The Go Wild Go West blog

Kids who Save the World: Max’s TV debut

One of those things about having kids is that they continue to surprise you. From their first steps, to their first words, to the first time they make you belly laugh, isn’t incredible watching these little people grow?

Well, apologies for the gush here, but earlier this year, I was totally bowled over and hugely, HUGELY proud of my little, not-so-little, 7 year old Max. He was chosen to be part of a new children’s TV programme called ‘Kids who Save the World’. This is a huge achievement and recognition for his work at school setting up a litter picking club, and subsequently an Eco-Group to help make his school a greener place.

kids who save the world - filming day
filming day

Filming day

When filming day finally arrived levels of excitement were high! When the production team arrived, Max made them a coffee and decided to give them a tour of the house (why do kids do that!?) He then spent the entire day in front of camera, at home, at school, and at his favourite place ‘Crook Peak’.

Throughout the day, I watched in awe as he discussed his love for nature and the environment, and his understanding of the pressures that threaten them. Despite his initial nerves, he wasn’t fazed by the questions asked of him, nor by the time it took to be filmed… in fact, he loved it!

Watch Max’s film here:

Its a wonderful series of short films, and is available to watch on Hopster, the children’s learning platform. Hopster is genuinely lovely and my kids really enjoy it. Not to plug it too much but if you wanted to give it a go (and watch the whole Kids who save the world series) then they’re running a 30 day free trial – https://www.hopster.tv/. Great for guilt-free home school screen time!

Set up an eco-group

Setting up an eco-group or litter picking club at school is not only great for it’s environmetal impact but also in raising awareness of environmental issues among the children. We’ve been lucky to have some really supportive teachers and parents who were keen to have a group running and help the children come up with ideas to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. There are some great, simple activities that schools can do with their eco-group. For example:

  • Work with the kitchen to reduce single-use plastic use
  • Create a compost patch or make a wormery
  • Plant some wildflower seed
  • Make a HUGE bug house
  • Reduce electricity use and make a campaign to switch off lights
  • Encourage walking/cycling to school

For more ideas, check out this great blog by TTS here or try and speak directly with your head teacher.

You can also find a little more information on Max’s favourite place, Crook Peak here. It’s well worth a visit!