Blogger: Sarah Newton, Youth Project Officer

WildSquare is the RSPB’s new children’s nature offering. It is a national bi-monthly survey aimed at helping children to discover the fascinating nature on their doorstep without being bamboozled by technical terms, tricky identifications or time limits. It’s a simple and fun way to get your class or group outside, engaging with nature and developing their observational skills.

At this time of year most children will be in new classes with new teachers. Completing a WildSquare survey can be an excellent way of getting children doing something a little bit different and bonding as a class and it’s a perfect activity to make the most of the last of the warm bright weather.

This month we’re asking children to look at changes in the environment that tell us that autumn is coming. They need to look for creepy crawlies under logs and stones and in dark damp places, how many different leaf colours there are and try to find some fungi.

This is the perfect time of year for fungi spotting, they love the damp conditions that we have right now and if your class like something to gross them out, or make them say 'wow', fungi is the stuff to do it.

Did you know...

  • the most expensive fungi ever sold was a white truffle and cost £200,000,
  • that fungi is the largest organism on the planet
  • or that without fungi there would be no chocolate?

For some other amazing fungi facts to impress your class with, have a look at the WildSquare blog.

Click here to find out more about WildSquare and to download a survey sheet.