A Very Special Visitor at Forest School Meet Pip the Hedgehog 🦔

At Little Pips we are passionate about helping children develop a deep connection with the natural world around them. Through our Reggio Emilia inspired approach and Forest School experiences, we encourage the children to become curious, caring, and responsible members of their community. This week, we saw that learning come to life in the most wonderful way.

Seedlings completing their steps for The Wildlife Trust

Throughout the month of April, all of our children, from our babies right through to our preschoolers, took part in the Wildlife Trust 3km Challenge. Every child took steps towards helping raise money and together with the support of our wonderful friends and family we proudly raised an incredible £180 for The Wildlife Trust. Following this, we were delighted to welcome Linda from Market Weighton Hedgehogs, who visited nursery to teach the children all about hedgehogs, their habitats, and how we can help protect them. One very important message the children learned from Linda was:

“Out in the day, not okay!”

The children learned that if a hedgehog is spotted during the daytime, it is often a sign that it may be poorly or in need of help. Little did we know that the children would soon have the opportunity to put this knowledge into action.

A Surprise During Forest School

On our walk back from Forest School session this week, the children spotted something shimmying through the grass. On closer inspection, we realised it was a hedgehog out in the daytime.

Initial rescue

Straight away, the children remembered what Linda had taught them and quickly recognised that this was a hog needing help. The children immediately alerted the adults and showed such kindness and concern for the hedgehog’s wellbeing.

Our Forest School teacher John, luckily had his fire gloves to hand and carefully and safely rescued the hedgehog and brought him back to nursery wrapped warmly in a fleece while we contacted Caroline from Hedgehog Rescue Cottage in Bielby, who kindly agreed to take him straight into her hedgehog hospital for assessment and treatment.

Meet Pip 🦔

Once safely at Hedgehog Rescue Cottage, Caroline examined the hedgehog and confirmed he was a young male hedgehog. Sadly, he was found to be underweight, weighing only 434 grams, and he also had an injury to his upper jaw, which may explain why he had been struggling to eat properly.

Thankfully, Caroline is hopeful that with antibiotics, care, and plenty of food and rest, he will make a full recovery.

The children were incredibly excited when they were asked to help choose a name for our prickly visitor, and together they decided on the name Pip.

If Pip becomes strong enough to return to the wild, he will be released back onto our nursery grounds, where his natural habitat and home are located.

Learning That Makes a Difference

This experience has been such a meaningful opportunity for the children. From fundraising for wildlife charities, to learning from local experts, and then using that knowledge in a real life situation, the children have shown empathy, responsibility, teamwork, and a genuine care for the world around them.

Moments like these are at the heart of our curriculum, creating authentic experiences that empower children to become thoughtful, compassionate, and active learners.

We are incredibly proud of all the children for the care and kindness they showed towards Pip and for using their knowledge to help an animal in need.

🦔 Stay tuned for more Pip news…