The Guardians of the Wild

Many humans have lost their connection with the natural world. They’ve stopped appreciating the wonders of nature and their behaviour has caused great damage to our planet. But the Guardians have heard rumours of a new generation of humans; people that feel part of nature and really care about plants and other animals.

They have promised that any child willing to connect with nature can themselves become a Guardian. This is a privilege never before bestowed upon humans. But with privilege comes responsibility…

All Guardians must make an oath of allegiance with the natural world. They promise to…

…care for every living thing, no matter how big or small.
…spend time in nature and appreciate its wonders.
…take action to help protect our beautiful planet.

Are you ready to become part of this new generation? Generation Wild.

Your first challenge is to complete ten of Ava’s nature activities. Do you have what it takes to show you care and are willing to connect with nature? If so, you will be welcomed as a Guardian, receiving your certificate and pin badge to show you have been accepted as a member of this very special group.

But this is only the start of your mission. Once you have been accepted as a Guardian, it’s time to put your pledges into action. Along with your classmates, you’ll be joining thousands of other children across the country all taking action to make our planet a better place for humans and all other living things. With all of you doing a few small things to help, it will add up to make a huge difference to the future of our planet.

Here are some examples of the types of things you can do to help. Why not share what you’ve done using #WWTGenerationWild. Let’s get everyone taking action for nature!

Care for every living thing

• Don’t kill any living thing. Found a spider in your bath? A wasp in your window? Give them a helping hand to find their way back outside.

• Have a garden? Why not create a mini-pond or a shelter for frogs and toads? Or perhaps you could plant a tree, sow a wildflower meadow or just leave a small section of your garden to grow wild?

• Don’t have a garden? Don’t worry. There are still lots of things you can do to help. Why not plant a window box or other container with wildflowers to attract bees, butterflies and other insects?

• Make a bird feeder or a Lego bird table to help the birds where you live.

Spend time in nature

• You’ve completed ten of Ava’s nature activities but can anyone complete them all?

• Explore your local area as a family and see if you can discover your own special place in nature. It could be a wood, a park, the corner of a playing field, a disused railway line and or even just an overgrown area of ‘wasteland’. Visit it regularly and record what you see. You’ll be amazed what wildlife you can find in the most unlikely of places.

• Why not start a wildlife notebook where you record all of the wildlife you see. Just think how many things you might have seen by the time you’re 60 years old!

• Want to see birds and other wildlife close up? You could make your own bird hide and binoculars to help you get closer to wildlife and enjoy watching it.

Take action to help protect our planet

• Why not walk or ride your bike for short journeys instead of using a car?

• Try to save energy at home. Turn appliances off when you’re not using them. Turn lights off when you’re not in the room.

• Save water where you can. Spend less time in the shower. Turn the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth.

• Avoid single use plastics and recycle as much as you can.