Read more about our four Award levels, from Rainforest Apprentice to Rainforest Guardian. Each level is represented by a creature from the rainforest and when your class completes each stage, they will receive a special certificate featuring their rainforest resident.

Level 1: Rainforest Apprentice
Level 2: Rainforest Explorer
Level 3: Rainforest Ranger
Level 4: Rainforest Guardian

Rainforest Apprentice

To become a Rainforest Apprentice, the first stage of four needed to complete The Prince's Rainforests Project Award for Schools, a school simply needs to sign up their support for the work of The Project, and list any classes that would like to participate. 

> Sign up here!

Once you have signed up, your Rainforest Apprentices are ready to learn about the local and global importance of tropical rainforests and how they can be protected, using the free 'Rainforest Quest' lesson plans that can be found on this site.

> Click here to find out more about the Rainforest Quests

The Rainforest Apprentice is represented by the Goliath Beetle, one of the largest insects on Earth.  Native to Africa, they are so large that when they fly, the sound is comparable to a toy helicopter. They are predominently found on the forest floor.

Rainforest Explorer

To reach the second stage of The Prince's Rainforests Project Award for Schools,  the class needs to have participated in two or more Rainforest Quests, or equivalent, to learn more about tropical rainforests, what is in them, and why they are so important on a local and global level. On submitting two examples of their work (e.g. photograph, audio file) to the gallery on this website, you will get access to a form. Completion of the form to confirm your work will result in the class being automatically be promoted to Rainforest Explorer, represented by the Parson's Chameleon. 

Examples that can be submitted to the site can include, as well as our Rainforest Quests, your own rainforest based lesson plans (please do submit your plan as well as examples of work produced - if suitable, we can make this available to other teachers), assemblies, activity days or similar.  

The Rainforest Explorer is represented by the Parson's Chameleon.  Its skin colour can be green, yellow or turquoise and it has a triangular-shaped head, two horns and eyes that can swivel around 360°.  It lives in the trees of the Madagascan rainforests and is the largest chameleon in the world.

Rainforest Ranger

To reach the third stage of The Prince's Rainforests Project Award for Schools, Rainforest Ranger, children will have participated in four or more separate Quests or equivalent (this can include rainforest based lessons you have designed yourself, activity days, assemblies, rainforest projects or similar that the class have undertaken). Evidence of this work should be submitted on the website. As with previous levels, after submitting two separate pieces of evidence, you will be asked to complete a form to move up to the next level.

This level is represented by the agile Amazonian Squirrel monkey, a small, playful monkey frequently found in the canopy of tropical rainforests. The monkeys spend most of their time in the trees, feeding off insects, fruit, berries and more infrequently, molluscs and frogs, and whilst they are abundant in the tropical rainforest of South and Central America, the species is increasingly threatened by rapid habitat loss.

Rainforest Guardian

This is the final level of the award, represented by the Central American Harpy Eagle. It commends outstanding work by a class or school, who will have worked together for more than nine lessons in total, building a strong base of  knowledge about the rainforests and their inhabitants, as well as an understanding of key issues affecting the forests. We anticipate it will take a month of focussed activity, longer if spread out,  to achieve this final level, evidenced by a portfolio of work compiled by the school and submitted to The Project for review.

> What does "outstanding work" mean?
> More about the Central American Harpy Eagle

What does “outstanding work” mean?

The committee judging the work would like to see evidence of:

• Sharing information about The Prince’s Rainforests Project and the work it does with others.
• Collaboration between two or more classes or schools
• Pupil’s innovation and problem solving skills when addressing key rainforest issues
• For KS1 and 2, whilst not compulsory, it is recommended that you complete Quest 10 which provides a framework.

This could include:

• A campaign to inform others about the significance of rainforest issues.
• Working a selection of Quests into a longer term project, building knowledge and key skills (for example, a Quest on musical composition could be shared between schools or turned into a concert).
• For younger children, experience based learning, such as the development of a sustainable outdoor learning environment or a visit to a woodland site.
• Partnering with another school, perhaps an international school in a rainforest area through  organizations such as British Council’s Connecting Classrooms or International Schools Award Programme.
• A production or exhibition of work for parents and / or wider community
• A school Rainforest week
• A piece of study into the history of specific rainforest indigenous peoples and culture, and the issues that affect them now

These are just some of many ways to approach the Award.

The Prince’s Rainforests Project Award for Schools commends a school’s work on environmental and rainforest issues.

On completion of the final level, the school will receive notification of their achievement  from The Prince’s Rainforests Project and will be able to download a certificate in recognition of their achievement.

Displaying the certificate will show parents and visitors that the school is committed to working towards sustainability, and that the children have worked together to develop a good understanding of key environmental issues and possible solutions.

As your pupils’ work will be displayed in The Project’s online Schools Gallery, you can link to it (you can filter it to display only your school’s work) from your school website, giving parents the chance to see their child’s work and the endeavours of the school.

About the Central American Harpy Eagle

The Central American Harpy Eagle is one of the world's largest and most powerful eagles. They are usually found inhabiting the emergent layer of tropical rainforests but are becoming increasingly rare due to habitat loss. These eagles have shortened wings for speed and manoeuverability within the rainforest environment, and generally feed off small mammals including monkeys and sloths.