Recently I went on a school trip and learned about my favourite thing, which is the countryside code. First, we were taken to a big field, which I thought was going to be boring, but I listened for a bit and then started to really enjoy finding out all about it. Here are the things I learned. First, we were told about how old and young people walk in the countryside. Old people wear oversized coats all the time and pay no attention to what is going on, while young people play on their phones and miss lots of fun things. So they both miss all the nature on the walk. We were told you should never take anything from nature or leave your rubbish behind, and only leave footprints. Also, you should always watch where you walk because you could step on something like a bird’s egg, and if you have your dog, you should keep them on a lead so they don’t eat things or chase animals. It was an exciting day, and I am now part of the school eco-committee to help with saving the countryside. The first thing we are looking at in the eco-committee is planting more trees in our school so we can encourage more wildlife in our environment and learn from them. We will also look to start teaching everyone about the importance of putting their rubbish in the bins. Edith, nine Read today’s other YCD, by Inesh, eight: ‘Mini crabs and rare anemones’ If you’d like to submit a winter piece to Young Country Diary, the submission form is here