Children swap the classroom for the beach

By Jill Ferguson

Communities & Wildlife Officer - Rye Harbour

Wild Beach is how Sussex Wildlife Trust deliver Forest School at the seaside. It provides children with an understanding of the ocean through child-centred learning, outdoor play and an opportunity for them to connect with nature. The programme runs for several weeks and, over that time, the children develop a sense of ownership, together with an awareness of their responsibility to care for their local beach. Wild Beach programmes are currently part of our Discover Rye Harbour project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We really encourage the children to explore the coastal environment, whilst giving them an awareness of the perceived risks and an understanding of how to stay safe. As the weeks progress the learners become increasingly familiar with their outdoor space and the possibilities open to them.

This month, a class of children from St Thomas’ Primary School in Winchelsea have been taking part. They have been investigating coastal features, such as tides, weather and geology and learning about the pressures on the ocean. They’ve also been involved in developing their practical skills like shelter building and taking part in a litter pick.

Miss Lockwood, a teacher from St Thomas’ Primary School, has been really impressed by the experience so far: “Wild Beach has been brilliant for all of us. We have had so much fun out in the fresh air, learning so much about conservation, sea safety, the wildlife in the area, life cycles, water filtration, habitats and so much more” she said.

We hope that the children who take part in Wild Beach are left with a real sense of connection to the natural marine environment, alongside an understanding of the importance of caring and protecting it for future generations. A personal highlight, has been the chance to investigate squid eggs and spot a Masked Crab. We were able to observe how it moved and fed and see the mask shape on its elongated carapace. It even inspired the pebble artwork, shown in the photo!

Wild Beach has clearly been a big hit with the children too:

"Everything we do is all about working as a team, so we have learnt loads of teamwork skills" - Jorgie

"I found it really cool finding and holding crab species that I didn't know about" - Robyn

"I loved finding Weaver fish in the sand and learning about them" - Jacob

"It was really fun doing the water filter investigation and learning which materials filtered the water the best" - Ophelia

"I loved having our own time to do what we wanted after we'd finished our learning" - Iris

"I really liked the litter picking and seeing how much rubbish we could find" - Euan

"I liked going in the ocean because it was nice to find crabs and shells and just have fun" - Stevie

"I loved doing the art in the sand with the stones" - Teddy

"Overall, everything we do is amazing and great fun" - Seb