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Have you ever thought about exploring our planet with ‘different eyes’ – a new world just on your doorstep? Astronauts looking back at our Earth from space have spoken about how it completely changes their view of our planet - blown away by its beauty and its fragility. John Glenn, one of the first people to see our planet from space (click to be amazed!), said one of the most powerful qualities in an astronaut is … curiosity. This holiday you are challenged to head out into the park or your garden and explore a tiny patch of nature, somewhere you’ve walked past a thousand times before, and see it with different eyes … where will your curiosity take you?
The warm, lichened panels of your garden fence? The crumbling bark and outstretched roots of a tree? A sunny patch of lawn? The cracks in a paving stone? Or maybe what lurks beneath an old stone or lump of deadwood? Use all your senses. What can you see? How many different textures can you find – bumpy, mossy, slimy, smooth? Close your eyes – what does it smell like? What sounds can you hear? Maybe you could take some photographs through ‘different eyes’ – an ant’s-eye view? A bird’s-eye view? How many insects or plants can you identify? Click here for a WWF activity sheet for some other ideas to spark your curiosity.
Looking at our planet ‘Earth’ from space – can sometimes be really helpful. Have you heard of the walrus detectives? They are ordinary people – like you and me – and they’re taking part in a ‘public science’ project searching for walrus in thousands of satellite images taken from space. Walrus live in the Arctic and are under threat from climate change. This WWF survey is a non-intrusive (without disturbing) way of helping scientists understand more about walrus, their changing behaviours, and how to support them – and you can be part of it!
Maybe looking with ‘different eyes’ is also about taking a different standpoint. Maybe wild and ‘messy’ is beautiful? Check out the Knepp rewilding project – it reveals the remarkable ability of natural ecosystems to recover and for biodiversity to thrive. Incidentally, space satellite imagery is also being used here to monitor this phenomenal progress!
How does looking at our natural world from space compare to your ant’s eye view? When you have explored your tiny patch of nature using all your senses, don’t forget to don’t forget to HIT THE RED BUTTON!
