The fifth annual ‘Dr. Anne’ Day was held at the Ewelme Watercress Beds on 21st August. Dr. Anne (Millar), who died in 2013 after serving the local community for three decades, was passionate about wildlife and involving children in outdoors nature activities.
16 Children aged six to eleven attended and enjoyed a fun morning of activities in the sunshine. The morning kicked off with opening some moth traps which had been set overnight. The children were delighted to find three Poplar Hawkmoths, which very obligingly sat on their hands to be examined at close quarters. The activities on offer this year included:
- A photo competition on the theme of ‘patterns’
- Pebble art – painting animal designs on pebbles
- Bunting decorating – the children decorated bunting which will be on display at future events
- A bird themed scavenger hunt, where the children had to find pictures of birds hidden around the site and identify the species
These activities were followed by a BBQ and the morning ended with the now obligatory boat race where the children raced boats made during the morning – this year on the theme of ‘pirate ships’.
The event is run by the Ewelme Watercress beds education team and the Benson Nature Group. The team are all passionate about nature and the environment and the importance of getting children involved from an early age. The Ewelme Watercress Beds give plenty of scope to offer a wide variety of educational activities and is a great resource to have on our doorsteps.
