22 May 2015
Children at Milbourne Lodge School have recently taken part in a ‘bug hotel’ design competition sponsored by habitat experts Wildlife World. Year 5 students at the Surrey school spent two terms in their Art and IT classes designing and building their very own bug houses inspired by Wildlife World’s products.
Wildlife World visited the school in Esher to deliver workshops to the children about the different kinds of wildlife habitats and this inspired the idea for the hands-on project.
The pupils’ designs were judged on a variety of criteria including creativity, concept, practicality and the amount of time dedicated to the project. The competition saw five winners who each won an individual prize, as well as Wildlife World’s Educational Insect Pyramid being awarded to the whole class for their excellent efforts.
Sybil Cary, IT teacher and Tiggy Bawden, Art teacher at Milbourne Lodge School commented, “The children are thrilled with their new Educational Insect Pyramid and the impact of this project will remain with them for many years to come. Wildlife World has been extremely supportive throughout the project and in helping our pupils to achieve such wonderful habitat designs. The pupils have learnt to really value the world around them and how insects are so vital to our future.”
The 21 children spent their IT classes researching the practicality and design of Wildlife World’s products, before creatively drawing a 3D model of their very own bug house on the computer programme, SketchUp. The class also involved the children creating a short animation of their products and a ‘sales flyer’ to promote their design.
In their Art class, the children designed their fantastical bug houses on paper which inspired their final products. The class then constructed their bug houses with wood, derived from their SketchUp and hand-drawn designs and research of Wildlife World’s products. Some designs used moss and stones to provide a damp bottom layer to attract different kinds of bugs and insects.
Vanessa Marshall, Southern European Sales Manager at Wildlife World, presented the class with their certificates and the Educational Insect Pyramid. She commented, “All of the class did extremely well and I was very impressed with their designs and creations. It was great to see how inspired they were, not only by our products but by their understanding of wildlife habitats. It is also great to see the school encouraging children to become more involved and interested in wildlife and their habitats.”
Based in rural Gloucestershire, Wildlife World is one of Europe’s leading designers and manufacturers of wildlife habitats, feeders and other nature products and have won a number of awards for their innovative designs. All of Wildlife World’s products reflect its commitment to sustainability and the environment as they are all hand crafted from ethically sourced materials, including FSC certified timber and water-based paints and sealants. Wildlife World supplies Europe’s top environmental conservation organisations such as RSPB, Friends of the Earth, LPO and NABU and it also manufactures bespoke product ranges for a number of specialist retailers.
Further information is available from Wildlife World on 01666 505333, by emailing james@wildlifeworld.co.uk or by visiting the company’s website at www.wildlifeworld.co.uk
