Wild Journeys at Paxton Pits
The Wildlife Trust has launched a fantastic new education programme for primary school groups at Paxton Pits Local Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire.
The 'Wild Journeys' programme, delivered by the education team based at Grafham Water, offers child-centred learning adventures that meet the needs of the National Curriculum and enables children to develop an emotional connection to the natural environment.
The programme is divided into two parts. The summer programme, Wild Journeys: Habitats Through Time, is offered from April to September, and the winter programme, Wild Journeys of People and Wildlife, is offered from October through to March.
Wild Journeys: Habitats Through Time (April - Sept)
Pupils undertake a wild journey through time, equipped with time travel wristbands, explorer kits and time dials to discover how Paxton Pits became so important for wildlife.
Children ‘stop off’ at keys points in time in the history of Paxton Pits to undertake activities, including fossil hunting to discover the remains of creatures that once lived in Jurassic seas; pond dipping to catch the creatures that colonised the holes that filled with water after the gravel pits were excavated; sweep netting to find the creatures that have moved into the meadows that established after the site became a nature reserve; log rolling to discover who lives under the logs at the ‘pingo swamp’; bird watching to spot some of the residents Paxton Pits is famous for; and journeying into the future to discover what the site will be like in years to come.
To book your visit please contact the education centre manager on 01480 811075 or grafham [at] wildlifebcnp.org
Downloads for your visit |
*This is a sample Risk Assessment. Please be aware that it is only made available to assist you with your visit. It is not a legally binding document. |
Wild Journeys of People and Wildlife (Oct - March)
A cross curricular programme of Saxon settlers and bird migration which tells the story of the reserve through discovering the past and
investigating the present.
Through a series of different activities, children will explore why the Saxons journeyed to and settled at Paxton; why birds migrate to the reserve to spend the winter; how Saxons used the natural resources in a variety of ways; how farming the land to grow food provides a habitat for wildlife; how the way people use the earth’s resources changes habitats; and how wetland and farmland birds are adapted to the habitat in which they are found.
During their visit, children will unearth clues, make clay creations, bird watch from the journey headquarters, visit a Saxon camp, take part in the Saxon arrival, and find a feast for the birds.
To book your visit please contact the education centre manager on 01480 811075 or grafham [at] wildlifebcnp.org
Downloads for your visit |
*This is a sample Risk Assessment. Please be aware that it is only made available to assist you with your visit. It is not a legally binding document. |
The Wildlife Trust is able to offer local schoolchildren the opportunity to learn about the journeys made by wildlife and people through the ages thanks to funding from Natural England through Defra’s Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, and support from Huntingdonshire District Council and local voluntary group The Friends of Paxton Pits.
