Overview Booking Secondary Location Feedback
All our courses include a subject introduction in the classroom and practical activities on the nature reserve.
If you would like an after-school visit to see the Environment Centre and nature reserve and to ask questions about the sessions then please email contact us and we will be happy to arrange this.
EYFS
Nursery
Nursery Explorers: 1-2 hours (minimum age 3 years)
Enjoy a nature walk through the meadow and the woodland using our senses to explore the natural world. Go bug hunting in the meadow and under logs.
Reception
Woodland Explorers: Half day (10.00-12.00)
Children become nature explorers, using their senses and finding out why senses are important to animals. Investigate woodland or meadow minibeasts and play sensory games.
Woodland and Pond Explorers: Full day (10.00-14.00)
As Woodland Explorers with pond dipping. Discover how animals live in the pond.
KS1
Year 1
Woodland Explorers – Big Bug Hunt: Half day (10.00-12.00)
Enjoy bug hunting in the meadow, in trees and under logs. Discover the similarities and differences between minibeasts and find out which bugs are carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.
Woodland and Pond Explorers: Full day (10.00-14.00)
As the Big Bug Hunt with pond dipping to discover the life styles of the weird and wonderful creatures living there.
Plant Detectives: Half day (10.00-12.00)
Become a plant detective and find out about different types of plant and how they grow. Look for weird animals that live inside plants, discover trees that talk and see some plants under the USB microscope.
Year 2
Investigating Minibeasts: Half day (10.00-12.00)
Investigate what lives under the logs and discover the amazing variety of life in the pond.
Habitats and Adaptation: Full day (10.00-14.00)
Explore the meadow and woodland and discover the animals and plants that live there. Discover how animals and plants are adapted to live in their habitats and how they depend on each other. Find out what the pond animals eat and how they fit into the pond food chain.
Habitats, Adaptation and Plants: Full day (10.00-14.00)
As above, but this version includes finding out what plants need to grow and spending less time on minibeasts.
Woodland detectives: Half day (10.00-12.00)
Become nature detectives for the day and investigate the variety of wildlife in the woodland. Discover things that are alive, dead or have never been alive. Find out how animals senses help them to survive and how plants use colour and light to attract pollinators.
Nature Detectives: Full day (10.00-14.00)
As half day with pond dipping. Discover how animals are adapted to live in the pond.
KS2
Year 3
Minibeast Investigators: Half day (10.00-12.00)
A chance to investigate the minibeasts that live in the meadow, trees and log piles. Discover how these animals can be classified by looking at similar features.
Rocks and soils: Half day (10.00-12.00)
Discover the origins of rocks with our collection of real rock samples collected from around the world. Investigate the different stages of soil formation and see some of the animals that help to make soil.
Rocks, Fossils and Soils: Full day (10.00-14.00)
Discover the origins of rocks and fossils in hands-on activities. Handle our collection of real fossils and rock samples collected from all around the world. Find out how some animals on the reserve are similar to those living on earth millions of years ago. Investigate the role of animals and plants in soil formation and find out how new rocks are formed with our special volcano experiment.
Plant life cycles: Full day (10.00-14.00)
Discover the different types of plants and some plants which are not plants. Explore how plants grow and see our ‘what do plants need’ experiment. Look at plant features close-up with our USB microscope and discover how people have used plants to keep healthy for thousands of years.
Year 4
Food Chains and Classification: Full day (10.00-14.00)
Explore the meadow, woodland and pond habitats on the nature reserve and discover the minibeasts that live there. Learn different ways to collect invertebrates and find out how to classify and identify them using keys. Discover what pond animals eat and investigate pond food chains.
Year 5
Life Cycles: Full day (10.00-14.00)
Explore the reserve looking for signs of animal life cycles using sweep netting, tree bashing and pond dipping. Investigate plant life cycles through seed dispersal and a pollination survey.
Year 6
Adaptation and evolution: Full day (10.00-14.00)
Investigate the fossil record and evolution, comparing real fossils with animals that live today. Investigate the adaptations of the reserve’s plants and the animals found in the meadow and the pond.
Overview Booking Secondary Location Feedback