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School visits to Capstone Farm Country Park
Education programmes at Capstone Farm Country Park
The
park provides a variety of hands-on educational opportunities for
groups of all ages and abilities. Rangers are available to
co-ordinate and lead activities and visits are tailored to meet the
specific needs of each class. All lessons have been designed with
National Curriculum Standards in mind.
The ranger-led programme aims to offer teachers the widest
possible choice of lesson topics, as well as the flexibility to
design their own programme to suit their specific needs and those
of their students. The park offers a range of different topics that
can be studied separately or in combination. Most run for between
45 minutes and one and a half hours. All materials and equipment
can be provided. Some of the most popular topics are listed
below:
- Mini-beasts (April - August). A look at some
of Capstone’s smaller inhabitants. In this lesson, students learn
about the variety of mini-beasts that live around the park and how
their diversity relates to the habitat concept.
- Pond studies (April – September). During this
lesson, students discover some of the creatures that live in
Capstone’s freshwater habitats and how they have become adapted to
cope with their watery lifestyles.
- Food chains – work on food chains can be tied
in with pond dipping, or explored on a larger scale with any other
group of organisms. This subject ties in well with several of our
other units.
- Trees – a hands-on investigation of all things
woody. In this lesson, students learn about the variety of trees in
Capstone’s woodlands and their importance.
- Habitats – homes at Capstone. In this lesson,
students observe and compare the variety of habitats at Capstone,
the organisms within them and the interactions that occur between
them.
- Recycling and decomposers (August – November).
This session delves into the fascinating world of decomposers and
looks at the important role they play in their environments.
Students try their hand at making soil, learn what it feels like to
be an earthworm and take part in a fungi hunt.
- Natural arts and crafts – most topics can be
combined with a related arts and crafts session. The children use
natural materials as well as a range of art resources to create
something for them to take home or back to school.
- Maps and mapping – a simple look. In this
lesson, students collect data and produce an accurate map
representation for a short section of footpath.
- Walks – guided walks may have a specific theme
or simply give a broad overview of many aspects of the natural
environment.
- Sensory awareness – this unit helps students
to explore the use of the five senses within the natural
environment.
- Human impacts – our impact on the natural
world can be investigated through the exploration of a variety of
environmental issues. There are also opportunities for learning
about woodland management, leisure, tourism and local history.
- Orienteering – following an introductory talk
by one of the rangers, the children navigate their way around the
orienteering course, taking in many of the points of interest in
the park.
- Forest Schools – through play, the students
learn about the natural environment, teamwork and problem solving.
They make items from natural materials such as whistles, picture
frames and mallets. Forest Schools involves a school visiting the
park on a regular basis. However, some woodland craft activities
can be incorporated into one-off visits to the park.
Any school groups taking a ranger-led activity may use the
education room free of charge. This can accommodate up to 50
people. Other facilities include a café and toilets, an adventure
playground and picnic areas.
For further information or to book a school visit provisionally,
please contact Capstone Farm Country Park.
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