‘Little Researchers’ put Morecambe Bay environment under the microscope

Everything from safe walks to school, preserving plants and wildlife, understanding marinas, the impact of water erosion on rocks and land and finding out how people make crucial decisions affecting the environment were covered.

The children, who were all aged between seven and 11, delivered presentations on their exciting projects which were designed to help them appreciate the value of structured research as a tool for caring for their local environment.

The Little Researchers initiative, which involved four primary schools and one nursery school in a pilot project, is part of the unique, community-created Morecambe Bay Curriculum.

Children from the schools’ own pupil parliaments, school councils and eco-clubs were invited to take part in the scheme which focused strongly on research in their local area and within the Morecambe Bay environs.

The pupils were asked to select their own research topics and were supported in their research work by a team of nine Lancaster University students.

Schools taking part in the pilot are Ryelands Nursery and Primary School, St Paul’s CE Junior School in Barrow, Thurnham Glasson CE Primary School and Caton Primary School, together with Sandcastles Nursery, Morecambe.

The teams of ‘Little Researchers’ were invited to present their initial findings to an audience of special guests including Lancaster University academics, researchers and professional services staff, together with representatives from the Eden Project.

The presentations took place over two days at Lancaster University, when the teams were also invited to take part in fun learning activities and see sustainability-focused research in the engineering department.

Lancaster University project manager for the Morecambe Bay Curriculum, Carys Nelkon, said: “It has been brilliant to see the research topics young people chose to investigate as part of this project. I love that the children have been supported to follow their curiosity about nature. We have had really positive feedback from teachers and young people and hope to broaden this programme in the future.”

Little Researchers is one of several projects introduced as part of the Morecambe Bay Curriculum launched in 2019, by founding partners Lancaster & Morecambe College and Lancaster University.

The Morecambe Bay Curriculum project, which was inspired by Eden Project Morecambe, aims to ensure that the different stages of the education system, from early years to postgraduate, provide the green skills, knowledge and behaviours required by industry to respond to the climate emergency.

It enables participating schools around the Morecambe Bay region to focus on sustainability and place alongside the National Curriculum.

Other Morecambe Bay Curriculum projects to have taken place so far have included:

*Educate to Plate – the development of a community garden at Lancaster & Morecambe College which supports learners to understand how we can all grow food in a sustainable way

*Eden Bear – who captures everyday stories of children’s lives and their aspirations and dreams for the future of Morecambe Bay