mini beast hunting
THE ABBEY TRAIL
Key subject(s): History, English
Journey back in time to the 16th century and discover what life was like in historic Waltham Abbey. Students become key characters from the past as they explore the abbey ruins.
Session covers: Events, people and changes in the past; historical interpretation and enquiry; role play and english skills,
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens
Available: All year (Tuesday and Wednesday)
Teachers pack available
THE ART OF NATURE
Key subject(s): Art & Design, Science
Use the wonder of nature to inspire your students. Pick and mix from a wide range of nature based art and craft activities, tailored to topics and seasons. Pupils take an investigative, hands on approach to explore colours and textures of natural materials within the park. Options include: Lee Valley sprites, nature’s symmetry and habitat cocktail paints. This is an ideal option for evening, winter visits or to complement another programme.
Session covers: Exploring, developing, investigating and making art and crafts; scientific enquiry.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens, YHA Lee Valley, Tottenham
Marshes, WaterWorks Nature Reserve
Available: All year
AUTUMN, FRUITS, SEEDS AND LEAVES
Key subject(s): Science, Geography
Experience the amazing changes in plants during autumn. Use role play games to understand a seed’s needs of life, test your skills on the squirrel nut hunt, collect and identify leaves, then plant your own seed to take home.
Session covers: scientific enquiry; life processes including variation, classification, plant structures and seed dispersal; knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens, WaterWorks Nature Reserve
Available: September – November
Teachers pack available
BITTERNS AND OTHER WATER BIRDS
Key subject(s): Science, Geography
Explore the habitat of one of the rarest birds in the Lee Valley. Migrate to our bird hide and use binoculars to observe and record waterbird behaviour in this internationally important habitat.
Session covers: scientific enquiry; life processes including variation, classification, food chains and adaptations; geographical enquiry and skills including migration; knowledge of understanding of places, patterns and processes.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): River Lee Country Park (Fishers Green entrance)
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
CANALS AND RIVERSIDE HISTORY
Key subject(s): History
Step back in time to the Victorian era to discover the waterway of the River Lee Navigation on a one hour boat trip. Find out what life was like for the families that lived onboard barges in Victorian Britain. Back on land experiment with canal art as you paint your own terracotta pot.
Session covers: Knowledge skills and understanding of events, people and changes in the past.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): River Lee Country Park, Broxbourne Riverside
Available: All year (except November)
Teachers pack available
CUNNING RUNNING
Key subject(s): Geography, PE
Explore the park with our introduction to the exciting sport of orienteering. This fun fuelled competition allows groups to learn and reinforce important team building and map skills whilst challenging them to answer our natural history quiz for extra points. Alternatively engage your students with the challenge of a London 2012 Games fact finding mission. The class will be split into smaller groups, each of which must be accompanied by an adult.
Session covers: Selecting and applying tactics, acquiring and developing PE and geographical skills.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens, Tottenham Marshes
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
D.I.Y MINIBEAST
Key subject(s): Science, Design & Technology
Take your inspiration from nature. Use the design process to create your own model of a marvellous minibeast from recycled material. Research minibeasts through collection and identification, evaluate their adaptations and refine your final design.
Session covers: Scientific enquiry and life processes including variation, classification, food chains and habitat requirements; developing and communicating ideas and evaluation.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens, Tottenham Marshes,
Waterworks Nature Reserve
Available: April-October
Teachers pack available
FIELD TO FRIDGE - FARM TOUR
Key subject(s): Science, Geography
Experience the start of your milk’s journey to the supermarket shelf. This guided tour of our working dairy farm explores the crops we grow, how we look after our animals and wildlife, methods of milking and the farmers job. Self-led visits of our visitor farm are also available (see farm trails for description).
Session covers: life processes and living things; geographical enquiry; understanding of environmental change, development and places.
Suitable for: KS1 (year 2 only), KS2
Venue(s): Lee Valley Park Farms
Available: February – October
Teachers pack available
FARM TRAILS
From marmoset to meerkat, goat to guinea pig come and visit the animals at Lee Valley Park Farms. Follow the ‘Whose Baby Trail’ with downloadable booklets and teachers information pack to make the most of your visit. This programme is booked directly with Lee Valley Park Farms on 01992 892 781.
Suitable for: Foundation Stage, KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Lee Valley Park Farms
Available: February – October
FOCUS ON DRAGONFLIES
Key subject(s): Science, Geography
Discover one of the most amazing insects in the world. Follow this monster minibeast through its lifecycle. Survey where the eggs are laid, stream dip in the dragonfly nymphs habitat to find and identify aquatic creatures. Visit Cornmill Meadows Dragonfly Sanctuary and hopefully get a glimpse of the incredible adult insects.
