The Prince of Wales has launched a nature-themed half term challenge for students across the United Kingdom.
The Prince of Wales’s Half Term Nature Challenge will officially launch on 15 February and will run through to 20 February with a series of challenges developed by Prince Charles’s charity partners to get young people outside over the week.
In the video message to accompany its launch, Prince Charles says, “I know it has been an incredibly hard year for everyone. We’ve all had to think very carefully about how to keep ourselves and our families safe, which has meant we have had to stay very close to home.
“I am sure you feel as frustrated as I do about that – not being able to get outside as much as you’d like to, especially if you live near a park or some local countryside. And now, of course, is a special time to be doing that.”
Each day of the half term will feature a different challenge from a different charity associated with Prince Charles.
Monday’s challenge was created by Garden Organic; Tuesday’s by Elephant Family; Wednesday’s by The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust; Thursday’s by The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Friday’s by The Wildlife Trusts; and Saturday’s by The Prince’s Foundation.
Prince Charles says: “See for instance, how many birds you can spot; plant the seeds left from cooking vegetables and see how long it takes them to sprout; decorate pebbles, stones or shells. But whatever you do, look closely.
“Notice the way Nature organises everything so precisely, using the sorts of shapes I’m sure you have drawn in school with a pair of compasses – circles, spirals, five pointed stars. I promise you, once you start looking at Nature and searching for these common shapes, you will see them everywhere.
“And that’s because they are so useful to Nature. The more you look at every leaf or seed or feather, you see that they have so much in common; they all work in the same way to keep life going.”
Clarence House will encourage students to share their attempts at the challenges by using the hashtag #POWNatureChallenge, and will share a gallery of highlights the week after.
Prince Charles was inspired to create the Prince of Wales’ Half Term Nature Challenge after one of his patronages urged him to “consider encouraging children to explore outside and engage with Nature,” said Clarence House.
“As a life-long Champion of the Natural World, [The Prince of Wales] was of course keen to encourage children to get outdoors and to extend their connections with Nature locally,” the palace said.
“Have a great half term, but I really hope you will be able to get outside and take a look at how amazing Nature is, and what Nature does for us,” Prince Charles says in the video.
All challenges have been created with a variety of natural landscapes in mind, and with minimal travel—foot travel only—required to complete. All challenges can, and should, be completed locally.
