Activities available

 

All activity options are available for full or half day visits and we are open every day during term time. If there are any specific topics you would like to be covered through an outdoor learning experience please do not hesitate to contact us and we will put a bespoke session together for you. The following activities can be included and combined within any visit. 

 

Minibeasts (terrestrial invertebrate studies): Search for invertebrates in different habitats. Students use collecting trays, bug pots, sweep nets, beating trays, and recording sheets. Comparisons can be made between woodland and meadow habitats. Learn how species are adapted to their environment and their roles within food chains and webs.

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Pond Dipping (aquatic invertebrate studies): Use nets to collect freshwater invertebrates from the pond. Identify those found using keys, produce scientific drawings and count specimens. Key adaptations and lifecycles.

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Kick-sampling in the brook: Wellies are essential to get into the brook, use special nets to collect creatures that live in moving water, place in trays of water to study their structure and movement closely, discover their use as biological indicators of water quality.

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River Studies and the Water Cycle: The River Stour, Losh House Brook, Pitmire Island and the floodplain all provide perfect resources to study river processes, water flow, and the water cycle. The brook is small enough to stand in and collect measurements of brook conditions and speed of flow, pollution studies and water quality, can link with biological sampling.  This session is usually paired with Orienteering to create a whole day visit.

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Plant Studies: Examine and identify native plants in different habitats. Study plant growth and distribution, reproduction and seed dispersal. Learn the names of numerous native wildflowers and trees and create guides to take-away.

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Animal Tracks and Trails: Play our outdoor animal signs game by trying to work out who made a footprint, what the skull belonged to and the all important question of "who's poo!?"

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Orienteering: We have to orienteering activities.  A Ordinance Survey style map and compass based session which covers most of the reserve and a shorter bearings and direction based session

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Sensory Tour: using our senses outdoors in a series of short activities such as smelly pots and listening tree.  

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Creative Activities & Forest Schools: Using natural materials found on the reserve create anything from a leaf crown to a stick pyramid, a willow mini-raft, to a child-sized den; whatever your imagination can create with the resources around you. Our site is also perfect to inspire art and photography at all levels, creative writing, outdoor music and drama. We can include mindfulness and environmental ethics within a session too.

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Seasonal Specialities: As we are open all year round different opportunities present themselves according to the seasons. With stunning autumn colours inspiring creative visits and festive fun sessions are fantastic in the early winter. Geography visits early in the year when landscape features are most visible, new life for surveying in the spring and bountiful wildflowers in the summer.

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Active Conservation: Schools can give involved in looking after our beautiful nature reserve, building habitat piles and bug hotels, throwing seed bombs and planting trees.

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Other activities

In addition to the natural and environmental sciences, the reserve’s location and unique characteristics make it an ideal place to explore a range of other subjects including history, art, maths, English, and design and technology.

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We welcome all ages and abilities and are always happy to put together a bespoke nature experience for you. All of the activity options listed on our primary and secondary/FE education pages can be adapted for adult groups, including disabled visitors and/or SEN schools.

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