Being of a certain age, I have found it terribly sad to see the destruction of nature in this country in my lifetime.
I've written often about growing up with nature all around me, and the delight and wonder I found in being a part of it all. Many of the species I remember from my childhood are, alas, all but gone now, in the wake of human desecration of natural habitats. There is a disconnection between people and nature that simply did not exist to the same extent fifty years ago. I have written before about my early schooling and the way in which nature formed a core component of my primary school education, encouraged by a wonderful teacher whose lessons enriched and informed my whole life. I know it was a similar story for many of my generation. Now as I see first hand, almost daily, the wanton destruction of nature, I feel anguish and pain. It is truly heartbreaking. These days, most people are aware of the importance of looking after nature and encouraging biodiversity, but few actually care enough to act. That is a truth we must acknowledge. No amount of messaging will influence those who are unmoved by the plight of the natural world. So I have concluded that, if we are to really make a difference, we must look to the youngest generation and break the cycle of ignorance by instilling in them the same love and respect for the natural world that we were privileged to have all those years ago and which has clearly been lost along the way. I have today written to the education ministers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, asking them to share my vision of establishing nature as a core subject to be taught in primary schools, including a plan to bring back the widespread use of nature tables to classrooms, along with teachers who will enthusiastically share their knowledge. This is what I wrote to them:- As a writer and campaigner on environmental matters, I am writing to you with an idea that I hope will inspire your interest and engagement. I'm sure you will agree that the state of our natural environment is at a critical point and that action to address the decline of nature is imperative if we are to repair the damage that has been done in recent years. It is with great sadness that I have witnessed in my lifetime a terrible decline in biodiversity in this country and a tragic disconnection between people and nature. While current efforts to encourage biodiversity are valuable, I believe that the single most important contribution to conserving nature would be to instill in the very youngest minds a love and respect for nature and the countryside. After all, it will be the next generation and those that follow who will have the task of securing the future survival of our natural world. And so it is so vital that today's children are taught to respect and appreciate nature from a very early age. Growing up in the late 60s and early 70s, I was taught in school (from the age of three) about the importance of the natural world around me. Knowledge was shared with enthusiasm by educators who had genuine empathy and passion for nature. And because of this we grew up with a real respect for the natural world. These early lessons inspired wonder and delight in our young minds that turned into a lifelong fascination and appreciation of the flora and fauna with which we share this world. And this joy in discovering nature, if once again taught in schools, could be the single most valuable contribution to the future survival of our countryside and all the diverse species that still manage to survive in an increasingly hostile environment. The Vision So, I would like to see the subject of nature at the core of teaching in every primary school across the UK. It is a vision that I feel could be realised quite easily and it would be a powerful contribution to a better future, with wide ranging long term benefits. Nature Tables Initially I would like to see the reintroduction of nature tables in every primary school classroom. This idea has been mooted in recent years but I believe now is the time to act on it and bring back the nature table across the whole country. Some schools, Montessori establishments for example, have always recognised that nature is central to children's education. I believe it is imperative for mainstream education to follow this lead. I am contacting you along with other important decision makers across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to make this happen. I have already had early discussions with the MS for North Wales, Carolyn Thomas, who has agreed that nature study should be at the core of early learning education across Wales. This needs to come to fruition and also be introduced across the rest of the UK. I sincerely hope I can count on your active support in influencing policy for this initiative, and I look forward to hearing from you. I'll keep you posted about the responses I receive.....
22 Comments
Pauline
10/10/2022 05:24:25 pm
Thank you for emails and updates.
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Peter Toombs
11/10/2022 12:47:42 pm
Well said Jason. I fully support and endorse your initiative. Some of my happiest memories of primary school in Suffolk were the nature walks that our teachers would take us on. I love nature and all that it embraces and very much fear the current obsession with building on as much land as possible, especially on Greenfield sites. The damage that results can never be reversed. Hopefully future generations will come to understand and appreciate the vital and irreplaceable role of nature in our everyday lives. Let's hope this and future governments heed and support our concerns.
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Adrian Coward
10/10/2022 05:27:23 pm
Well done Jason. I believe that more people than ever have re-connected with nature during the restrictions brought about buy Covid. Now is the time to capitalise on the general improvement of well resulting from that connection. There is a wealth of well informed knowledge and experience in members of the public who have children and grand children who I am sure would supplement our primary school teachers by helping with 'Nature Study' including the provision of 'Nature Tables', where every child would want to see her or his prized item. .
