Lesson plan: Found Words

Found Words began as a collaboration between Bridge Schools and the Eden Project, which started in lockdown during the pandemic, and was inspired by the book ‘The Lost Words’ by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.

This project encourages young people to explore outside with some simple activities and then create work inspired by the world around them, combining research with creativity, using language, art and sounds to describe why nature matters to them.

The Bridge School pupils talked about what’s important to them, the world outside their doors and the wildlife that will be affected by the decisions that adults make. It was so lovely we asked them to tell their story to other young people. 

Here you will find a collaboration between the Eden Project and staff and pupils from Bridge Schools. The pupils, who formed the ‘Eden Ambassadors’, wrote the instructions and created the presentations (we’ve done a tiny bit of editing). It’s full of inspiration and ideas for you and your young people.

Found Words is a young person’s answer to ‘The Lost Words’. 

Instructions

• Download the activity details.
• Download the presentations. Please note that you have to actually 'download' them rather than 'view' them in order for the content to display correctly and for the video/audio to work.
• Read through the activity details, look at the presentations and and choose what works for you.
• Go outside and look, and look again, at the world around you.
• Get creative and record your feelings and emotions however suits you. 
• Come back inside and create nature-inspired poems, drawings music, dance, posters, stories etc.

Resources

• Writing and drawing materials
• Outdoor clothing
• Somewhere safe to sit outside and some time to develop their ideas inside

Downloads

• Found Words - Activity details
• Found Words - Introduction
• Found Words- Outdoor activities
• Found Words - Examples of work
• Found Words - Top tips

Further resources

• About the Lost Words book
• Free cross-curricular resources on The Lost Words website