Thanh Doan
Since arriving on Alderney in March 2024, as an Outreach and Education Officer, I have been supporting St Anne’s Pre-school with nature-related activities designed to connect children with nature while supporting their development. The kids could play with soil, sand, seashells, find bugs, observe various creatures, and explore different natural objects and specimens. Let’s look at some highlight activities that the kids have enjoyed since April.
Please excuse the messy look of the sessions!
Tadpole Observing: The children observed tadpoles and
dragonfly larvae (in the jar and the Tupperware on the left) while learning about the lifecycle of a frog.
These tadpoles and dragonfly larvae are lent to us by our lovely volunteer, Lou Collings.
The children also played with models of frogs and tadpoles, which were provided by the St Anne's pre-school.
Learning about puffins. Photo by Thanh Doan
Puffin Learning: The children watched a clip about puffins (recorded from the AWT's Puffin Cam) and learned about these charming birds with our Ramsar Ecologist.
Observe moths and emperor moth caterpillars. Photo by Thanh Doan.
Moth Observing: The children observed moths in pots and got to see live moth caterpillars.
All of the moths and caterpillars were kindly provided by our volunteer and moth recorder, Lou Collings.
Magpie moth. Photo by Thanh Doan
Seeing a moth up-close.
Bug hunting at the Terrace. Photo by Thanh Doan.
Bug Hunting: Using nets, the children caught and identified various insects, learning to handle creatures with care while enjoying the thrill of the hunt.
The children practised their observation skills and motor skills during this bug hunting activity at the Terrace.
Showing a bug to their friend. Photo by Thanh Doan.
Showing a bug to a a friend
Play with seashells. Photo by Thanh Doan.
Sensory Play with Seashells and Marine Specimens: The
children explored seashells of different shapes and sizes and examined specimens such as crab shells and cuttlefish bones. This activity enables children to sort, match, compare, classify and count items while learning about marine animals of Alderney.
The children loved sorting the shells by size.
Hear the sound of the sea from the shells. Photo by Thanh Doan.
Some even held them up to their ears, delighted to ‘hear the sound of the sea!’
Trace nature items. Photo by Thanh Doan.
Nature Object Tracing: The children felt nature objects like Egg Wrack bladders, Ringed Plover eggshells, Warty Venus shells, feathers, and sycamore leaves, and traced these objects on paper or whiteboards.
Children got to experiment with paper, whiteboards and Sharpies.
Trace nature objects. Photo by Thanh Doan
This activity also allows kids to express themselves through scribbling and develop their creativity. Can you see 'a snake and a boat' in this photo?
