Image
Explore: Urban Nature
Find out how we've connected young people with nature throughout the Natural History Museum project.
Explore: Urban Nature is a national project headed by the Natural History Museum involving cultural heritage organisations across the UK who are part of the Real World Science Network. The project aimed to connect young people with nature, particularly in the urban areas where they may live or go to school, using a variety of engagement methods over the course of three years. The Explore: Urban Nature project also provided opportunities for teachers to engage in professional development with training opportunities centred on outdoor education.
At the Ulster Folk Museum, the goal throughout the Explore: Urban Nature project has been to collaborate with local schools for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The project created a lasting impact both for the organisation and students involved by transforming a patch of bare grass at the Ulster Folk Museum into a series of nature plots. Each class taking part was allocated a plot and over the course of the school year took part in a series of workshops, both in school and on-site at the museum.
The end result has been truly transformative, with students developing new skills and an enhanced appreciation for nature, whilst the nature plots have flourished with wildflowers and attracted an array of pollinating insects and birds.
In June, the Ulster Folk Museum hosted Nature Exploration Day to celebrate the Explore: Urban Nature project. Hear about the thoughts of some of our visitors below.
National Museums NI would like to thank the students and staff of the following schools for participating in Explore: Urban Nature:
- Mitchell House
- Clarawood
- St Gerard’s
- Glenveagh
- Longstone
- Rosstulla
- Hill Croft
- Tor Bank
- Clifton
- Killard House
Image
