Children from two Knutsford schools learnt all about newts and pondlife with guest speaker, David Orchard from the Amphibian and Reptile Group of Lancashire (ARGL) on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th May.
As part of this year’s Nature Action Plan theme – Frogs and Pondlife, Knutsford Town Council organised for David to attend St Vincent’s and Bexton primary schools where groups of children gathered to learn lots of interesting facts about newts. They learned that newts are amphibians, that they can be found in Britain, and the sort of things that newts eat and their predators.
All the children had the opportunity to hold a Palmate newt, and David highlighted what sorts of ponds newts can be found in, where they lay their eggs and how quickly they grow.
The children were given a pondlife diary, created by the Town Council, which contained guidance on creating a pond at home and space to record their first year’s findings.
“Most children have never seen a newt, so bringing these animals into school is an important educational experience. Being able to see a newt close up means so much more than seeing one on the TV or internet and seeing the children’s excitement and interest in these animals is great to see. Such experiences help children to understand and connect with nature, which is essential if we’re going to protect our environment in the future,” said David.
Liz Ledwith, PPA teacher from Bexton Primary said, “Thank you again for organising David ‘The Newt Man’ to come in and talk to the children regarding these amazing amphibians. The children loved holding the creatures and I’m hopeful we have many budding ecologists for the future”.
The Town Council is looking to map garden ponds to understand the network and is actively encouraging residents to create ponds, big or small, in their garden with the opportunity to enter the Knutsford’s Best Pond competition.
You can find out more about the importance of ponds, find resources to create your own pond, and log your pond or enter the competition at www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/pondlife
