This week, Jill Leheup from the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) visited school to help the children construct a wildlife hotel in our Learning Garden. The children were assisted by DWT volunteers, school staff and our Chair of Governors. On arriving at the school, Jill was extremely impressed by the amount of materials that parents, grandparents, staff and friends had manage to collect. We would also like to thank the Slating & Tiling Co. (Stonebroom) and Woolley Moor Nurseries for providing additional items.

A Wildlife hotel aims to mimic a wide range of natural habitats to provide shelter and food for creatures such as: amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates and even small mammals.

After a tool safety talk by Jill, the Juniors used bow saws and hacksaws to cut up short lengths of logs and piping; loppers to cut up bamboo canes and a drill to make holes in the ends of logs. They dug a level area near our new herb garden where they placed the first pallet raised slightly on stone blocks. The Infants stuffed this base layer with leaves and bark chippings and watered it to make it damp, mimicking a woodland floor habitat. Further layers of pallets were added each filled with different materials. Tiles, bricks, logs, pipes with bamboo stuffed in them and even old cups filled with different materials were inserted in the spaces around the edges of the pallets to form symmetrical patterns and plenty of crevices for minibeasts such as solitary bees, spiders lacewings and ladybirds to shelter in. Finally, the top pallet was covered with roofing felt to give a waterproof layer which was then covered with overlapping layers of slate to attract insects which like to bask in the sun.