Written by five Yr 6 pupils
This year has been tough as we all know, but five Yr 6s from Albourne Primary School have still made an effort to plan a fun filled World Earth Day for their school. They have partnered up with Spirit of the Wild to spread awareness in their community of climate change, pollution and deforestation.
World Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on 22nd April to support the environment. It was first celebrated in 1970 in America. A senator from Wisconsin organised the event and protests and rallies took place all over America. By 1990, Earth Day was a national event celebrated by more than 140 different countries around the globe.
Spirit of the Wild brought in animals from their small private zoo to show the classes and to teach them about the animals’ environment and skills to survive. They brought in amphibians, reptiles, birds, invertebrates and mammals. Some of the animals included Morpheus a rare golden eagle, Flinty a small parrot known as a Caique, Tinker a cuddly skunk and a 7 foot Burmese python called Thanos.
The five girls planned eco activities for each class. In the classes they created their own environmentally friendly invention and found out their carbon footprints. The school also took part in the spiritual arts competition, a small competition about art and the environment.
Years 1 to 6 all did spectacular art pieces to do with the environment that were entered into a school competition and made mixed media presentations. Reception made paper plate jellyfish and did ocean conservation work that related to their topics. The year 6s enjoyed the day in the New Year 6 classroom equipped with two rooms, one for group work and the other being the main classroom. The classroom’s build had been put on hold due to Covid but it was finished in time for the start of the new year. It is detached from the main building of the school.
Half of the money that Albourne School raised was generously given to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to help them fight climate change, deforestation and pollution. The WWF works tirelessly by putting nature first and making our food system sustainable. They are the world’s leading independent conservation organisation and they work on every continent to stop dramatic declines in wildlife numbers. The other half of the money will go towards making the grassy area next to the year 6 classroom spacious and environmentally friendly.
Overall world earth day was a great success, filled with fun and enjoyment for all ages. Even the Albourne play group got involved with Spirit of the Wild and the arts and crafts of World Earth Day.