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‘A’ is for acorn, ‘B’ for buttercup and ‘C’ for conker. Well, they used to be – the Oxford Junior Dictionary went and took them out. Blackberry replaced blackberry. No more poppy – bye bye pansy. And while dandelion and ivy are out, flip-charts and spreadsheets are in.
Nearly 50 Nature words have gone – watch the film and check them all out.
The Wild Network is leading a campaign to put Nature words back into the Oxford Junior Dictionary.
‘We need children to understand nature. We need kids to love nature. And nature needs kids. This is our message to the Oxford Junior Dictionary. Bring back our #wildwords!’
The Wild Network
The people-powered movement consists of thousands of organisations and individuals who believe in a free-range, outdoor childhood and the benefits of time spent outside – ‘Wild Time’.
We don’t have much hope of being truly connected to Nature if we lose its language and our wild words become extinct.
‘This change alone might not have a fundamental impact. But that’s the point, the problem is caused by multiple decisions made by us all; the compound effect is children that are becoming more obese and less happy.
‘We’re all responsible; we’re all part of a system that has marginalised wildness from our lives. If we don’t experience nature and wildness on a day-to-day level then we lose our connection and we suffer as a result.
‘As for the words, if we don’t use them, then we lose them. It’s how the world works these days. Like it or not, it’s a horribly viscous circle with all of us at the centre.’
Project Wild Thing
Sign the petition to bring back our wild words – then pass it on to parents, friends, schools and clubs.
Visit Project Wild Thing’s website to find out more about the movement and how how you can get involved.
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