Links and Resources for Schools & Youth Groups

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Below we have collated many useful links to other resources for schools and youth groups within an environmental context. We will add to these as we come across more and please feel free to send us anything you might be of value in adding to the list.

I would like to recommend to teachers and staff who work in or with schools, who are keen to develop or rejuvenate a wildlife/conservation area in a school this document. School Wildlife Gardening; a Teacher's Guide has been developed by the Ecology Section of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is an excellent example of what work you can do and how the area can be incorporated into the curricular. It can be downloaded here.

• A Year of Living Generously - an online experiment based on a shared hunch that looking after this planet and its people is what we are all here for.
• Bushy Park Wildlife Watch (Word document)
• Breathing Earth - a little education website as to carbon emissions per country
• Carbon Trust - schools can save 20% on the fuels bills by joining the their scheme
• Centre for Research in Education and the Environment
• Council for Environmental Education – no long active but still has some useful information
• Curriculum links/ideas for an outdoor classroom (Growing Schools, Techernet)
• Eco Schools
• Education 4 Conservation
• English Nature: Nature for Schools - a good resource, including many lesson plans
• Environment Agency - fun and games page
• Fairtrade in your School
• Education plans etc from the Fairtrade website
• How to become a Fairtade School (also see the Fairtrade page on our website)
• Field Studies Council
• Foundation for Environment Education - aiming to promote sustainable development through environmental education
• Friends of the Earth - information for educators and young people
• The Growing Schools Garden - Its aim was to demonstrate how schools can - and do - transform barren playgrounds into welcoming and exciting green spaces, providing enrichment, stimulation and learning for all pupils.
• Global Footprints (classroom activities)
• Insect Lore - educational insect items for parents and teachers of children ages 8 and under.
• Learning Through Landscapes (REN holds a professional membership so we can support you)
• Low Carbon Buildings Programme (phase 2) - grants for renewables for schools
• Make your own compost bin, two sites here and here.
• Nature Grid –Canterbury Environmental Education Centre
• The Outdoor Classroom: Educational Use, landscape design and management of school grounds.pdf
• Richmond Borough in Bloom - an annual competition with schools category for environmental/wildlife areas
• School Food Matter -  has six basic goals.
• kitchens capable of preparing fresh and healthy food
• a commitment from school meal providers to supply food from local and sustainable sources
• cooking and growing programmes
• a link with a local farm as an educational resource, and for the supply of local produce
• lunchtime in a pleasant, fully equipped environment
• a designated champion from staff or governors and from the school council
• Schools for Life -Schoolsforlife builds into an invaluable reference tool for anyone interested or involved in any aspect of education, design and building.
• Schools Trips info - advice from the Health and Safety Executive
• School Wildlife Gardening; a Teacher's Guide
• Sunshine Garden – gardening that involves less water
• Support for school trips - a guide to health & safety on educational visits from Teachernet
• Sus School - The Sustainable schools website Helping schools to become more sustainable
• Switched on Communities - grants for Eco Schools (you have to have joined)
• Teachernet: Growing Schools (a very, very useful resource)
• Curriculum links/ideas for an outdoor classroom
• Funding information for Schools
• Learning outside the classroom -
• Sustainable Schools - designed to support schools on their journey to sustainabilit
• Thames Water have soke good resources include a speaker programme 
• Twickenham & Thames Valley Bee-Keepers' -Play a very active roll in the craft of bee-keeping including a teaching group
• WWF Learning
• WWF Learning for Sustainability
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust - The award winning London Wetland Centre is the first project of its kind in the world - more than 40 hectares of created wetlands in the heart of a capital city. Fee visits available for state funded schools. Download their brochure here.
• We Are What We Do - a new movement to inspiring people to use their everyday actions to change the world
• Wildlife-gardening.co.uk - a good site for information
• Wildlife-gardening.org.uk - another good site with web (discussion) boards
• Why create schools wildlife areas? -  Young Peoples Trust for the Environment website
• Woodland Trust - free trees for schools

A number of local environmental organisations facilitate environmental education trips for schools. If you would like to organise such a trip then please contact:

Royal Parks at Bushy Park on 020 8979 1586 or via e-mail.

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at the London Wetlands Centre please contact on 8409 4400 or via e-mail.

Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew on 020 8332 5640 or via e-mail.