Is-Simar Nature Reserve : an environmental education pack for primary school children

Abstract

The importance of visits to Nature Reserves as an integral part of environmental education should not be undervalued. Apart from being a motivating experience, visits to Nature Reserves such as Is-Simar Nature Reserve can provide youngsters with an essential opportunity to carry out practical activities which will enable them to interact more with nature. Moreover, this experience will help to foster a greater understanding of the natural environment in the children and introduce them to the reasons for nature conservation. In order to provide opportunities for primary students to engage in experiential learning at Is-Simar Nature Reserve, we designed an educational pack consisting of teacher's guidesheets and a set of activities targeting primary schoolchildren. This educational pack includes practical activities which can be carried out on site at Is-Simar Nahue Reserve as well as ideas for follow-up work which can be used to consolidate the students' learning experience. Our research also involved visiting an RSPB Nature Reserve to observe educational programmes and gather ideas about educational activities that could be implemented at Is-Simar Nature Reserve. After producing the educational pack, the activities were tested with local primary schoolchildren. While acting as participant observers, we noticed that many of the learning objectives of the educational activities were achieved. This was also evidenced in the positive response received from the children themselves, their educators and the nature reserve's field teacher. The dissertation also makes several recommendations related to the implementation of the pack as well as ways how the Is-Simar Nature Reserve can cater for environmental education more effectively.