Wild Planet Explorers Juniors and Kids

Learning for Sustainability is an entitlement for all learners. It is a cross-cutting theme throughout the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), and should be embedded in the curriculum and ethos of all education establishments.

Wild Planet Explorers is an online environmental education programme for 3 to 18-year-olds supporting the Learning for Sustainability agenda across the CfE’s four capacities and four contexts of learning.

The programme is designed and presented by award-nominated biologist, conservationist and experienced environmental educator Joanna McFarlane.

HOW IT WORKS

Wild Planet Explorers offers two age-appropriate programmes (3-9yrs and 9-18yrs)which can be presented anywhere, anytime.

Each programme comprises of 8 engaging videos presented by Joanna McFarlane, plus accompanying resources, links and activity/project ideas. The Junior programme uses animal characters e.g. Orsom the Octopus, Cassius the Crab, Jungo the Tiger to help share biology and conservation stories. In both programmes, children also earn certificates for two different awards.

Links and resources are designed to reduce the amount of time teachers spend searching for information.

Teachers are welcome to email Joanna for support while using the programmes, e.g. with questions from children, to help with class or topic delivery, or for signposting to further information.

PRICES

For pricing and more information on each programme, see below and visit

Wild Planet Explorers Juniors (3-9yrs)

8 sessions: £300 for 6 months’ access

Wild Planet Explorers Kids (9-18yrs)

8 sessions: £300 for 6 months’ access

Wild Planet Explorers Juniors and Kids (3-18yrs)

Both programmes: £575 for 12 months

ABOUT WILD PLANET EXPLORERS

and its founder, Joanna McFarlane

Wild Planet Explorers was founded in 2015 by Joanna McFarlane, a qualified biologist and conservationist who has worked in wildlife research and conservation, public engagement and environmental education for over 25 years.

Over the years, Joanna has delivered sessions, presentations and awards to thousands of children and families across Scotland in nurseries, schools, colleges, after-school clubs, Scout/Guide groups and home educator groups, as well as at a range of events and festivals. Wild Planet Explorer sessions were a finalist in the Nature of Scotland Awards, What’s on 4 Kids UK Awards and Fife Chamber of Commerce Awards in Youth and Education, Community Engagement and Best New Activity for Children categories. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Joanna took her Wild Planet Explorers sessions online.

Now, her fun and engaging sessions are available anywhere, anytime through a new online global environmental education platform. Schools, nurseries, after school clubs, groups and families can access two age- appropriate programmes, each comprising 8 videos presented by Joanna herself, along with the accompanying activities and resources.

PURPOSE OF THE ONLINE PROGRAMMES

o offer teachers and leaders a cohesive, trustworthy source of authoritative and engaging content on all the global threats to wildlife – both marine and terrestrial – so reducing time they spend searching for information and project ideas to deliver for Learning for Sustainability.

To encourage more children, their families and communities to care for, explore and take action for wildlife and habitats. To help them realise the difference they can make, whatever age they are, wherever they live, whatever their background.

To inspire careers in science – be it in biology, conservation or a career in the green economy and wider transition to Net Zero.

To help conservation charities, groups and campaigns reach more children, families and communities by surfacing their messages.

To give the children and teachers an opportunity to meet a real-life biologist and conservationist, and ask questions about a career in science and about the state of wildlife and habitats worldwide.

PROGRAMMES TO SUPPORT THE CFE

To enable ALL young people to become

Successful Learners
Confident Individuals
Responsible Citizens
Effective Contributors

Wild Planet Explorers Juniors and Kids programmes support the Learning for Sustainability agenda across the CfE’s four capacities and four contexts of learning.

