**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with National Badger Day. National Badger Day is an annual awareness day in the UK celebrated on October 6th. It is promoted by various wildlife and badger protection charities. For official information and to learn more about badgers and their conservation, please consult reputable wildlife trusts or badger protection groups in the UK.
Understanding National Badger Day in EYFS & KS1
Meet the badger! 🦡 National Badger Day is an annual awareness day in the UK, celebrated on October 6th. This day aims to raise awareness about badgers, their unique behaviours, their habitats, and the challenges they face. It's a chance to appreciate these fascinating nocturnal creatures and highlight the importance of their conservation.
For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a wonderful and often overlooked theme for exploring British wildlife, nocturnal animals, habitats, and conservation. It's about introducing children to a native animal often hidden from view, fostering curiosity about the natural world, and understanding the importance of protecting local wildlife. This day offers fantastic planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about ecology and animal welfare both intriguing and educational.
Why Is Teaching About Badgers & Wildlife Important for Young Children?
Integrating lessons about badgers and local wildlife into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) helps progress their understanding of the natural world, developing empathy for animals, and promoting environmental awareness. Connecting children with the wildlife around them encourages a sense of responsibility and stewardship from an early age.
Local Ecosystems: Learning about badgers helps children understand a part of their local ecosystem, even if they don't see them frequently.
Nocturnal Life: It introduces the concept of nocturnal animals and how different creatures adapt to their environment.
Empathy and Respect: Understanding badger behaviours and their needs fosters empathy and respect for all living creatures.
Conservation Awareness: Even simple discussions about protecting badgers and their homes can introduce early concepts of conservation.
Observation Skills: Looking for signs of animals (like footprints) enhances observation and deduction skills.
Curiosity about Nature: Exploring fascinating animals like badgers sparks a deeper interest in the natural world.
Engaging Badger & Wildlife Activities for National Badger Day (0-7 Year Olds)
Make National Badger Day a truly enlightening and hands-on experience with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on discovery, respect, and learning about our striped friends! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by the extensive range of printable resources we have available, particularly those related to Animals and Hibernation.
Here's some inspiration for exploring the world of badgers in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)
Badger Facts & Features: Introduce children to badgers using fact cards. Use our Autumn - animal fact cards. Discuss their black and white stripes, strong claws, and what they eat.
Badger Art & Craft: Provide materials for children to create their own badger masks using Autumn - animal masks. They can also use our 'National badger day' colouring poster (free sample) or create badger art inspired by their unique markings. Use ‘Badger multimats - playdough, loose parts, art & crafts’ for hands-on creativity.
Badger and Worms Counting: Engage in a fun counting activity with ‘Badger and worms - matching number with quantity activity’. This links to badger diets.
Nocturnal Animals & Hibernation: Discuss that badgers are nocturnal and sometimes hibernate. Use our Hibernation - banner, Hibernating animals - banner, and Hibernation - word mat to support this. Introduce Hibernation fact cards and play the Winter Hibernation game.
Animal Footprints: Explore animal tracks. Use our Animal footprints in the snow cards - which animal made that footprint?’ and ‘Winter Animal footprint puzzles’ to learn about different animal prints, including badgers.
Sensory Bin - Badger Sett: Create a sensory bin representing a badger sett (their underground home). Use soil, leaves, sticks, and tunnels made from cardboard tubes. Add toy badgers and other woodland creatures.
Story Time: Badger Books: Read age-appropriate picture books about badgers or other woodland animals.
General Animal Activities: Our Animals of the world mega colouring pack can be used to colour badgers and other animals.
Planning Support: For broader animal topics, use Planning - topic plan ideas - Animals.
These activities offer great inspiration for making National Badger Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering wildlife awareness, environmental responsibility, and an appreciation for the natural world.
To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.
Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘National Badger Day’
Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes
More Early Years Event Pages for October
Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children
Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!
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Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'National Badger Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by any specific badger protection or wildlife charity that promotes this day. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this event. For official information and to learn more about badgers and their conservation, please consult reputable wildlife trusts or badger protection groups in the UK.
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