The Lost Words

At Amberley we are in great appreciation of our beautiful surroundings. Our wildlife club have extensive knowledge of the names of different plants and animals and in Dexter Class the children have a weekly welly walk where they learn the names of different trees, plants and are currently learning to recognise different bird calls. We feel that without teaching children to use the names of the natural world, importance of it is diminished and it becomes easier for us to disregard nature and lessen the importance to protect it.

The Yellow Lighted Bookshop in Nailsworth has launched a fundraising campaign to buy a copy of 'The Lost Words', by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, for every primary school in the county. The following is taken from their website:

'The Lost Words' is a very special book. Our schools are starved of funds, and our children miss out on much that older people take for granted. We already do a lot of work with schools and support them in whatever way we can. However, following our events with Jackie Morris in the autumn, and the success of the crowdfunding project in Scotland, we decided that we should really try and do something a bit different for this. We have started an appeal to get a copy of 'The Lost Words' into every primary school in Gloucestershire. All over the country, there are words disappearing from children's lives. These are the words of the natural world -- Dandelion, Otter, Bramble and Acorn, all gone. The rich landscape of wild imagination and wild play is rapidly fading from our children's minds. The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration of nature words and the natural world they invoke. With acrostic spell-poems by award-winning writer Robert Macfarlane and hand-painted illustration by Jackie Morris, this enchanting book captures the magic of language and nature for all ages. ​Please donate here: