If you are a school-teacher, please consider using this project in your classroom

Your pupils can help inform a national database, and help to answer questions in real hypothesis-driven science.  The missions cannot be accomplished without the help of members of the public, including pupils.

The missions are about ecology, life processes, and food webs: the natural environment and how living things interact with one another.  Completing the missions also provides hands-on experience of geography, history, mathematics, and information technology, and involves you and your pupils getting out of the classroom.

We are targeting Key Stage 2 pupils, but the activities are also suitable for children of other ages, and for adults.

Mission: alien moth survey - from 15 June 2011

• A short activity, ideal for one outdoor session.
• If you have conker trees in the school grounds or nearby, look for signs of the alien moth.
• Record the amount of damage on our website, and see how your area compares to other parts of the country.
• The damage will be most obvious from the end of June.

Mission: pest controllers - from early July 2011

• Fun end-of-term activity that contributes essential data to a national study.  Each pupil runs his or her own 'experiment' (a leaf in a sealed plastic bag).
• One session at the beginning and one at the end of July.
• In the first session, collect leaves (or use leaves collected beforehand), put them in bags, and make initial observations (early July).
• In the second session, identify and count tiny insects emerging from the leaves.  Enter data on our website, and see the results from other parts of the country (end of July - in the last week of term).
• This mission can only be done if you are in an area where the alien moths are present (most of England and Wales).  Take part in mission: alien moth survey if you are not in this area, and to discover how far the moths have spread!

Both missions support the primary National Curriculum.  The project has cross-curricular relevance, and will help pupils to form links between their school, their home and the community they live in.

In 2009 we ran a successful pilot involving 1000 primary school children in Bristol.  In 2010 we covered a much wider area, and in 2011 we hope even more schools will take part.

Follow the links to take part in mission: alien moth survey and mission: pest controllers, or register your interest in our missions.