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It was a sunny Somerset morning, the Wessex home education group all met at Canwood, an 118 hectare, private rewilding project based near north Brewham in Somerset owned by Ben Goldsmith . We met Simon Nash, an incredible ecologist working for the rewilding of Canwood, we set off following simon as he took us around canwoods beautiful grounds, we first looked at one of the seven newt ponds on Canwood, these ponds or ‘scrapes’ fill naturally and home multiple species of wildlife and also acting as a drinking source for other animals. The newts spend most of their time out of the ponds and roam a few kilometres. Ben goldsmith took on canwood in about 2012 and has promoted natural tree growth, this means letting the land scrub over with brambles and bushes which protect the naturally grown young trees from deer, these trees grow from seeds that have fallen from other trees or are dropped from birds claws these trees are more resilient and stronger . The damage that young trees get that have been planted by people is massively different from the naturally grown trees that are protected by brambles etc the brambles and bushes that protect the naturally grown tress also give a good home for smaller birds such as robins . As we carry on around canwood we can hear the peaceful song of a Robin and Simon tells us about the importance of leaving hedges to grow out, and not to cut them, they are a refuge for a large array of wildlife. The grounds are full of crab apple trees, field maple trees and silver berches and grand old oak trees border the land, on one of these oak trees we found a door mouse box and on another a bee home box . Simon and Ben lead the group on to the winding stream that beavers now inhabit. The beavers have been very busy damming the stream, this stream is the headwater of the river frome, they have dammed the stream in multiple places leaving little trails of bark stripped branches and teeth marks from gnawing on logs, they started this work about four months ago. Pencil shaped tree trunks are left from where the beavers have taken down the top part of the tree, these trees can be quite chunky and wide and it was incredible to see how they have done it. There are about five active pairs in this area and a pair at canwood, they are about 80-90 cm, these beavers are very territorial and control about 1-2 kilometres. We then found the beavers ‘lodge’ which was located on a small island in the middle of a large natural pond, there is a chance there will be kits in spring April/may, the lodge is fairly new and carefully built Many other animals have been introduced into canwood such as deer, Scottish wildcats, wild boar, Tamworth pigs, chickens and longhorn cattle. The group werelead to the Scottish wildcats and shown where they live, at the moment canwood have two male wildcats and are hoping to bring in two new females for the possible chance of young which is very exciting! The wildcats range over several kilometres and are also very territorial. Ben and Simon are hoping to let their longhorn cattle roam over the land and in future have a heard of wild exmoor ponies.

Arriving at our site. First we light the Kelly Kettle for a hot drink. Then we collect out tools for the day and move off to our work site. Today we will be planting trees and looking at the next weeks job Coppicing some hazel tress.

We arrive at our tree planting site where Ian taught us how to plant and protect the young trees we were planting. Even jumping on the spade it was tricky to get it in the ground.

GKC Wild Learners today embarked on a mini adventure with Countryside Ranger Gavin as we investigated the amazing world of mini beasts. Working within the greenspace within the college learners worked hard to find a variety of mini beasts. We looked closely at snails, worms and beetles and some small and large spiders using a range of very cool pieces of equipment kindly supplied by our countryside ranger friends. The adventure begins......

Today would see us braving the Windy Weather of Cathkin Braes as we worked with Countryside Ranger Gavin creating a woodland for the future! We were delighted to be asked to join this initiative (The Lost Woods) and made the journey across the city to a very high point where we could see for miles. The climb up the hill was tough but worth it as the wind and cold spiralled around us. Working as a team with our excellent Support Staff we planted over 40 Native Cherry and Birch Tree's into this Woodland area. We talked as we worked and as the time flew by we wondered what our efforts would look like in 10,20,30 years! Great to be part of this new green future that will no doubt be enjoyed by many people throughout the coming years!!!

We met Head Ranger Allison Greig at the AMAZING Pollok Park and began our rollercoaster adventure into Nature! Today would see us working as a team within the Polytunnel at Pollok with Rangers Lynsey and Fiona. We learned all about compost and the different conditions plants need to grow. We learned about the differences between Loam and Compost and worked to create the correct mix for the seeds we were planting. We talked with the Rangers about the conditions our young plants would need to survive and grow and learned that watering as well as sunshine and light are vital to the success of our young plants. We cannot wait to see what the Spring and Summer bring!!!!!

With our Adventure into Nature now well under way our day was filled with Maintenance of Our Young Plants in the Flower Power Poly Tunnel and the transplantation of young plants into the Wild Life Garden at Pollok. It was great to really get into the projects set before us by Ranger Greig and her team and a fantastic learning experience being outdoors. We worked on the wwodland floor taking care not to damage the life that lay all around us and again worked with our Support Staff (and sometimes Colin) to create beds for the new wild flowers. We learned about space and depth as well as how to secure the young plants to keep them safe from frost and dropping temperatures!!!! We are realising that the World is Big and we want to have a good look before it gets dark!!!!!!

We seem to be learning so much more than we first expected. Countryside Rangers Fiona and Lynsey literally get down on their knees (check out the pictures) to help, teach and encourage us! We are learning about planning and the tools that we will need for the different activities that we are involved in. The Rangers teach us about the value of teamwork and how we are all responsible for the nature that lives all around us. We worked again the Wild Life Garden at Pollok and are eally getting in to 'the swing of things' as we become comfortable with our surroundings!! Confidence is a big thing as a growing independence can be seen within many of us!! It would that every walk with nature we recieve far more than we sought!!