The children have learned about what litter is and how to sort and recycle rubbish.

• We made signs so that everyone, including the adults, knew where to put the rubbish.
• We went litter picking in the school grounds and sorted the rubbish into the recycling bins.
• We make models from recyclable materials and do not put glitter on our models and try not to use too much tape.
• We have a collection bag for crisp packets in our entrance hall. These help to support a local charity Umbrella who collect them and send them to the crisp packet recycling scheme in return for 1p per pack.

Click here to access Umbrella's website

• We also collect baby food pouches and take them to our local collection point at Broadway Baptist Church.
• We have a book swap station so that used books can be enjoyed by others.
• We collect second-hand clothes and donate them to charity.
• We make compost from scraps and waste fruit and vegetables which we then use in our vegetable plot and flower areas.

Derby may be far from the sea but we all need to be mindful of the damage plastic does to our rivers and oceans.  The children have been learning about birds and animals that live in or near the river and the sea and how our rubbish can affect the creatures’ lives. They understand that we need to look after the fish and turtles and how and why we do it.

On our school litter picks we found plastic straws on the drive from our milk cartons. We walked along the river to Derby River Gardens to look at the birds and check for litter. We saw plastic bags stuck in the bushes by the river.

As a school we decided to:

• Stop using plastic straws to drink milk or in craft activities
• Stop using glitter and sequins for craft activities
• Use natural resources and paper or card for models and craft activities
• Support local charities to recycle difficult to recycle plastics such as crisp packets and baby food pouches.
• Stop using single use plastic bags by asking parents to provide a reusable, washable bag for us to return any wet or dirty clothes.
• Only use nappy sacks if really necessary

• Use plastic free/reusable nappy sacks once we have used up our existing supply

• Continue to review single use plastic used within the nursery and reduce where possible.
• Buy sustainable fish for our school meals

We wanted to make sure we provide even more opportunities for wildlife in our outdoor areas.

The children have been looking for birds in the nursery garden. They have been developing their skills in waiting patiently and using their binoculars to spot, count and record the birds in our nursery garden. We made new bird feeders and waited for more birds to come to our garden. The children enjoy helping to encourage more birds to come into the garden by keeping the bird feeders stocked. 

We learned about all the wild creatures that live in our gardens and created new habitats for bugs and animals:

• Bug homes and bug hotels
• A wild flower patch and long grass areas
• A living roof on the play den
• Homes for frogs around our pond – ‘frogitats’
• Leaf piles – home for a hedgehog
• Log piles
• Squirrel picnic bench – to encourage our friendly squirrels!