We took twelve children to the nature reserve today, ranging between 18 months and 8 years old. We showed them photographs of signs that badgers were in the woods and off we went. I hadn't known what to expect when I planned it but it was fantastic! The children were so excietd and interested and engaged, examining logs for signs of scratches, looking carefully at muddy patches for footprints and peering down every hole they found. We found the badger setts almost at the end of our walk, and they were worth the wait..... huge earth mounds with dark mysterious holes underneath them!! They all just loved being in the woods and it was a joy to see them!
If you want to plan your own 'badger bumble' you might find the following links useful:
- Lots of information and great photographs here about badgers so you know what you are looking for!
- A lovely set of wildlife footprints and photos of the imprints to print and laminate.
- Simple badger outlines.
- A gorgeous badger mask!
Remember that there doesn't actually HAVE to be badgers in the area to do this..... simply the process of suggesting it gets the children looking more closely at the natural world around them and thinking about the possibilities!
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