Most of our activity here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is linked to science in some way. So we feel it’s important to be a part of British Science Week to encourage children (and adults) to consider Science as a viable career.
This year, our team worked with multiple groups to deliver a variety of sessions, really showcasing what we can offer!
Pellet Detectives as a lunchtime activity
On Friday 8th and Monday 11th, our Education Officer, Susan, delivered Virtual Sessions to Smithdon High School, Hertfordshire, and Kingsbrook Academy, Norfolk, on Careers in Conservation. These sessions were provided free of charge as part of our involvement with STEMpoint, who support schools to connect with STEM ambassadors to deliver engaging and interactive workshops for pupils. Susan provided the groups with an insight into the various roles available within an animal collection, some top tips on how to make a CV stand out, and a few alternative roles linked to our work.
On Tuesday, Susan attended the Royal Hospital School, Ipswich, to deliver a lunchtime Pellet Detectives session for their students. Over the course of 45 minutes, about 50 students came into the hall to find out more, with a number of them risking being late for afternoon registration due to their fascination by the activity.
On Wednesday, and in contrast to our Education themed activities this week, Susan delivered a talk about the work of Suffolk Owl Sanctuary to the Athenaeum Club in Bury St Edmunds. The group learnt more about our work, with particular focus on our Raptor Hospital and Nest Box project. Despite technical issues with the planned presentation, the group enjoyed the low-tech talk and the opportunity to handle some biofacts to illustrate some of the points. There was time for questions at the end, and the group are hoping to organise an in-person visit over the summer months.
Bandit gave plenty of close up flights
On Thursday, the Education Team ran multiple activities for Houldsworth Primary School, Newmarket. With such a large group visit, it was all hands on deck to help. Upon arrival, half of the group enjoyed a Guided Walk with Susan and Emily, while the other half joined Bee and work experience student Bella in SOS2 for Pellet Detectives. They came together for the Meerkat talk, then swapped, with Dolly joining Bella to run Pellet Detectives and Bee taking over from Emily on the guided walk. After lunch, the group watched a Flying Display, featuring Bandit our Great Grey Owl, Lulu our Lanner Falcon and Kruger our MacKinders Eagle Owl. This visit was to enhance their learning All About Owls as part of reading Skellig in class.
And finally, on Friday Susan and Bella ran the final instalment of our Raptor Factors course for Home Ed families. The morning group enjoyed learning all about Raptor Rescue, including having a go at tracking down a captive bird that had “flown off” and “rescuing” an Owl that found itself in need of assistance. The afternoon group, having previously attended a Raptor Rescue session, got messy with making some Easter themed enrichment for our animals. We then delivered some pre-made enrichment to the Meerkats before watching Melvyn our Harris’s Hawk take to the skies. During the enrichment giving and flying display, the group were encouraged to make behavioural observations
Enrichment making allows for creative and messy fun!
The Education Team are preparing for a busy summer, with some new arrivals due soon which will allow new sessions to take place, covering different topics suitable for all ages and abilities.