To recognise Earth Day this year, which took place on Saturday 22nd April, St. John’s Church of England Primary School in Midsomer Norton dedicated a whole day to undertake project work on how amazing our planet is and what we can do to look after it for future generations.

Each year group focused on a different climate zone, ranging from the tropical regions near the equator in early years classes to the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctic in Year 3.

The children explored the different threats that different parts of the world are currently facing, but most importantly, they investigated the solutions to these problems and how we can make a huge difference here in Midsomer Norton. For example, Year 4 considered various ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint at home and at school, whilst Year 1 investigated the benefits of wind power.

The theme of Earth Day this year was ‘invest in our planet.’ This inspired the School Council at St. John’s to organise and host a cake sale on Earth Day in order to raise money for adopting an endangered animal through the WWF. In doing so, they managed to raise £102, which will be enough to pursue this initiative for two whole years.

After exploring the various endangered animals that the WWF supports, the children decided to dedicate the money to the amur leopard, of which there are now only one hundred and twenty left in the wild! The money will be used by the WWF to conserve the amur leopard’s habitat in northern China, which will inevitably benefit other animals and plants too, therefore giving the biodiversity in the region a healthy boost.