Going Wild At The Scottish Dolphin Centre
Since introducing myself in an earlier post just over a week ago I’ve been busy working with Lorna, the Education Officer to spread the word about whales and dolphins to Primary school pupils in the Caithness area of north Scotland. I really enjoyed being able to talk to the pupils about all the cool cetaceans they can spot along the Scottish coast and also helping them to understand the work WDC does towards protecting all whales, dolphins and porpoises around the world. The enthusiasm the pupils (and teachers!) showed during every school visit was brilliant and it was a great start to my season as a Guide and Education volunteer at the Scottish Dolphin Centre. On a personal note the trip also gave me the chance to visit Dunnet Head which is the most northerly point of mainland Britain (not John O’Groats as I’d always thought, so you learn something new every day).
The Scottish Dolphin Centre opened full time for the season on the 29th March so I’m now putting all my training into practice. It’s also Easter holidays for many schools in Scotland so we’re looking forward to meeting lots of families over the next couple of weeks. During the school holidays we also run a Wildlife Warriors club aimed at children 4-10 years old; with a different theme each week of the holidays it’s a really fun way to get children out and about and learning about local wildlife. This week our theme was camouflage and one of the activities involved getting covered in paint and hiding in the bushes!
Laura with the Wildlife Warriors © WDC
We’re also running similar sessions throughout the summer at the Scottish Dolphin Centre and places are still available for family fun and games.