The Curriculum ‘the totality of all that is planned for children and young people throughout their education’

Opportunities for
personal achievement
Interdisciplinary learning
Ethos and life of the
school as a community
Curriculum areas and subjects

The two age-appropriate programmes offer content and project ideas for Sustainable Development Goals and STEM education. They are regularly updated in response to teachers’ feedback and to reflect current affairs in wildlife, environmental conservation and sustainable development across the globe.
Each session, presentation and award within the programme also offers opportunities for learning and improvement across all areas of the curriculum:

Each session, presentation and award within the programme also offers opportunities for learning and improvement across all areas of the curriculum:

Arts: The programme topic ‘Global threats to wildlife’ deals with an emotive subject, so lends itself well to the expressive arts – be it creating an artwork, presentation, song, dance, drama or other form of artistic expression.
Health and Wellbeing: Mental and Emotional Wellbeing, Social Wellbeing, Planning for Choices and Change, Food and the Consumer
Literacy and English: Listening and Talking, Reading, Writing
Numeracy and Mathematics: Information Handling
Religious and Moral Education: Christianity – Values and Issues, World Religions – Values and Issues
Sciences: Planet Earth, Biological Systems, Materials and Forces, Topical Science
Social Studies: People, Past Events and Societies, People, Place and Environment, People in Society, Economy and Business
Technology: Digital Literacy, Food and Textile Technology, Technological Developments in Society and Business, Craft, Design, Engineering and Graphics, Computing Science.

£300 for 6 months’ use

The Juniors programme consists of 8 fun, interactive, engaging and educational sessions about the global threats to nature. It also explores how children, their families and communities can take action to help nature through sustainable choices.

It brings amazing animals and their habitats to life in a memorable way for younger children. Joanna shares animal biology and conservation facts through fun activities, imaginative play, background music, games and interactive and visual props.

Teachers can watch the videos and use the resources to design their own class delivery. Or they can simply show the videos to the children and facilitate the included activities.

OUTLINE OF SESSIONS

LESSON 1 Orsom the Octopus – octopus and squid biology, sewage-related marine pollution, 3P Pledge Champion Award (certificate)

LESSON 2 Cassius the Crab – biology of crabs and other marine life, plastics in the marine food chain

LESSON 3 Deepa the Dolphin – dolphin biology, fishing nets and bycatch

LESSON 4 Ava the Albatross – albatross biology, unsustainable fishing

LESSON 5 Jungo the Tiger – biology of tigers and lions, deforestation, palm oil, tiger decline and Forest Tiger Champion Award (certificate)

LESSON 6 Frogs and Toads – frog and toad biology, habitat loss and building homes for frogs and toads

LESSON 7 Red and Grey Squirrels – squirrel biology, impact of invasive species

LESSON 8 Bees, Wasps and Honeybees – their similarities and differences, the importance of pollinators

Practicalities

Each video is around 30 mins long. Total content 4hrs 7 mins.
These sessions require a good-sized space for layout of props and for children to move around freely.
Any materials needed are clearly listed in the accompanying resource sheets and are usually already available in school or easy for teachers to source.

£300 for 6 months’ use

The Kids programme is designed for older children, and encourages discussion and debate. It consists of 8 interactive and engaging presentations about the global threats to nature and how children, their families and communities can take action to help it through sustainable choices.

The sessions explore the key threats to wildlife through videos, discussion and interactive resources. Teachers can watch the videos themselves and design their own class delivery, or they can show the videos directly to the children and help facilitate the activities as directed in the resources and on screen.

OUTLINE OF SESSIONS

LESSON 1 Introduction to the global threats to wildlife

LESSON 2 Marine degradation – marine pollution, the 3P Pledge Champion Award (certificate)

LESSON 3 Climate change – its impact on wildlife; the circular economy model

LESSON 4 Unsustainable consumption – fishing

LESSON 5 Habitat loss – deforestation, palm oil, Forest Tiger Champion Award (certificate)

LESSON 6 UK habitat loss and degradation – decline of UK species, causes, impacts and how children can help, for example frogs and toads, pollinators

LESSON 7 Invasive species – in UK and across the world; the impact on native wildlife

LESSON 8 Illegal wildlife trade – impact on wildlife

Practicalities

Each video is around 25 mins long. Total content 3hrs 15 mins.
Any materials needed are clearly listed in the accompanying resource sheets and are usually already available in school, or easy and cheap for teachers to source.