Writing exercise: places

Warm up: Favourite places

Think about one of your favourite places, local or otherwise. Think about what it would have looked like 50 years ago, 100 years ago, 500 years ago. How have the years likely changed the way the landscape looks, and how it is used? Think about what it will look like in future.

Brainstorm: Landscape

“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people” – Confucius

How does our behaviour impact the future of our landscape? Consider the stone circles to Roman roads and the Great Wall of China. Consider the current problem of plastics in the ocean. Have our attitudes towards the landscape changed, from something to be conquered and dominated to something to be protected?

Can you think of historical examples where people have worked to protect the landscape, with a vision for the future. Can you think of examples where we are not currently working to protect the landscape?

Do you think of the landscape as something that has a future?

How does our perception of the landscape impact on the natural world living within it?

Keep writing

• Write a letter to someone from the past, explaining what wasn’t foreseeable then about the landscape now.
• Write a letter to the natural world (or one thing in it such as a tree or animal) about its future, what you hope for it.
• Write a letter from the natural world, or ‘Mother Nature’ (or one thing in it such as a tree or animal) to you or us about the future.
• Choose a few objects in the landscape that aren’t native (rubbish, fences, walls, dams) and write about the life of each one, how it came to rest where it was, whether it is harmful or helpful.