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Sue Willis
12/10/2022 01:41:13 pm
Hi Adrian
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Mary
10/10/2022 05:27:32 pm
Nature Study was one of my favourite subjects at school! I'm fortunate to be living in a rural area - with a thriving Nature Group! - at the age of 70 & would love to know my 10-year-old grand-daughter would have similar opportunities...
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Doug Simpson
10/10/2022 05:27:47 pm
An excellent initiative. Let's hope that it gets a positive response and that sufficient teachers with the interest, knowledge and (dare I say it) time can be found out there to take this forward. If it could be linked to the proposed GCSE in Natural History planned from 2025, so much the better..
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Susan Smyth
10/10/2022 05:34:16 pm
Enjoyed this article and wish you much success! 🍀
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Andrew Donovan
10/10/2022 05:49:39 pm
Well done Jason - a life-enhancing and exciting idea for all who love and feel a real part of nature. And it would indeed be wonderful if some authoritative educational body now picks up and runs with your idea - for surely we need to wean the young away from endless social messaging pressures and digital AI realities, for where is the beautiful real life in any of that?.
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10/10/2022 06:13:46 pm
Absolutely spot on. I would like to take it bit further and show how food is 'generated' in all it's stages. I wish I had been taught how 'meat' for instance gets to the table. It's hard to see, but they say information is power, I certainly would not have been eating meat and fish given the choice when I was a child, had I have understood the 'process'.
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Ruth Pilkington
10/10/2022 06:30:27 pm
I hope the powers that be will sit up and take notice. Nature study featured prominently in my early education and I endeavoured to focus on it whenever I could as a primary school teacher later on. Children are fascinated by and inspired by the natural world and we should be doing all we can to capitalise on this.
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10/10/2022 06:36:08 pm
Terrific idea, and I hope it bears fruit. Despite being born and brought up in an industrial city suburb I was very lucky.
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Simon George Spratt
10/10/2022 08:07:23 pm
You’re doing a wonderful job, putting the Government right it right!! Wildlife is one of our biggest assets. Without it, there would be nothing for visiting people to see apart from the sea.
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B.Ram
10/10/2022 08:20:58 pm
Love this.I was born in London and we were taken out by our teacher round the streets and parks from primary school.We would pick up different tree leaves cones etc take back to school and put in books.I've always loved nature since .Been vegan for years.Only way to go for the planet and suffering of animals.Need children to go back to basics in schools.They are missing out.Take away phones computers and socialise your children.
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Lesley Fenton
10/10/2022 08:30:41 pm
On a holiday recently I found many interesting specimens
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Mike Boulton
10/10/2022 09:38:40 pm
I started school earlier than you. We didn't have nature tables but we did have a primitive equivalent.
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Elizabeth
10/10/2022 09:58:00 pm
I am 74 and still keep a nature table for things I pick up on my walks. It was the highlight of my school day and still delights me now. I think it would be a good idea for the 'finds' to be linked to art and craft classes, so that items are really looked and marvelled at and an appreciation of the wonder and complexity of nature would follow.
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Carolyn
10/10/2022 10:18:50 pm
More and more Primary schools are having ‘Forest school’ sessions outside which encourage a connection to nature. Pupils really love forest school and it is usually child-led which inspires and motivates the children.
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Peter Smith
10/10/2022 11:58:19 pm
I agree that nature studies should be re-introduced, but I remember one reason they were phased out was because many experts were concerned that children were picking and pressing too many wild flowers, and that rare species might be threatened.
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Steve Norris
11/10/2022 09:47:42 am
I do hope Nature/Environment/Climate studies could be re-introduced. It is the young generations who need to pick up the baton to make changes happen with the help of our older generations.
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Sharon Smithen
11/10/2022 11:10:34 am
I feel the same Jason. I am such a lover of nature that it is heartbreaking to see it going at a rate. The letter you have written is fantastic and so to the point. Well done. With you 100%.
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Alex
11/10/2022 12:57:04 pm
While I think this is a great idea in an ideal world, you’re actually asking the very people who are the primary culprits of wildlife and habitat desolation, to include nature study in the national curriculum. These same people who have recently sentenced even more wildlife to death. While it’s unlikely that they would agree to such a study program, if they did, do you think they would uphold the welfare and respect of wildlife? The people who are the problem can not fix this problem (i.e. the government).
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req uired
12/10/2022 03:15:08 pm
far better to educate young children about things that matter like nature studies
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