Getting children outdoors

[Evie125]

I found a snake in my back garden... It was bright orange and hanging off the fence post! I thought my brother had put a plastic one there as a joke but after a few texts realised that was not the case... Panic! Rang the RSPCA and was told to watch it till they arrived and make sure it "stayed put" - no idea what I would have done if it moved. , they used special tongs to pick it up and I was going no where near it! Apparently it was a lost pet x

[Mouse]

We go to our local woods / lake quite a lot and see lots of geese and ducks but not really anything else. However in my garden I get a hedgehog (usually), toads and once a slow worm, oh and lots of foxes waking me up at 2am

xxx

Apparently a slow worm is a lizard, so congratulations...you're one of the 29% of people who have seen a lizard in the wild

Lizards
We have three native lizards in England: the Sand Lizard which is mainly found in sandy heathlands in southern England (like the Smooth Snake), the Common Lizard which prefers warm places with good basking sites like the stony ballast around railway lines. The third lizard is the Slow-worm which prefers well vegetated places that give good cover from predators and a good supply of food such as slugs.

[BallyH]

Apparently a slow worm is a lizard, so congratulations...you're one of the 29% of people who have seen a lizard in the wild

Lizards
We have three native lizards in England: the Sand Lizard which is mainly found in sandy heathlands in southern England (like the Smooth Snake), the Common Lizard which prefers warm places with good basking sites like the stony ballast around railway lines. The third lizard is the Slow-worm which prefers well vegetated places that give good cover from predators and a good supply of food such as slugs.

I've seen, an extremely fast, sand lizard up our our local heath. Plus also get frequent visits from a hedgehog in our garden.

[SYLVIA]

I was just reading some of the statistics on the website. 71% of children hadn't seen a lizard in the wild in England. I played in the 'wild' a lot as a child but never ever saw a lizard. Did anyone else? 37% have also never seen a hedgehog - I did once and still remember the excitement and thrill to this day.

I am constantly worried that my daughter doesn't get ats much 'wild' outdoor play that I did as a child - but I just cannot bring myself to do what so many of our parents did - which was to let our children go out all day and not see them until supper time!

I don't think this will count, but one mindee and I found an iguana in the woods near me. It had been dumped there. We got a box from home n took it back with us and rang the rspca. Quite an adventure for a little mindee

[Mouse]

I don't think this will count, but one mindee and I found an iguana in the woods near me. It had been dumped there. We got a box from home n took it back with us and rang the rspca. Quite an adventure for a little mindee

Oh, that definitely counts! It's not everyday you find an iguana on your travels!

[Maza]

I don't think this will count, but one mindee and I found an iguana in the woods near me. It had been dumped there. We got a box from home n took it back with us and rang the rspca. Quite an adventure for a little mindee

Oh my word! Your mindee will remember that day forever!

My daughter loves watching the animal rescue/rspca programmes on TV and so that would have been her dream come true. One day we were in the woods and she saw a butterfly with a torn wing. She immediately told me to call the rspca and I had to explain that they wouldn't come out for a butterfly (please don't tell me that they would have done...) and it was quite a sad conversation/realisation.