21st Century Thame has been delivering educational projects to Guides, Scouts and Beavers with an aspect of fun learning on topics such as Hedgehogs, Conscious Consumer and Lower Carbon Footprints.
Beavers: Hedgehog Trail and Den Building.
Let’s start with a hedgehog trail and learning all about these prickly little creatures for the Beavers. The session started with a show and tell with Hedgey the Hedgehog who was nice and cosy in his little house and we discussed his favourite food, and how far he walks at night to hunt for his dinner and to find himself a girlfriend.
Hedgey was ready to explore and find food after the show and tell, so we followed the hedgehog trail and wanted to find our first plaque that was hidden somewhere on Spring Path, Thame. The hedgehog trail is about being the eyes of a hedgehog and scoring points in order to win books donated by BP Collins. Positive points occurs where the hedgehog finds a safe route with lots of grass, greenery and insects, and negative points if a hedgehog has to cross the road or is blocked by fences. Beavers turned into the eyes of a hedgehog and off we went looking for yummy insects, and bugs to eat. We also collected sticks and leaves on our travels as we wanted to create a den for Hedgey and there was a hedgehog medal for the best den.
Hedgey on his 2km stroll around Thame.
We walked down by the Cuttlebrook, spotting lots of butterflies and other bugs. We went to the bottom of Spring Path and up around, then returned back to the scout hut for den building. We struggled to find the plaque, so if anyone else does the trail over the summer and finds a plaque ruined or missing please let us know by email to [email protected] so it can easily be fixed. Thank you.
Here is what you need to find spotted around Thame.
Beavers started building their house for Hedgey, he needs warmth and shelter for protection and to hide away from predators. He likes to be hidden in bushes, away from the roads and where there are lots of wild flowers and grass growing so he has lots of insects near him. We each chose a tree to start building the den and imagining it was in a forest.
Some great outcomes here and it was very difficult to decide who’s den was the winner!
A mask was given to all the Beavers at the end of the session to colour in and they were told to complete the hedgehog trail in their own time and record the results for a chance to win a selection of books.
Anyone can do the trail and it will be available all over the summer holidays. Maps are available at the Town Hall. It would be great to see some scores coming in over the holidays!
Scouts Learn About Reducing Their Carbon Footprint with 21st Century Thame
This exciting session, run by 21st Century Thame, focused on helping Scouts understand how everyday actions impact the environment—and what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint.
The evening started with a lively “Higher or Lower” game. Scouts were given pairs of activities—like watching TV, making a cup of tea, or ironing a shirt—and had to decide which one produced more carbon. They moved to the “Higher” or “Lower” side of the hall to show their choice. If they guessed wrong, they were out! It was a fun way to get everyone thinking about the carbon cost of simple daily actions.
After the game, we had a show and tell session where we looked at different materials used in manufacturing, such as wood, cork, and plastic. Scouts learned how much energy and carbon is involved in producing these materials, especially when made in factories.
Next, the Scouts completed a carbon footprint worksheet, where they calculated how much carbon they produce in a typical day by doing ordinary things. This part of the session helped them understand their personal impact on the planet.
To finish, each Scout came up with three practical actions they could take home to help reduce their own carbon footprint. Some examples were:
- I pledge to turn the tele off when not watching.
- I pledge to turn the lights off when I leave a room.
- I pledge to eat less meat during the week.
It was a great evening full of learning, awareness, and practical ideas—plus a chance to use some maths skills in a real-world context!
The next session was building a mini raft and working out how much carbon it would produce if it was life size. Again lots of mathematical workings and weighing out.
We also got to test if the rafts floated and if it could carry a rubber duck!
A row of mini rafts.
We had a great few sessions teaching the range of children these topics and our next session was visiting the Girl Guides and talking about being a Conscious Consumer, which is on our next blog.
If you would like 21st Century to help and deliver programmes to children to the local area of Thame and Chinnor on environmental topics, please get in touch. [email protected]
Thank you to our sponsors: Lucy Electric and BP Collins
