Educating children about the importance of peatland at the Royal Highland Show for PeatlandACTION / NatureScot

I was commissioned to design a couple of educational activities for PeatlandACTION / NatureScot to run at the Royal Highland Show (RHS).

I did my research about how we can restore peatland and its importance to Scotland. (20% of Scotland is Peatland)

I was given some peat by a crofter when working on Shetland. A first quick experience was to take a closer look and measure the peat to determine its age (growing 1mm a year)- this piece was approximately eight years old- children then compared it to their own height and age by placing it next to their foot to see how slowly it grows and how dense it is, thus allowing it to lock away carbon, storing 25% more carbon than any other vegetation in the UK. We all enjoyed using the magnifiers!

Next, I decided to tackle peat’s importance in filtration and so gathered resources (recycled where possible) to allow the children to make water filters- putting dirty water in the top and seeing cleaner water come out of the bottom, depending on how they made their filters and what they included in the layers. This was set alongside a lump of peat, from my crofter,- showing how clean the water came out when poured on the peat.

Finally, it was important to demonstrate how quickly we can return peatland to an improved state (within five years). The children were tasked with filling in ‘drainage ditches’ (gutters) and stopping the water flow with mini clay/stone/ stick dams.

I also threw in some mud and clay painting to explore different types of soil: a simple experience for the youngest age group. Some children painted damselflies and animals you may find on peatland or at the RHS.

The Royal Highland Show arrived. I was all set in the RHET discovery centre with my friend Hazel helping out. Little did we know we would have over 300 school children visit us on day one! Non-stop activity and our stand got a reputation for the messiest place at the RHS! Day two brought slightly less pupils, but the First Minister Humza Yousaf turned up to talk about the importance of outdoor learning and getting messy. Fortunately, I stopped myself shaking his hand just in time (it was covered in clay). Over the weekend a steady stream of family groups and children of all ages came to hear about and explore peat and how if we just fill in a few drainage ditches, our Peatland will return. I did remind children to only fill in real drainage ditches with land owners permission! Then it was homeward bound via the amazing tree climbers (9.82 secs!)