Posts tagged ‘Science’
Doing your bit for science
Most people interested in nature be it birds, mammals, or just the great outdoors are members of one society or another. All of these groups promote the environment and whatever your interest is, for the benefit of said species or activity. There are literally hundreds of these groups. But just stop to think for a moment, any chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and although not much love goes the way of insects, they are a great indicator of the larger environment’s health.
We all know that insects however small, ugly or creepy play an important role in the cycle of life. One insect to buck the ugly trend is the butterfly, and the people at butterfly conservation are asking for your help. This work is extremely important as they are a good indicator on how things are under the surface as it were, and all it takes is 15 minutes of you time.
What is being asked is for you to pick a 15 minute slot between now and the 5th of August and recorded your sightings. they even provide a downloadable sheet so all you have to do is tick boxes, nothing could be easier. It can be anywhere, in your garden, park, woodland, or even a regular walk. Just add the location to the information. Then fill in the online form. Job done, it’s that easy.
More information and the download sheet is available at
http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/about
Remember you have until the 5th of August and you can do as many counts, in as many different places as you like. even over your morning coffee in the garden. The more entries they receive the better scientific picture will be created, every submission counts, and if every body does just one count, then wow that would be amazing, and whats more you get to sit and watch nature for 15 minutes all in the name science. It might even get you out of doing the washing up!
It’s official, outdoors is healthier
Science and indeed biology plays a part in all our lives. My love of the subject has always driven me to find out more, often resulting in the answer, posing another question. The more you delve the more you realise we still have so much to learn.
As a newly elected affiliate member of the Society of Biology, I now receive the quarterly magazine in which their was a report of a study on the connections between a child’s well-being, and the great outdoors.
In this study it has been found that children now play outside exactly half the time kids did in 1990, and that because of this, not only are they missing out on nature, but their health is suffering as exercise levels have dropped to an all time low.
Outdoor recreation is proven to improve the health and well-being of children.
Now here is not the time to delve to deep, but the point being made is it is not just health that suffers. Discovery, sport, competition, interaction, happiness, imagination, improvisation, communication, decision-making, are all part of a child’s outdoor life, and more importantly shape them into the person that they become. All of these things not only make a healthier child, both in mind and body, but they are important in making the connection to nature, and the role it plays in all our lives.
As a result outdoor learning is again now in the spotlight, it has been found that kids are not making that connection to nature.
In an effort to rectify this The National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, and R.S.P.B are among a number of organisations promoting outdoor learning. This is of extreme importance because kids have a natural curiosity when it comes nature, and as the magazine put it, I wonder how many if any of them kindled of love of science, whilst playing a xbox.
My guess, not many!
