Sami is a pupil at our school in Wingrave. Sami’s journey with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) began with a visit to a local farm, where he was fascinated by the animals! His excitement often got the better of him at first—chasing chickens and startling the goats—but with patience and guidance he showed us that animals and wildlife are important to him.
Working with horses
Following this, Sami had the opportunity to develop these skills further by going to a "Horses Helping People" session. He attends the horses once a week and looks after them, feeding them, and even taking on the less glamorous task of mucking out their stalls. Through this experience, he is building patience, responsibility, and empathy.
Making bird feeders
In addition to working with horses, Sami also took an interest in caring for wild life, particularly birds. He enjoys having a purpose and we saw how much he enjoyed helping animals. We know he also enjoys regularly visiting local parks and looking at the birds. So one of the team had the idea to support Sami to make bird feeders and hang them on trees to help provide food during colder months.
How about you?
Sami’s bird feeders are easy to make and we think you could make them too! All you need is pine cones, lard, seeds and a piece of string. To make a bird feeder, attach a piece of string to the pine cone, spread the lard all over and cover it in seeds!
With spring approaching, Sami is planning to increase his involvement by building birdhouses, creating safe nesting spaces for them.
How do you help wildlife near where you live? Let us know!
