Schools Camera Trapping Project

NatureScot's innovative camera trapping project showed, over many years, how technology can really inspire young people to engage with local wildlife and encourage outdoor learning.

Engaging children with nature

Camera traps are a great way to encourage children to get outdoors, as they combine technology with children’s innate sense of curiosity about the world. They also show that wildlife is not confined to the countryside but can be found in even the busiest urban areas. Inspiring children can also be a very effective way of encouraging adults to value nature.

Aims of the project

The inspiration for the project was the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity and the aims were to encourage innovation in nature education, engage children with nature, encourage outdoor learning and create a lasting legacy.

Developing the project

We worked with the originator of the pilot project, Rose Toney, North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership Coordinator, to deliver the project. We then approached rangers, nature reserve staff and others working in environmental education. Each of those approached picked a local school that they would be able to support 'on the ground'. The most recent round of the camera trap project worked with schools involved in the Learning in Local Greenspace project.

Camera trapping in action

Schools taking part were lent a camera trap kit and asked to submit a video compiled from their best footage. The winning schools were each awarded a new camera trap kit.

Pupils had to be involved at all stages of planning, recording and preparing the videos. Most videos were narrated by the children, explaining what they had discovered about their local wildlife. Each school was encouraged to submit findings to their local records centre. This also helped to engage children in protecting wildlife and provide more learning opportunities through data gathering.

The results

The judging panel was amazed by the standard of submissions and delighted by how schools had embraced the project. They could see how schools had used it as a springboard for further learning activities and to support their delivery of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Watch some of the winning videos.

The most recent films were submitted shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic and developed into a suite of resources that we hope other teachers will find inspiring to see. We invited the teachers to talk about their experience of the camera trap project and what learning opportunities can be developed by using this technology:

You can view the full Schools Trapping video playlist.