Learning With Nature

What will students see and do?

Westonbirt Arboretum is home to over 2,500 species from around the world, and five collections of national trees.

The STIHL Tree Top Walkway is a 300m long platform which takes you 13m up to the canopy of the trees. This gives students the opportunity to take in a different perspective and imagine life in the treetops.

As well as taking part in curriculum-focused workshops, visitors can marvel at the diversity of the nature around them. There are several self-guided trails you can take with your group to complement your workshop.

Learning With Nature offers School Grounds Development in partnership with a local horticultural company. This sees the development of learning habitats within your school ground, to foster creativity, teamwork, and provide an on-site natural learning space. It’s all of the benefits of a school trip without leaving your school grounds.

You may also consider the Beach Schools programme for an outdoor school trip. This custom workshop is delivered at your beach of choice and introduces coastal education to pupils.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

The team at Learning With Nature is very curriculum aware. In fact, it offers weekly training to teachers to help them deliver curriculum-relevant outdoor learning lessons.

Learning With Nature can adapt to the national curriculum at all levels, from EYFS activities through to A-level coursework. It even works with several universities to assist with PGCE training and ensure the benefits of outdoor learning are instilled in the next generation of teachers.

The workshops at Westonbirt are particularly suitable for KS1 pupils, as this is the age range at which the wonder of nature and the environment can really make an impact.

Each workshop has detailed learning objectives and curriculum connections, so you can be sure that the educational element of your visit is clear.

The Learning With Nature team will make recommendations for additional learning related to your visit. You’ll also receive a ‘before you come’ question before you visit, to spark curiosity about the trip.

For Early Years pupils, Westonbirt combines popular children’s storybooks with the changing of the seasons. Sessions can be adapted to meet specific learning goals or children’s needs.

Spring sessions include The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the lifecycle of a butterfly. Children can make butterfly feeders from natural materials.

In summer, A Bee Story introduces different types of bees, how they see the world, and how humans benefit from them.

Autumn workshops include Leaf Man, looking at the diversity of leaves, and resulting in pupils making their own Leaf Man.

In Winter, children can take part in Owl Babies, looking for woodland birds and hunting feathers. They can then make a bird feeder to take home as part of the outdoor learning activities.

In the Super Senses KS1 workshop, visitors use sight, sound, touch and smell to explore the woodland area. They will learn about plant life cycles and structures.

The Marvellous Minibeasts class teaches KS1 pupils about micro-habitats and which creatures live in them. It also introduces the concept of woodland food chains. Woodland Explorers is a full-day programme, combining Super Senses and Marvellous Minibeasts.

In Plants as Producers, pupils are introduced to tree identification, lifecycles, and the uses of wood. They’ll also learn the role that plants play as producers.

Brilliant Birds is an opportunity to identify birds, learn about their parts and listen to their songs. Children will be invited to make a nest using natural materials and learn how to make a bird feeder.

The Natural Materials class starts with a scavenger hunt to identify different natural objects. The properties of the materials are discussed, and the ways that they’re used by man.

Woodland Art combines sensory activities with creativity, to make art using natural material. Meanwhile, The Tin Forest introduces the importance of looking after the environment and discussing where waste goes.

Finally, there are several seasonal workshops available, introducing themes of cyclical change and life cycles.

Subjects covered

Details of risk assessment

This will be emailed to you a week before the visit. The risk assessment will be specific to the activities your group will be taking part in.

PLANNING

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