Belvoir Park Forest Education Programme

For the benefit of KS1 and KS2 pupils Belvoir Park Forest offers an extensive 2 to 3hrs. guided educational walk. This includes environmental, historical and scientific topics.

1. Animal identification/classification:
Children will be able to have supervised direct contact with some of the animal specimens in the Exhibition centre and also able to observe and identify those in the glass display cases.
Guides will also provide, at this stage, a short picture and clue activity to introduce the subject of animal classification.

2. Tree identification:
Using the natural seasonal tools, guides will identify the main species/groups of trees within Belvoir (broadleaves and conifers).
Children will collect and observe samples of leaves, nuts, fruit and seeds to make comparisons between species.
Simple and compound leaves will also be highlighted.

3. Trees, how, why and where they grow:
In the forest guides will introduce many different activities which will introduce the idea that a tree is a living thing and that it, like us, has preferences to where it lives and how it too can be harmed by both man's influence and nature's diseases.

4. Sustainability:
The work that is carried out in the forest to ensure that man can also have a positive influence on its growth and maintenance.
Guides will introduce activities to explain.

5. Woodland eco systems:
Children will learn how the different plants in the forest rely on each other to survive.
This will introduce them to food chains and food webs.

6. Wildlife of the forest:
Children will be introduced to the habitats and life cycles of the common mammals and birds found at Belvoir.
Some dormant burrows will be used to illustrate and emphasise the need for man not to disturb.

7. Flora of the forest:
This is a subject that is obviously dependant on the season visiting the forest.
Spring and summer provide a huge variety of wild flowers and plants to observe and identify.

8. Mini beast hunt:
An activity where children can use magnified glasses and containers to find their own mini beasts and learn where to find them.
Here it can be impressed upon them the importance of the mini beasts to the forest eco system and that they must be treated gently and with respect .

9. The forest waste disposal system:
Guides will introduce the topic of Fungi (for observation and discussion only), emphasizing their role and importance in the woodland eco system.

10. People from the past:
The children will see evidence of the human occupation of Belvoir as far back as the Normans.

11. Colours of nature:
An activity where children will be issued with colour cards and asked to match them up in nature.

The following specialist subjects are also available:

The Red Squirrel: a year in the life of, habitat, threats and conservation.

Animal signs/Tracks and Trails: when animal sightings are minimal, we can learn how to confirm their presence in other ways.

Forest Guides can also be provided, to facilitate only, older groups for GCSE or A Level field trips.