PARENTS in a flap about teaching their primary school children key parts of the science curriculum have been offered sanctuary by a conservation charity's `wild' home learning hub.
WWT, which runs Castle Espie Wetland Centre in Co Down, has launched the online resource with different conservation science themes designed to help children with their `at home' lessons.
A new module will be released weekly on a Monday morning during lockdown.
They are based on 70 years of experience teaching school groups and its experts have tailored their wealth of curriculum-linked learning resources for use at home.
Mini lesson plans have been adapted for parents, and divided up into bite-sized chunks, including an outdoors element. Separate plans have been created for five to seven and seven to eleven-year-olds.
These weekly lessons cover themes that WWT Castle Espie addresses daily such as climate change, migration, wildlife identification, and habitats. Parents can click on the hub for a full theme list.
The lessons are supported by visual resources, ‘how to make’ videos and fun quizzes.
There are also a range of simple, `always available' family activities such as spotter guides, colouring in sheets, and `how to build' kit.
Mark Stead of WWT said the centre would now be seeing its busiest period.
"Under normal circumstances during the summer term, thousands of primary pupils would enjoy a school trip to one of our wetland centres, including WWT Castle Espie, each of them leaving as a budding David Attenborough.
"And after decades of doing this, we’re sitting on a wealth of learning resources. So we thought, what better way to help out than to tailor them especially for parents at home, so you can easily keep your mini-conservationists up to speed with their curriculum.
"We’re releasing a new lesson each Monday. Just like Joe Wicks, but with science and we promise you won't pull a hamstring or get out of breath."
The `wild' home learning hub looks at nurturing an emotional connection among children with the natural world, as well as curriculum-based learning.
More information is at wwt.org.uk/homelearning and #wwthomelearning.
