PREPARING YOUR PUPILS FOR A VISIT TO THORNHAM FIELD CENTRE

We ask all visitors to Thornham who bring a packed lunch to ensure that it is "low impact".  That means that there will be as little rubbish as possible left behind.  Before your visit please could you talk to your pupils about their packed lunches.

Questions to ask are:

• How will the lunch be carried?  Could they make their own lunch box carrier which could then be recycled in the compost bin? Or could they use a container which could be used again for other things or other lunches.
• What will they bring to drink?  How will this drink be carried?  In a can?  Remind them that cans can be recycled, we have a can crusher to squash used cans.  If it is in a plastic bottle, does their local council collect plastic for recycling?  Could they bring a bottle which could be used again?  (We don't have facilities for recycling plastic bottles)
• If they bring fruit, please remind them that apple cores or banana skins etc. can go into our compost bins to be recycled into compost for the garden.
• Ask them to think about what they will wrap their sandwiches or rolls in.  Plastic bags are not very "green" greaseproof paper is better, it can then go in the compost bin.
• Ask them why we should reduce the rubbish which we produce?
• Talk about supermarkets?  Do they care about reducing rubbish?  What about supermarket "bags for life"  are they a good idea? 
• Do they always accept a plastic carrier bag when offered one in a shop?  If so, why might it be best to say no?

It is important that the groups knows that the rubbish they leave behind from their lunches which will end up in a landfill site, will be weighed. We will produce a bar chart comparing the amounts of rubbish left by the last 10 schools to visit Thornham.  If a huge effort is made, it is possible to leave no rubbish at all.  We notice more and more schools are leaving zero rubbish, which is really impressive.

Classroom follow-up >>