We can offer a bespoke outdoor learning programme for your school.
We have recently worked with a Year 6 class to provide them with a stimulating and engaging bespoke outdoor learning programme over one term linked to their curriculum learning objectives.
Please contact us for more details.
Beach Explorers
Just as woodlands have inspired and attracted people for recreation and learning, the coastline of Britain is increasingly being used as an outdoor education setting.
Duration: full day
In North East England we have some of the finest beaches in the country and FORESTed are able to use beaches along the North Tyneside coast with it’s award winning Blue Flag beaches.
Each session includes practical ‘hands-on’ activities that can add value to work back in the classroom as well as promoting resilience and teamwork!
Please get in touch to discuss your specific requirements.
Beach Explorer activities can include:
- Beach ‘Creatures’ (rock pooling dependent on beach & tide times)
- Beach ‘Play’
- Beach ‘Creativity’
- Beach ‘Survival’
- Beach ‘Clean Up’
Creativity
Using the natural world as a focus and source of resources and inspired by environmental artists such as Andy Goldsworthy this session aims to develop creativity and a love of nature
Duration: half day
Activities include:
- Repeating patterns
- Make your own paint and brushes
- Mandalas
- Observational drawing
Compass and directions/Map Reading/Ordnance Survey maps useage
How can we find our direction? What can we use? What can we use if we don’t have a compass?
A hands-on activity involving using a compass to find the Cardinal, Ordinal and Sub-Ordinal Compass Points. Ordnance Survey (OS) map work will allow the students to find and plot a 4 and 6 figure grid reference and follow a simple map to find an objective. Create your own map
Duration: full or half day
Forest School
Adapted to your school grounds or a site local to your school, the Forest School approach can be tailored to different age groups and is essentially child-led. It gives pupils the opportunity to learn key skills and concepts in a practical and meaningful way.
Duration: full day
Activities include:
- Creative activities such as outdoor art and patterns in nature
- Curriculum specific topics – life processes and living things
- Developing survival skills – shelter building and cooking on a fire
- Using our senses to explore the environment
- Maps & trails
- Story telling
Our Forest School program also aims to respond to these needs by offering children stimulating and challenging activities, for risk/benefits and for exploring and developing their abilities. It promotes hands-on, real-life learning – children learn through experimentation and problem solving.
Forest School provides excellent opportunities that:
- Increase self-esteem & self-confidence
- Improve listening and speaking skills
- Contribute to the development of language
- Improve children’s ability to work cooperatively
- Improve physical and motor skills
- Forest Schools is also a very effective stimulus for learning back in the classroom
Great Fire of London
A real ‘wow’ day! We work with the class in planning and preparing for the creation of and burning of their own Pudding Lane. The children safely experience the sights, sounds, smells and feel the heat from a fire devouring their scale models. This one will live long in their memories!
Duration: half day
Kirkley Hall
We can deliver any of our programmes at Northumberland College’s Kirkley Hall campus (near Ponteland). With it’s mature mixed deciduous and coniferous woodlands Kirkley Hall is a fantastic venue for Forest School and learning outdoors.
Our base is in a woodland clearing on the banks of the River Blyth under a parachute with a fire pit, children can safely explore the woods in a defined area. With access to a wildlife hide and a streams for river studies the location is perfect for an alternative to class based learning.
We can also offer a tailored package with Kirkley Hall’s zoo and Outdoor Activities centre with it’s zip wire, climbing frame and archery base. Contact us for more details.
Local History and changes in land use
The North East has undergone significant changes in its land use ranging from the last ice age to the post industrial present.
Duration: full day
Activities include
- We examine old maps of the area and former industries.
- Local landmarks are investigated and reproduced.
- Off site visit to local landmarks
- Observational drawing
We can offer a linked visit to the Old Low Lights Heritage Centre on North Shields Fish Quay to look at how the area has changed, fishing, whaling and related art work.
Plants
Learners use the local environment to observe how plants grow and observe the growth of a variety of different plants. They explore the requirements of plants for life and growth and explore pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.
Duration: full or half day
Activities include:
- Identifying and naming a variety of common plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees
- Discover and describe how plants need water, light and warmth to grow and stay healthy
- Identify the functions of different parts of flowering plants
This programme uses your school grounds, or an area local to your school, to allow pupils to explore and answer questions about plants growing in their habitat.
Children will become familiar with common names of flowers and look at examples of deciduous and evergreen trees. They work scientifically by observing and recording the growth of a variety of plants. Older children set up a comparative test to show that plants need light and water to grow and compare the effect of different factors on plant growth. Learners will explore the life cycle of flowering plants including pollination and seed dispersal.
Rivers
This session requires a visit to Kirkley Hall to allow practical activities on the nearby River Blyth and Cadgers Burn. The activities allow extensive follow up work back in the classroom.
Duration: full day
Tasks include:
- Flow rate measuring
- Mapping of the local environment
- Tree and wildlife survey
- Kick sampling
Seasonal Change
Sessions allow pupils to experience phenomena by looking closely at the natural world around them. First hand experiences allow learners to observe changes, describe weather and use their senses to explore differences in their local environment throughout the year.
Duration: full day
Activities include:
- Four separate visits to same location to observe changes across the four seasons
- Working creatively – producing collages and works of art that show how the landscape looks and feels
- Describing weather and how day length varies
The ‘Seasonal Changes’ programme provides opportunities for pupils to observe and talk about changes in the weather and the seasons. Children work scientifically by making charts about the weather and day length as the seasons change.
Learners are encouraged to be creative by studying changes in colour, changes to the landscape, how does it change and feel at different times of the year?
Stone Age
Closely linked to the topic as part of the national curriculum the Stone Age session is a hands on experience with added time travel!
Duration: full day
We imagine we have travelled back in time to the Neolithic and are a hunting party away from our home village on the trail of a herd of Aurocs, what will happen on our adventure?
- What was the stone age
- tools and implements
- stone age bread making
- knowledge of plants, animals and their uses
- life as a child in the stone age
- fire by friction
- mini shelter building
World War 2
The programme introduces children to the topic of WW2 related to the real life experiences of a local hero and his struggle for survival in a life or death experience……
Duration: full day
The session is brought to life using the real life experiences of local hero Flying Officer (F/O) Les Hood from Seaham. We show how he used the fundamentals of survival in a life or death situation. On one mission over France F/O Hoods’ plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and his pilot gave the order to abandon the aircraft…..
World War 2 activities include:
- Introduction to World War 2, where and when it took place
- The story of F/O Hood
- The principles of survival