Ecoscience Day

Teaching teenagers about the values of wetlands sounds thrilling doesnt it?

Well, surprisingly it was. Especially when they were actually enthusiastic about what you were telling them. I almost felt like a scientist

We had four set ups to help teach the kids;

The first was teaching them about the composition of wetland soil. A tray of peat soil and a tray of common garden soil were used to contrast the differences. After putting on latex gloves (which the kids seemed to love) they were able to feel the two soils and then make soil slurries in polystyrene cups. The slurries were then used to measure the pH and conductivity - primarily to show the differences in nutrient availability between the two.

The second was a variety of carniverous plants that can be found in wetlands. The smaller plants were placed in clear plastic boxes with lids so we could feed flies to the plants. The kids could then see how the plants obtained nutrients from the flies - trapping them - then digesting them with enzymes.

The most technical of the displays was a constructed wetland (created by Wayne Watkins). Using peat and sphagnum moss we passed dirty water through the "wetland" to show how they can be used to purify water. 

The kids were also told about the role of wetlands and the nitrogen cycle and the carbon cycle. With the use of a simple board we could show the kids the carbon cycle (which many were learning for their GCSEs) and show them where wetlands slotted into the cycle. Overall it was a great two days! Hopefully we inspired them to continue with science and also keep in mind the importance of wetlands!