CHILDREN from Somerset are this and next month (July and August, 2010) being invited to go green at a garden centre in the county and create their own eco-system...in a bottle.
Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre is inviting youngsters to build a ‘rainforest’ in a plastic bottle during its Wildlife Weekend, which is running in conjunction with Exmoor Zoo, on July 31 and August 1.
Liz Woodward, Pet and Reptile Centre Manager at the garden centre, said: “This will be the third year we have hosted a Wildlife Weekend with Exmoor Zoo and we wanted to make it extra special by hosting some fun activities to get people excited about going green.
“We’ll be showing children how to create a mini eco-system in a container. It’s really simple – take a used, two litre plastic bottle, cutting a window about half-way up. Fill with good quality compost and add young plants and bark. We’ll be providing plastic animals too to really make the rainforests come to life.
“Once completed, we’re asking youngsters to also pledge how they’ll do their part to help the environment. This can be something small, from feeding wild birds or adding frogspawn to ponds, to a more life-changing promise, such as doing as much as possible to recycle household waste.”
The Wildlife Weekend is designed to increase awareness about the conservation of British wildlife.
Stephen Eddy, Education Officer at Exmoor Zoo, said: “Representatives from the Zoo will be on hand to chat to visitors about the small steps they can take to help the environment.
“This year (2010) has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity and we are keen to educate people about how they can create habitats suitable for different wildlife in their own gardens. Our native wildlife is increasingly under threat so it is vital that we create spaces where species can safely move, nest and adapt.”
The Exmoor Zoo Wildlife Weekend takes place at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 from 11am until 4.30pm.
For more information, please drop into the garden centre, which is located just off the A38 in Monkton Heathfield between Bridgwater and Taunton, or call 01823 412381.
Photograph caption: Liz Woodward, Pet and Reptile Centre Manager at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre, with a rainforest in a bottle.