“I like bugs!”

Beasts

Pond dipping has a sort of legendary status at Bugs, Birds and Beasts Day, and so it’s the first activity I check out. Approaching the pond, I hear cries of “I found an axolotl!” At the pond, enthusiastic children aged between three and ten dig their nets into the pond, past the greenery and down further to reveal water snails, insects, pond skaters, damselflies and dragonfly larvae. One student volunteer exclaimed to an excited seven-year-old “you’ve got a very impressive newt in here!” I think we can safely imagine that the suspected axolotl may indeed have been a newt.  

Orla, seven, and her sister Esme, ten, told me they found “a newt, a clam, and also saw mayflies under the microscope.” One attendee supervising her grandchildren commented, “the day is great for the kids, we come every year – it’s especially important for kids from urban areas to engage with nature.”  

Sophie, a Master’s student who is volunteering at the pond, explained to me that the activity is enables us “to assess the biodiversity of the pond and look at the water health. Ponds aren’t something you might always be able to explore, so seeing the diversity beneath the surface is important. It’s my first time volunteering here, and I want to do more outreach work. I’m really happy to see so many people and children engaging.” 

Waiting patiently for another dip in the pond is four year-old Naomi, here with her mum and brother, who excitedly tells me she saw a newt. It seems like newts might be the star of the show at the pond. Elsewhere today, she’s seen a peregrine falcon (“the fastest bird in the world”) and exclaims “I like bugs!” The day enables children to get up close with creatures big and small, and the impact of this feels special. It’s certainly not something that every workplace nor university can lay claim to.  

Biodiversity and the environment 

I meet Cecil, a PhD student who is facilitating Scurry! Through the City, a game developed by colleagues in the Grantham Institute. The player is an urban insect or animal, such as a butterfly or squirrel, and has to navigate a snakes and ladders-based board game where interventions in the city either improve or worsen the conditions for survival. A car-free zone with planting, for example, accelerates you a few squares, while a sewer trap, paved garden or non-native species will push you back several spaces. A five-year-old girl and her dad are playing as I pass, and dad leaps ahead when he lands on a pedestrianised zone, he told me, “A lot impacts our animals, much more that I thought” while his daughter reflected on the game itself, commenting “the sewer trap is a bad one!”

I ask Cecil what she thinks of the day. “It’s my second time here and I’m now considering working in outreach once I finish my PhD. It has helped me realise that putting science in context is what really matters – to influence younger people to care about the environment. While academic conferences and papers are important, with kids you get an immediate response, and events like this are the sort of things that inspired me to be a scientist – you never know who might come along to a day like this – maybe they’ll end up working on bees or bats in the future!”

Sustainability and climate was a key theme of the day, and Deidre, a Master’s student showcasing fungi research explained that “As a kid, a local community event enabled me to learn about fungi for the first time. Science can feel inaccessible to kids, so it’s special to have these events to show that anyone can be a scientist and a steward of the environment.”

Marco, a postdoctoral researcher, explained to me that fungi “is more than mushrooms! It’s a network, and the majority actually grows under the soil. There is a mutual relationship between plants and fungi, and they feed each other.” He also agreed that the outreach opportunities of the day are special, telling me, “I wanted to come for the kids, to get the chance to explain science in layman’s terms, and it’s a nice way to see people interested and inspire kids to be interested in science and nature!” His friend David agreed, saying he hopes that events like today will help children develop “curiosity that leads into study and research.”

Elsewhere, Sustainable Imperial and Sustainable Silwood were helping attendees to make seed bombs for their gardens, and learn how Silwood and Imperial are going green. Partner organisation CABI were also there to educate us about invasive species and fungal diseases on plants.