and staff about the importance of not littering and putting our waste in the correct place. Through a fantastic play and presentation, they were able to share the importance of re-using, recycling and composting our waste in school. Well done to everyone involved; you did a brilliant job of getting the message across!

Mrs Eeles

A huge well done to all of the KS2 children who took part in Ben Fogle's Hero to Zero Emission Miles Challenge during their half term holiday!

The children learnt all about how they could reduce their carbon footprint by travelling on foot or bike, by using public transport or an electric vehicle. Following this, nearly 40 children in years 3, 4 and 5 took up the challenge of recording the number of miles they travelled in a week using these modes of transport. 

In total, 2640 miles were travelled - the distance from our school to the North Pole!

The entries have now been sent off so that we can enter the national competition to see if any of our children have travelled the greatest distances using eco-friendly modes of transport.

Planting a wild flower meadow - October 2019

Several members of Eco club helped to plant Glebe Field with wild flower seeds. As the field, (located behind the church,) is no longer home to sheep, Mr Shiels asked us to help make this a pleasant place full of flowers. We assisted him in mixing the seed with sand, which ensures the seeds don't blow away in the wind or get eaten. We then walked slowly across the whole field, scattering the seed. We can't wait to see the results in the spring time!

Eco update – September 2019

Our Eco team are working hard to look after our school environment. They are ensuring that plants in our outdoor areas and new spiritual garden are being watered regularly. They are collecting and emptying the recycling bins from around the school too.

We aim to lead an assembly this term to ensure that everyone knows what can be recycled and composted and to give all our staff and pupils some ideas for how they can reduce the waste they produce.

Our Eco Focus 2017-18

LITTER

Our aim this year is to try and reduce the amount of non-recyclable litter we produce. The children are full of ideas and are already posting on our Eco Interactive Wall. Maybe you could help the community at home? Do you have any bright ideas?

This year our ECO team is focusing on Healthy Living - 2015-16.

We will be hosting an ECO week in the summer term where we will be creating healthy recipes, keeping fit and inviting in the community to show them all we've learned. So keep your eyes peeled.

ECO  WEEK - Healthy Living

During Eco Week our focus was healthy living.

The children foccused on four main topics during this fun filled week. These were:

-Always Eat Breakfast

Breakfast makes a major contribution to the nutritional quality of a well-balanced diet. Well, imagine you're a car. After a long night of sleeping, your fuel tank is empty. Breakfast is the fuel that gets you going so you can hit the road. There have been many studies that show concentration in school children is improved with a healthy breakfast. The children will be learning about how important this meal is with the help of ‘The Activators’ a digital resource made by FoodFitness.

-Five a day

This is well known now, but it is important for our children to learn why it is important. Evidence shows there are significant health benefits to getting at least five 80g portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. The 5 A DAY campaign is based on advice from the World Health Organisation. The children will be identifying and tasting a wide range of fruit and vegetables including raw, canned, dried juiced and frozen. 

-Don’t be a Dolittle & Be Active

The ‘Join the Activators’ resource helps demonstrate that by making small changes to our lifestyles we can become more active and so keep healthy. Being more active doesn’t have to mean playing sport, although that provides excellent exercise – even more walking helps. The children completed a bleep test during Eco week to see, how as a school, how fit we were. The children are currently aiming to run a mile a week with the encouragement and support of all of the staff. During sports week we would like to bleep test the children again to see if fitness, as a whole, has improved.

During the week we also asked children to become sugar detectives. As part of the Change 4 Life scheme, they hunted out the sugar hidden in some of their favourite snacks. Also we thought it would be a perfect opportunity for us to make some healthy alternatives to the not so healthy snacks we all love, such as: crisps, sweets and cakes.

Market Street Event

During Our Market Street event which happened on the Thursday afternoon of 'Healthy Living' week. All classes provided samples of their healthy food snack swaps for parents to try.

We also had some very special people join us. These people were:

• Deborah Knowles – School Nurse– To promote the importance of a healthy diet.
• Clare Charlton - Worcestershire County Council Department of Health – To promote Change 4 Life – sugar swapping and exercise game.
• Teresa Lunt – Big Smiles Programme – Tewkesbury My Dentist – to promote healthy teeth.
• Class catering – They showcased how their food was balanced and also had some samples to taste.

All of the children learned from these experts, as well as them providing information for them take home. Also some Year 5/4s  put on some ‘Be Active’ workshops outside on the playground and field. 

It was a fun filled informative experience for all!

What have we been getting up to over this year?

Year 1 - Bristol Zoo

Year 1 visited Bristol Zoo to look at all of the animals and learn about their natural habitats. 

They had so much fun whilst they were learning.

Healthy Living Sporting Events

As our theme is healthy living we thought we'd showcase all of the fantastic sporting and outdoor activities our children have taken part in this year.

In summer 2014 we received our 2nd Green Flag award. We are very proud of this and would like to thank all the staff and children for their hard work and dedication!

Our Eco Action Team are made up of Teachers, TA's Parents and at least 2 dedicated class members from each year group, assigned annually.

Our Spiritual Garden.

A few years ago a very beautiful horse chestnut tree in our school grounds had to be cut down after two big branches fell off it. It had a disease.

We decided to make a special garden where it had been. Every class has had an area to plan and make things for. Some of our fantastic parents have helped us a lot.

We now have a willow tunnel in it too.

Forest School 2015-16

Well at the start of the Year the whole school took part in a Reduce Reuse themed ECO week.

We focused on our school grounds for the day appreciating all of the fantastic nature that is around us and why it is up to us and important to maintain such beauty!

All the classes in the school focused on a topic that gets wasted in our world today. Each class researched what would happen to our environment if we kept throwing these products away.

For example in Y4 they looked at the damage plastic bags do to the environment and why it is always important to reuse rather than keep taking new bags every time we shop

Reception looked at Rubbish as a whole and focused on Simon Bartram's stories of Bob, Man on the Moon who has to tidy up after himself otherwise the moon will be destroyed.

Y5 looked at how their carbon footprint effected the environment and what they individually did each day to increase global warming. They then pledged that they would try and reduce this by doing activities each week that involved less power.

Each class also made something new from something old to meet our reuse theme. We invited the whole community along with some special speakers including Warmer Worcestershire and Love Food Hate Waste for a Market Street with a difference – ECO MARKET STREET. The children set up stalls where they got to showcase all of the research they had been completing, as well as selling the new for old items they had created.  The parents found this very informative and everyone enjoyed watching Y4’s plastic bag fashion show.

We have also had a massive focus on Global Learning this year and have done some exciting activities surrounding this topic. We and our partnership school created some African bag gardens.

Mrs Millar visited Tanzania and Mrs Mosha visited us here in Bredon.

Y4 as part of their passport to the world topic have looked at the difference in food consumed by the average person in each of the four continents. As well as some traditional art and cultures celebrated across a range of countries in these continents.

Watch out for our food miles challenge....coming soon....