Young Country Diary Series Seeks Child Writers' Nature Encounters
The Guardian's Young Country Diary series is now open for submissions, inviting children aged 8-14 to share their recent encounters with nature in an article. The deadline for winter submissions is February 2nd at noon, and the winning entries will be published in print and online.
The series aims to inspire children to explore and appreciate nature, regardless of their background or experience level. Teachers are encouraged to participate, as the child writer's piece will be paid. Four articles will be selected for publication each month, with a focus on winter and spring submissions.
To take part, parents or guardians must give permission, while the child should follow these steps:
1. Spend a day observing nature in their local environment.
2. Write an article of 200-250 words describing what they saw and experienced.
3. Submit the article via the provided form, which must be filled out by the parent or guardian.
Tips for budding writers include focusing on the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch), drawing inspiration from observations and research, and reflecting on how their experience made them think about nature.
The deadline for entry is 10pm on November 2nd. All entries must come from children aged between 8-14 based in the UK. A selection of recent winners will be featured, showcasing exciting stories such as finding a fairytale fungus or encountering a rare bird species.
The Guardian's Young Country Diary series is now open for submissions, inviting children aged 8-14 to share their recent encounters with nature in an article. The deadline for winter submissions is February 2nd at noon, and the winning entries will be published in print and online.
The series aims to inspire children to explore and appreciate nature, regardless of their background or experience level. Teachers are encouraged to participate, as the child writer's piece will be paid. Four articles will be selected for publication each month, with a focus on winter and spring submissions.
To take part, parents or guardians must give permission, while the child should follow these steps:
1. Spend a day observing nature in their local environment.
2. Write an article of 200-250 words describing what they saw and experienced.
3. Submit the article via the provided form, which must be filled out by the parent or guardian.
Tips for budding writers include focusing on the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch), drawing inspiration from observations and research, and reflecting on how their experience made them think about nature.
The deadline for entry is 10pm on November 2nd. All entries must come from children aged between 8-14 based in the UK. A selection of recent winners will be featured, showcasing exciting stories such as finding a fairytale fungus or encountering a rare bird species.
I think it's so cool that The Guardian is doing this! They're literally giving kids the chance to share their love for nature with the whole world 
. I remember when I was in school, we did some similar projects and it was amazing to see how much creativity and knowledge those young minds brought to the table 
. I think it's awesome that they're paying teachers to participate too, it shows they value their input and want to give them a chance to inspire their students even more 
. What's weird is why only UK kids are allowed to enter though? Can't we have a global version of this series? 
The tips for budding writers are on point, too - using our senses can really help bring a story to life! And it's awesome that teachers get paid to participate - schools should be all about fostering a love of nature in young minds. I'm curious to see what kind of amazing stories we'll see come out of this... 
I think this series is a great idea! It's awesome that The Guardian is giving kids a platform to share their nature encounters and inspire others to get outside and explore. I'm sure it'll be amazing to read about the different experiences of children from all over the UK. What's cool is that teachers can participate too, which means even more parents will be encouraged to let their kiddos write about nature 
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It's so cool that they're starting this series again for kids. I think it's awesome that they want to encourage more kids to get out there and explore the great outdoors. I mean, what's better than spending time in nature? 
My own kids are always asking me to take them on adventures like hiking or camping, but sometimes I'm like, "just sit down and watch a bird for 10 minutes, kiddo... it's magic!" 
The idea that they're gonna pay the teacher for participating is also super great. It'll definitely motivate some of those young writers to get creative! 
this is so cool! i'm like 10 and i love spending time outdoors, but never thought about writing it down as an article 
My only thought is that maybe they should extend the deadline for submissions, 'cause I feel like some kids might get it in at the last minute and be all stressed out 
. Still, it's a great opportunity for kids to express themselves and share their passion for nature with others 
I'm totally going to sign up my niece for this contest - she's 10 and loves reading about animals. Do you think it's weird that they're only accepting submissions from kids in the UK?
I'm so down for this! I think it's amazing that The Guardian is giving kids a platform to share their love for nature 
That's like, the ultimate encouragement for kids to write from the heart. I've got a few ideas myself for winter submissions... anyone else thinking of giving it a go?
... Like, can't we just let them play Fortnite already? 
But seriously, why do they have to make it so complicated for the little ones? "Follow these steps" and "pay their parents"... Who comes up with this stuff?! 
It's just another thing on their already packed schedule. And what's with the deadlines? 10pm on November 2nd? Are they trying to stress out the kids even more?! 
and i love that teachers can participate too, cant wait to read about all these awesome adventures 
. I mean, what's the real point of this? Just to make parents feel good about their kid's "nature experience" and then just throw it online for anyone to see. And what about all the kids who can't even afford a decent camera or won't have an adult to babysit them while they're out there? It's like, great initiative, but also super exclusive 
but seriously, this is such a great way to get kids excited about writing and learning. i'm definitely going to start sharing this with my friends' kiddos. also, can we talk about how cute the submission form is? 
And don't worry if you're not a great writer - that's not what this is about, it's about sharing what you saw and experienced in nature.
That should definitely encourage some young writers to submit their work.