Second level 2-01a Self-led information
The following information is for groups who intend to undertake activities without a countryside ranger present, either within the country park, school grounds (if suitable) or a local green space. Each activity has a general description together with an equipment list. The majority of the activities are duplicates of the countryside ranger led ones described above but more detail is provided on subjects and games. There are notes for teachers leading their own outdoor learning activities outwith school grounds in appendix 2 and an example risk assessment can be found in appendix 3. It is important to remember there will be additional hazards related to specific sites, groups and variables which will not be included in the example risk assessment. Make sure you carry out a full risk assessment before your trip. Blank risk assessment forms can be downloaded from
www.damstodarnley.org/pack. Additional advice on risk assessments can be sought from the Dams to Darnley countryside ranger service even if they are not going to be leading the group. If you do not have the required equipment it may be possible to borrow this from the countryside ranger service (contact details can be found in appendix 4).
Self-led activities
1. Discuss the different physical and behavioural characteristics of grey and red squirrels with your group. Look for dreys in trees; these are quite obvious large, circular nests near the trunk of the tree. Time: 15mins.
2. Play a game of ‘Squirrel Nuts’ with your group. Children have to write their name on a small piece of paper, fold it and hide it within a designated area. They return to this area at the end of the session and are asked to find their ‘nuts’ again. If they find them they have food for winter, if not trees grow. Time: 15mins.
3. Play a game based on the survival of grey versus red squirrels. Pick three to four children to be grey squirrels, these should be the fastest runners to represent the bigger grey squirrels. Everyone else is a red squirrel. Set a rope out in a large circle and get all the red squirrels to go into the circle. This represents their conifer woodland and is ‘den’. The red squirrels have to leave the woodland to forage as the area is too small to support all of them. To play the game get the red squirrels to forage outside of the woodland, then shout ‘grey squirrels’. At this point all the reds have to get back to the woodland/den before they are tagged by the greys. If they are tagged they have caught the pox virus and are out of the game. Now make the den smaller by moving the rope and explain that a road has been built through the woodland so some trees have been cut down, highlighting that red squirrels are often killed by cars. Get the reds to forage again outside the woodland and as before repeat the game by calling ‘grey squirrels’. Now reduce the rope further and say that more trees have been cut down to build housing. Again get the reds to forage and repeat the game. Now that there is housing domestic cats are in the area which can kill red squirrels. Less of the forest is now safe for the red squirrels, so reduce the rope further. Get the reds to forage and repeat the game. Finally a supermarket has been built for the houses and all the trees have been cut down to fit it in, so remove the rope/den completely. Finally get the reds to forage, repeating the game until they are all caught. Discuss the implications of the game. Time: 40mins.
4. Review learning and discuss ideas for conserving red squirrels with your group. For example, give five possible means, two of which are unfeasible. Discuss why they are unfeasible with the children. Time: 15mins.
Equipment: • Squares of paper and pens. • Rope.
www.damstodarnley.org
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