Session covers:es Scientific enquiry and life processes including life cycles, variation, classification, food chains and adaptations; knowledge and understanding of places.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens,
Cornmill Meadows Dragonfly Sanctuary
Available: April – October
Teachers pack available
FOCUS ON URBAN HABITATS
Key subject(s): Science, Geography
Weird and wonderful minibeasts thrive in the urban habitats throughout the Lee Valley. Play the needs of life game then predict how minibeast numbers will vary in different parts of the habitat. Collect and identify minibeasts to see their amazing adaptations.
Session covers: Scientific enquiry and life processes including variation, classification, food chains and habitat requirements; geographical enquiry and skills.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens, Tottenham Marshes,
Waterworks Nature Reserve, River Lee Country Park,
Available: April – October
Teachers pack available
GARDEN SENSORY ADVENTURE
Key subject(s): Science
Explore the natural world through fun sensory activities to develop an enhanced awareness of the natural environment. Try the feely bag challenge. Collect fallen treasures and study colour and shape using magnifying glasses, colour swatches and mirrors. Make a sound map ,test your sense of smell then plant a seed to grow into a tasty snack.
Session covers: Investigative skills; life processes and living things.
Suitable for: KS1 and special needs students
Venue(s): Myddelton House Gardens
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
I SPY A DRAGON-FLY!
Key subject(s): Science
Experience life through the eyes of this giant of the insect world! Use all your senses to explore the habitat of this monster minibeast, with the help of mirrors and blindfolds, can you survive the lifecycle game?
Session covers: Investigative skills; life processes and living things.
Suitable for: KS1
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse & Gardens,
Cornmill Meadows Dragonfly Sanctuary
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
MR BOWLES AND HIS VICTORIAN GARDEN
Key subject(s): History
Bring the Victorian period to life. Take an imaginary journey back in time to Mr Bowles historic gardens. Experience what children would have worn and the games they played. Become a Victorian plant collector, then take on the role of Victorian gardener as you tend to the vegetables and plant a seed.
Session covers: Chronological understanding; understanding of events, people and changes in the past; Victorian Britain.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Myddelton House Gardens
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
POWER OF PLANTS
Key subject(s): Science
Experience the power of plants through a fusion of touch, sight and smell. Discover the secrets of reproduction, play the pollination and needs of life games and learn the photosynthesis recipe (KS2). Uncover plants that are hidden in the most unlikely products then collect fallen treasure on a scavenger hunt.
Session covers: Scientific enquiry; life processes including reproduction, plant structures, food chains, variation and classification.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Abbey Farmhouse and Gardens, Tottenham Marshes,
Waterworks Nature Reserve, River Lee Country Park,
Available: May – September
Teachers pack available
RIVERS WALK
Key subject(s): Geography, Science
A unique opportunity to compare and contrast the natural features of the meandering Old River Lea with the straight River Lee Navigation. Discuss and record river features and birdlife, complete field sketches, measure flow rates and determine the benefits and disadvantages of each waterway habitat for wildlife and boat traffic. This programme is 2½ hours long.
Session covers: Geographical enquiry; understanding of patterns and processes; investigative skills.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): River Lee Country Park (Fishers Green entrance)
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
SEED TO SUPPER
Key subject(s): Science
Experience the journey from seed to supper. Test your skills with our seed to food quiz, play ‘Seed Tig’ to discover seeds’ needs of life. On a scavenger hunt collect fallen treasures highlighting the immense variation of plants. Play the pollination game and plant a seed to take home.
Session covers: Scientific enquiry; life processes including reproduction, plant structures, food chains, variation and classification.
Suitable for: KS1, KS2
Venue(s): Myddelton House Gardens
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
THE ‘GREAT STINK’
Key subject(s): History, Geography
Bring the water cycle to life by discovering the ‘Great Stink’ of 1858 and the effect of dirty water on the population of London. Visit the Essex Filter Beds which once cleaned Victorian London’s drinking water for a demonstration of filtration and to see how they now form an unusual urban nature reserve.
Session covers: Chronological understanding; understanding of events, people and changes in the past; understanding of places and processes.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): WaterWorks Nature Reserve
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
WATERWORKS WATER BIRDS
Key subject(s): Science, Geography
Explore this unique wetland habitat created from a disused water treatment facility! Migrate to our bird hide and use binoculars to observe and record waterbird behaviour in this important urban nature reserve.
Session covers: Scientific enquiry; life processes including variation, classification, food chains and adaptations; geographical enquiry and skills including migration; knowledge and understanding of places, patterns and processes.
Suitable for: KS2
Venue(s): WaterWorks Nature Reserve
Available: All year
Teachers pack available
THE LEE VALLEY CHALLENGE
Key subjects: Geograpgy, PE, Team building
Orienteering with a twist . Engage your student with the additional challenge of a London 2012 Games fact finding mission.Students are encouraged to embrace the the Olympic values as they compete in River Lee Country Park, home of the Lee Valley White Water Centre
Suitable for: KS2 ( year 5 & 6 only) KS3, KS4 (students below year 9 are advised to compete in groups accompanied by an adult)
Venue(s): River Lee Country Park (Cheshunt entrance or Lee Valley White Water Centre)
Available: All year