Projects

Dorset Museum is working in partnership with Natural History Museum and others across the UK to start a new urban nature movement.

Dorset Museum is one of 11 museums across the UK involved in the National Learning Programme strand of the Natural History Museum: Urban Nature Project.

Background to the project

The Natural History Museum’s five-acre site in South Kensington is being transformed into a welcoming, accessible and biologically diverse green space in the heart of London. New outdoor galleries will showcase the Museum’s scientific resources and provide a space for the public to enjoy and explore urban nature. The National Learning Programme strand of this ambitious project will be delivered across partner museums including Dorset Museum.

What is the Urban Nature Project National Learning Programme?

The programme is a new model of blended learning and combines a number of key elements, from learning resources developed by NHM with partner museums, CPD teacher training courses, annual celebration days for pupils participating to environmental monitoring devices and mass citizen science programme developed from young people’s interests.

Creating new opportunities to connect with nature

Dorset Museum will be working with Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (DorsetAONB) to deliver the learning programme strand of the project in Dorset that will inspire the next generation to care for nature that surrounds them.

Dorset Museum working with Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Dorset Museum is working with Dorset AONB, and their education advisor Rowan Beecham, to deliver the first year of this three year national programme to a number of schools in Dorset. Rowan will be working with KS2 and KS3 pupils to develop workshops in relation to the themes of the project using the newly refurbished Dorset Museum and its vast natural history collection as inspiration.

Sue Dampney, Dorset AONB Culture, Community & Learning Officer said “We are impressed by the ambition of this national project to inspire and equip young people to engage with the urban wildlife around them and understand their role as scientists in its future. We are looking forward to getting schools on board and hope the project may encourage some of the young people to become the local experts and take action through science to make a real difference.

Emma Talbot, Dorset Museum’s Head of Learning said “Through the NHM Urban Nature Project and Dorset Museum’s extensive natural history collection, we hope to inspire the next generation of young people and help them learn about the human impact on the natural world.”

To find out more about the project go to Natural History Museum Urban Nature Project: www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/urban-nature-project.html or get in touch with the Dorset Museum Learning Team: [email protected]