One of the key elements of the Happy Hedgerows project was hosting nature education events and creating themed handouts for teachers and educators. A cooperation with a preschool group from the Pöhlbergzwerge nursery in Annaberg-Buchholz began on 6 May 2013. As a result of the long winter that year, the hedgerow “adopted” for the project (located along the extension of the Zechensteig road) was still completely bare.
Between spring and autumn, the 17 children (aged between three and five) visited “their” hedge multiple times to observe changes and learn about the different types of plants and animals that made their home there. Their mascot, Fuchsi the Little Caterpillar, joined them every time. Between May and October, the children took part in the following nature education activities:
The nature education programme was conducted in close consultation with the group’s educator. A new hedgerow topic was introduced roughly once a week. It was usually accompanied by a visit to the adopted hedge and discovering and learning about a new animal or plant. The new topic introduced then occupied the children for a full week – for example through books, stories or craft projects. Over the course of the project, the children decorated their classroom with cut-out paper snails, colourful butterflies, bees made from pipe cleaners, and ladybirds made from cardboard and small paper clips.
The programme was adapted to the requirements of the Saxon curriculum. The project involved the following educational areas:
A model project plan can be downloaded here:
The Happy Hedgerows Project.pdf