Shroomie’s Woodland Adventure
An issue which is visible within the natural history world is how fewer and fewer children are spending time in nature. If a child is brought up to appreciate and explore the natural world from a young age, they are more likely to have a better relationship with nature as they grow up, which is beneficial for both them and the environment. Therefore, this project has been designed to create an opportunity for KS1 children to interact with and learn about a combination of photographic and illustrated nature, relevant to their science curriculum.
The book comes apart into separate pages that provide the students with A4 posters of their natural environment, with a collection of activities on the reverse side. As KS1 is varied in academic ability, the activities included contain a mixture of difficulties and skills. Therefore, allowing each student to be involved equally.
Shroomie appears throughout the book providing fun facts on all the subjects discussed, whilst carrying the theme of the mycorrhizal network. The students can connect with Shroomie as a familiar, trustworthy character, which they can then recreate via the step-by-step guide in the back of the book.
The use of light paintings on the posters allows for a child-like approach to drawing over the photos in order to create a magical and whimsical world for the children to delve into.
The intention behind this project is to encourage the children to explore woodlands and their own local green spaces in search for natural treasures that will develop and improve their relationship with nature.