Image provided by Victoria White (Dodder Action).
Dodder Action will host the “Dodder Monsters” competition, which is aimed at primary school children from the vicinity of the River Dodder.
The competition will see children creating their own monsters from the litter items that threaten the river.
School teachers who think that their first to sixth class students would benefit from taking part in this initiative are encouraged to email, phone or text Dodder Action. A Dodder Action volunteer will then visit their school to give the students a brief illustrated talk on the wildlife of the Dodder and the threat that litter poses to it.
Schools located within walking distance of the river can have a volunteer lead their group on a litter-picking exercise and do the talking as they work.
The kids can build the monsters from clean waste found at home or in school. They are encouraged to use litter items commonly found in the river such as tin cans, beer cans, milk bottles, waste paper, old clothes, tyres, bits of bicycles etc.
Anyone wishing to enter a monster in the competition is required to email individual photos to dodderaction@gmail.com with the child’s name and class, as well as the monster’s name and any other information that the child wishes to volunteer such as where the monster lives or what it eats.
The best monsters will later be displayed in an exhibition in a local library and judged by a wildlife specialist. Prizes will be given out at an awards ceremony in the spring.
There is plenty of time to take part in the competition, as the closing date for entries is Wednesday February 1st, 2017.
By Kevin Carney
