Inverness pupils celebrate nature
An Inverness Primary School is holding a fun filled celebration day of nature, health and fitness activities on 11 June (10am to 3pm) culminating in a mass drumming session with the local community.
The 183-pupil Cauldeen Primary School won Big Lottery Funding of over £1000 for a Celebration Day with help from local volunteers and the BBC’s Breathing Places scheme to “do one thing for nature”.
Different classes have been working on the preparations for the day:
• P5/6 organised a Fancy Dress Fun run in the school to keep up their fitness levels and to raise funds for Disability Awareness week donating £185 to help athletes go to the Special Olympics;
• P4 arranged a litter pick around their local community to help keep their neighbourhood tidy;
• P7 have developed a nature trail around the school grounds which they hope can be used by other schools and community groups in the future; and
• P6 have researched the world’s different habitats and designed giant boards depicting these for their school garden.
Every child in the school will have a chance to do some painting of the boards and they will be installed in the school garden for use in teaching and by local community groups.
Also during the celebration day, with the help of RSPB the children will be making bird boxes; Brian Irvine the ex Scotland Football player will be attending with his charity Youth Inclusive; the Beastie Man will be bringing along some creepy crawlies; and there will be Drama in the musical garden.
The school has invited the local community to help round off the day with a mass drumming session with Steve the happy drummer.
Debbie Mackenzie, parent of one of Cauldeen’s pupils responsible for obtaining the funding from National Lottery and running the school garden club said: “Thanks to the help and the hard work of our volunteers, the school staff, the pupils and the lottery funding I hope this will be a fun filled day out for the children.”
Lesley McPherson Acting Depute Head Teacher said: “Debbie and the team have done a wonderful job creating resources that the school and others can use today and in the future to learn about nature in a fun, active and practical way.”