The Patch on the Planet: Exploring Our Local Biosphere
Welcome to The Patch on the Planet, a community project designed to celebrate and document Earth’s incredible biodiversity, one local patch at a time.
This section of our website invites you to become a naturalist in your own backyard, neighborhood park, local woodland, or any natural space you regularly encounter. By observing, documenting, and sharing information about your personal “patch” of the Earth, you’ll be contributing to a global tapestry that illustrates the rich diversity of life across our planet.
How It Works
- Choose a patch of nature that you can regularly observe – it could be as small as your garden or as large as your local nature reserve
- Document what you find there – plants, animals, fungi, seasonal changes, and interesting interactions
- Share your observations through photos and descriptions, without revealing exact locations (for example: “coastal wetlands in Southern Florida” or “alpine meadow in the Swiss Alps”). You can either email them to me at peter@peterdriley.com or share with us on Facebook.
Your contributions will join others from around the world, creating a fascinating mosaic of the Earth’s biosphere and helping all of us better understand what biodiversity truly means on a planetary scale.
Why Your Patch Matters
Even the smallest area of nature contains incredible complexity and connections. By focusing on one patch and observing it closely over time, you’ll develop a deeper appreciation for the natural world and the delicate balances that sustain it. As our collection grows, we’ll all gain insights into the similarities and differences between diverse ecosystems worldwide.
This project aims to nurture our collective curiosity about nature and encourage ongoing stewardship of our living world. In the future, we hope to connect these observations with citizen science initiatives focused on conservation and sustainability.
Join us in exploring, documenting, and celebrating the wonderful variety of life that exists in your patch on the planet!
Over the year, a number of visits are planned to see how the patch changes through the seasons. In
In my last blog, I introduced the idea of a nature walk as a way of engaging with the
Category: Books
The science lab is a fascinating place for students starting high school, and science books should build on this excitement
This is the first blog of a new era for me. I began writing posts for my blog ten years
In my last blog I talked about visual aids that I had used as a teacher many years ago and
The Learning Path
In this section you will find out all about the simple eight-step method for making any kind of scientific enquiry. You can also download posters for your wall for free showing the eight steps.
The Natural World Photo Gallery presents pictures of the natural world taken by myself, or others who have sent in their own pictures.
In this section I display some of the models and displays children have made to demonstrate their understanding of scientific concepts.
Category: Cambridge Checkpoint Science
Teacher's Guides Endorsed by Cambridge Assessment International Education - for Teacher Support Having been a Head of Science in
An early morning flight from London. My aeroplane to Rome A drive from Rome through southern Italy A
When I give a talk about my work and my books I feature the checkpoint science books. I give these
Category: Class Ideas
Back in Science Week, I set the school a challenge to use the Science Star in their science lessons. I
The overarching theme for Science Week this year at Settle Primary School is "thinking like a scientist" and applying the
I was invited into my great-granddaughters’ nursery class at a forest school. The topic was mini beasts, with a passing
Category: Curiosity Box
Now is the time that seashells start appearing on windowsills as a reminder of trips to the beach in the
When I give talks about my writing I am always asked "Where do you get your ideas from?" As ideas
"Have you any signs of a scientist?" This is a question I ask in the introduction in one of my
Category: Field trips
We had our own Springwatch moment last week. We visited Malham Cove in Yorkshire to see the peregrine falcons.
The first cabinets of curiosities in the eighteenth century were not cabinets at all. They were rooms full of cabinets
Within four days of flying at 35 000 feet at 500 mph from Rome to London (see previous blog) I
Category: History Of Science
Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) came to live in Down House in the village of Downe in Kent, England in
Selborne is a small village in Hampshire, England. It was the home of Gilbert White (1720 – 1793) for thirty
As part of my research for a new series of books to be published in 2016 I visited Oxford. A
Category: Miscellaneous
In my last blog I asked people about what they remembered of science from high school. The majority of responses
"What is the first thing you remember when you think of science at high school?" I asked this question of
I am currently developing on-line support materials for each of the books in my Ways into Science series which is
Category: Natural World Photo Gallery
My friend in Australia has sent me some more pictures of the flora and fauna to be seen there.
As we in England hunker down for the winter my friend Peter in Perth is looking forward to the summer.
Ettie the canal barge (previous post 1, 2) continues to sail through the canals of France. Here are the latest
Category: Science Around Us
A group of small clouds passing by Clouds are made up from millions of tiny water droplets that
Children often ask questions which need a scientific explanation. The memory of the explanations can be extended when an activity
Making an insect hotel As part of the school conservation project, Settle Primary School in the UK built an insect
Category: Science Exhibition Gallery
I was invited to Settle School to take assembly and then take part in their activities for Science Day. For
Settle Primary School are taking part in the Rocket Science Experiment being run by the Royal Horticultural Society and the
Continuing on from my previous post about children at Settle school planting beanstalks, more reports on their progress have been
Category: Support Materials
This page contains support materials for the book Ways Into Science - Your Body, Your Senses. The support consists of
This page contains support materials for the book Ways Into Science - What animal is it?. The support consists of
This page contains support materials for the book Ways Into Science - Seasons. The support consists of a short film,
Category: Teachers and families
Introduction Almost all of my books have a practical science element and this section of the website aims to help
If my books have generated a greater interest in science you might like to visit the following websites which have
All of my science books have activities in them. If the children are reading them at home they may like
Here are collected resources to support teaching in science from primary school (key stages 1 and 2) and secondary school
