Taking IT Global – Our Year 4 Rainforest Action Projects

Since January I have been working with my Year 4 class (8-9 year olds) helping them with their rainforest action projects.  Our learning journey has been exciting and rewarding.  Here are just a few!

• Mandeep: We have worked with Mandeep Atwall from TIG
• On-line global conference (Borneo) we took part in the Borneo conference in March.
• Lobbying Margo James, our local Member of Parliament: students wrote to their local MP, Margo James.  In April she visited the Year 4 Pedmore Meerkats for a special question and answer session about the rainforests.
• Palm Oil letter writing campaign: Pupils have launched an email and letter writing campaign to manufacturers, Parliament and the European Parliament to put a stop to the use of palm oil from unsustainable sources.  Some replies have been posted on the Pedmore Meerkats’ blog.
• Oxford University: We have worked Oxford University’s Geography and the Environment Department on a rainforest and learning research project which is still continuing.
• Adverts and local schools: Pupils have been creating adverts and these are now being taken into local schools to ask other children to join our campaign.
• Raising money:  We have entered two national competitions to raise money for our rainforest action projects.  Today we heard that we are regional winners in the Total Green School Awards and we will be putting the prize money towards our projects.
• Blog:  we have blogged about some of our work (see pedmoremeerkats@wordpress.com)
• Families:  we have invited our families into school to involve them in our projects.
• The Living Rainforest:  pupils submitted essays about their ideas to save the rainforest for a national essay writing competition.  All the entries were shortlisted and Isabelle attended the national debating final held at the Living Rainforest in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.  At this event attended by schools throughout the UK and Dubai, we passed on details of the Taking IT Global programme.

Here is one of our competition entries through which we are hoping to raise funds to help our Rainforest Action Projects.  The competition is hosted by a special Parliamentary committee for IT and the business community:

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Make IT Happy – Pedmore Meerkats, posted with vodpod

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We appeal to local schools to join us!

The Pedmore Meerkats are now reaching out to local schools to ask them to join our palm oil campaign. This week we created this video which we’ll be sharing with St. Mary’s CofE Primary school next week.

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Pedmore Meerkats’ Palm Oil Appeal, posted with vodpod

Q&A with a Member of Parliament

In April Margo James, our local Member of Parliament, visited the Year 4 Pedmore Meerkats to find out about our rainforest action projects.  During her visit she took part in a Question and Answer session with children.  Margo said Year 4 had taught her lots about the problems facing the rainforests.  Here is part of our Q&A session:

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Pedmore Meerkats ask Margot James MP about savi…, posted with vodpod

Buy Back an Acre with Taking IT Global

Here’s the Year 4 Meerkats’ advert for TIG’s (Taking IT Global) ‘Buy Back an Acre’ initiative to help save the world’s rainforests. Click play to watch!

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Buy Back an Acre with Taking IT Global, posted with vodpod