Conservation Barbados - getting children involved

I don't usually shout about the things I do, but sometimes I feel like the world should know and I want to tell absolutely everyone about it. One of the main reasons I am so excited about moving to Barbados is the stunning wildlife and the chance to volunteer and help some really good causes. If you haven't seen my post from our scouting visit when we swam with turtles find it here - https://karenbullfinch.wixsite.com/onepawinthesand/post/day-5-barbados-catamaran-tour it was such a bucket list moment for me.

Seeing such amazing wildlife, especially some that are so threatened with extinction, made me want to get involved. A little context for you about me, I have a degree in Animal Behaviour and Ecology and Conservation, but went in a different direction for most of my career. I have always stayed interested in the subject, and love wildlife photography, and I have done a variety of volunteer projects around the world. While we were in Barbados I had the wild idea of doing an activity book for children with information about the animals on the island, a bit about how we should behave when we see them, and of course have some fun activities for them to do too. Each generation has to do their bit to save the wildlife of the world, and if I can help even in the tiniest way, then I will be happy. I thought if they learn something but also have fun, they might go home with a new interest in wildlife conservation and want to do more going forward.

So since we came home, while we finalise everything else, I have been working on a printable activity workbook for people who are going on holiday to give their children. I'm really happy with how it came out and I have some other ideas for family activities to #boostbarbados that I will be working on in the background and once we get settled in Barbados.

If you want to see the finished product head over to the brand new One Paw in the Sand store on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1300242867/kids-activity-book-24-pages-printable?click_key=765cccec83bf31878f112f2d193a6d61ce919d24%3A1300242867&click_sum=d6fa0ccc&ref=shop_home_active_1

I have tried to include activities that will appeal to a wide range of ages and supervision levels. Where young children will need help from an adult for the reading, they have pages to colour, as well as spot the difference and dot to dot that they can do on their own. Older children have a crossword and word search to keep them entertained, and I hope everyone will love being able to tick off the pages as they see the animals in real life.

Barbados is an amazing location for wildlife and I can't wait for this to be my backyard.