CHILDREN got to experience first hand the difficulties animals face when they migrate.
Wild Wednesdays are back at Bowlees Visitors Centre for the Easter holidays.
The events, hosted by North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Nature England, are designed to teach young people about the natural history of upper Teesdale.
The theme to start the Easter programme this year was migration.
Mandy Oliver of the AONB said: “The sessions are family friendly, with both indoor and outdoor nature based activities.”
Once all the children had made themselves a crown, adorned with a picture of an animal which migrates to and from the Teesdale area, they went outside to follow a nature trail with a difference.
Led by the team from the AONB the children got to play a giant game of snakes and ladders facing a series of challenges as they made their way from the visitor centre to Gibson’s Cave.
There were 27 in all, each with a different situation for the children to navigate. The youngsters followed the trail through the wood, shaking a dice to see how far they progressed each time.
And just like in a real game there were plenty of “snakes” to frustrate their progress, such as power lines, polluted water, predators, food shortages and being trapped by scientists were just some of the obstacles put in the children’s path
One of the children’s parents said: “This is a great way for children to learn about the world around them, it gets them outdoors and gives them plenty of exercise too.”
