Early level 0-12a 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 earlier 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. Play ‘Listening Stones’. Walk into an area where there are various noises from different directions e.g. a river, cars, birds or wind in the trees. Have random stones you have collected earlier in a fancy bag. Tell the children that you bumped into a wizard in the woods just up the road from where you are and describe him (big beard, a velvet cloak, etc.) and tell them he gave you these magic listening stones. The wizard told you that if you hold them in your hand they will help you to hear well. Be enthusiastic. Give each child a stone and provide a reason why theirs is special e.g. it is smooth so it helps you hear birds, it is a triangle shape so you can hear leaves or it is rough so it helps you to hear water. The children have to close their eyes, hold the stones and listen for a minute. Then ask the children what they heard and to point in the direction the sound came from. Time: 15mins.
2. Give each child or group an artist’s pallet with several colours on it. This can be made up by cutting a pallet shape from white card, sticking paint sample colours on it and then laminating it. As the children walk around they have to pick things that match the colours. Alternatively, if they cannot pick something up ask the children to point to the matching colours instead e.g. the blue sky or yellow sunshine. This can be adapted for different times of the year e.g. use more oranges, reds and yellows in autumn. Make sure to point out jaggy things to avoid and litter! Time: 15mins.
3. As part of a walk choose different plants along the way and ask the children to smell them. Ask what they smell like. If in season use wild garlic, mint, herb robert and meadow sweet. Time: 15mins.
4. Ask the children to find something rough and smooth; soft and hard; bright and dull. Give the children either a scavenger hunt sheet or just shout out one thing at a time and get them to come back with it. Talk about what they find and get them to feel what the rest of the group has found. Make sure to point out jaggy things to avoid and litter! Time: 15mins.
Equipment: • Stones and a bag. • Artist’s pallets (home-made or borrowed from the countryside ranger service). • Scavenger hunt sheets and collection bags.
www.damstodarnley.org
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