January 2024
Today, schools are being invited to register to attend a new ‘Build for Birds Live Lesson’ which focuses on the impact of habitat loss on biodiversity, and how young people have an important role to play in securing a thriving future for the UK’s bird population.
The live lesson is hosted by The Day – the online daily newspaper for young people – and international toy brand the LEGO Group’s Social Responsibility team as part of their ongoing Build The Change Partnership.
This interactive lesson will be streamed from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s London Wetland Centre, where bird conservationist and photographer Lara Nouri will give a guided tour and share her knowledge with students, helping them to come up with ways they can use play and creativity to make their school a safer place for birds.
Lara Nouri said “I’m really excited to be working with The Day and the LEGO Group on their Build for Birds Live Lesson, as I know young people have an important part to play in securing the future of our wildlife.”
“Birdwatching can often get labelled as a hobby for adults, but that’s absolutely not the case. There are many young people who have been great ambassadors for nature through their passion for birds. I hope we inspire and engage even more through this wonderful initiative.”
David Pallash, Senior Global Programme Manager for the LEGO Group, who helps manage the partnership and is also a keen bird conservationist, will also be presenting during the lesson.
David Pallash said “Our natural habitats will continue to be affected by human behaviour, and I often wonder what they’ll be like in 10 or 20 years’ time? Building compassion for the natural world has never been more important.
There is so much hope out there. I feel confident that if there are some breakthrough solutions and ideas on the horizon to combat our conservation challenges, they will come from the brilliant minds of today’s school pupils. When you provide opportunities for young people to discuss, and innovate through play, you get some super smart ideas surfacing. This Live Lesson provides that opportunity to mobilise these incredible minds for all our benefit”.
Through their work together over the last two years, The Day and the LEGO Group have been supporting young people to explore sustainability issues, encouraging them to create innovative solutions to some of the big challenges facing our planet. Over 65,000 pupils took part in Build the Change Tuesday in the first year of the initiative.
The lesson has been designed by experienced educator, former teacher and The Day’s Learning Strategist Natalie Rodden, with busy schools and passionate pupils in mind.
Natalie said “We know young people are concerned about climate change and this is a perfect way to help them connect with the nature on their doorstep and give them a sense of agency over their future. Learning through play is a great way to explore this important topic without overwhelming them. The live lesson is also perfect for busy teachers and their jam-packed curriculums. Build for Birds covers essential parts of the Science, Maths and Design and Technology curricula and it’s all ready to go! Teachers just need to turn up with their pupils, tune in and learn through play, right alongside their class.”
The Build for Birds Live Lesson, which is one-hour long and free to attend, will be streamed to schools across the country from 1:45pm on Tuesday 23rd January. Attending schools will also be the first to find out about the new national competition being launched by The Day and the LEGO Group. The live lesson will be made available online at a later date, should the school be unable to attend the live stream.
School’s can also sign up to receive the free Build The Change Tuesday resource by visiting theday.co.uk/build-the-change . Every Tuesday, The Day and the LEGO Group provide a news-led sustainability resource for students aged 7-14 years old, to be worked on as part of their school lessons. This resource brings them up to speed on sustainability news, allowing them the opportunity to think critically about, discuss and debate a new sustainability issue every week. Pupils are then encouraged to apply everything they’ve learned by designing and building their own solution to the sustainability problem. This unique ‘learning through play’ resource also develops literacy, communication, creative thinking and interpersonal skills.
Click here to register for this FREE live lesson.
Click here to register for our weekly News Detectives: Build the Change Tuesdays resource.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to inspire and engage your pupils. Register now for the Build the Change Tuesday: LIVE Lesson by clicking on the link provided.
Join us for a thrilling adventure that will benefit both teachers and students alike!