Queen Elizabeth Country Park

At Queen Elizabeth Country Park (voted the nation's favourite country park) you can:

• Go on a leisurely walk through the beautiful woods and enjoy the scenery
• Play on our playgrounds
• Create mud art
• Cycle
• Barbeque
• Learn about our outdoor habitats
• Plus much more

Education

Many schools and groups use the Country Park throughout the year to deliver National Curriculum subjects including science, geography and creative writing.

Guided visits

Rock and Soils (Key stage 3 – Geography & Science)

• Through a series of activities and scientific studies the children will learn about Rocks and Soils, they will find out how soil is made and what it’s made up of. They will look at the relationship between rocks and their uses within everyday life. They will also do a scientific investigation looking at attrition, permeability and strengths of certain rocks.

Sensory Explorers (Foundation/Key Stage 1, Science)

• Using their senses, the children explore the Park’s variety of colours, textures, sounds and smells.

Mini-beast Safari (Key Stage 1 and 2, Science)

• Explore the world of woodland mini-beasts aided by pooters and bug pots. We use colour ID charts and play games that highlight issues such as camouflage.

Woodland Discovery Key Stage 1 and 2, Science)

• Discover the woodland habitat and the relationship between its plants and animals. Activities can include food chains, life of a tree and adaption's.
  (Follow on activity – grassland and woodland food chain mobiles)

Woodland and Meadow Discovery (Key Stage 2, Science and Geography)

• Through a series of activities, the children are encouraged to draw comparisons between two very different habitats.
  (Follow on activity – grassland and woodland food chain mobiles)

Habitats (Key stage 2 and 3, Science and Geography)

• Explore the many different habitats found within our Park including woodland, meadow and pond. Using professional equipment the pupils will discover what creatures can be found in each habitat. Comparisons and adaption are also covered.

Team Building (Suitable for all ages)

• Tackle a variety of ice breaking activities such as orienteering and shelter building to discover the importance of being a team member.

Sustainability (Key Stage 2,3 and 4)

• An interactive talk by Park staff about sustainability and how the Country Park and your school can do their bit. This is a two hour session with the talk lasting approximately 1 hour followed by a self-guided questionnaire/orienteering activity for the second hour.

Geography on Butser – (Key Stage 3 and 4)

• This 2 hour session looks at the landscape and land form of Butser hill. We will also cover topics such as land use and conflict between users.

Man and the Landscape (Key stage 2 - 4)

• A similar 2-hour session to the Conservation Management session following the same route but adapted to concentrate on landscape use and man’s impact on the landscape.

  Key areas of discussion include farming, countryside recreation, historic landscape and land use in the future.

Wildlife Survey and Monitoring (April – September) (Key Stage 3, 4 and Further Ed)

• A 2½ hour session looking at basic survey and monitoring techniques used at the Park. A typical session would include looking at reptile monitoring, small mammal trapping, vegetation assessment and simple tracking techniques. The maximum group size is 15.

Global Citizenship – The Conservation Perspective (Key Stage 3 and 4)

• This 2 hour session is based upon experiences gained through our connection with the National Park in Uganda and work with organisations such as the IRF (International Ranger Federation), PACE (Pan African Conservation Education) and Education Uganda. The main emphasis of this session is to explore the global nature of conservation, the role and impact that the individual has on their natural environment. The session includes powerpoint and video presentations, role-playing exercises and group discussion.

Countryside Management (Key Stage 4/Further Ed)

• This session looks at the management of the Country Park as a business and as a visitor destination in the current challenging economic climate. The role of the National Park partnership organisations and the local community are all featured.

Conservation Management (Key Stage 4/Further Ed)

• This session looks at conservation work in the park and includes the management of vulnerable habitats , (e.g. chalk downland), species diversity, monitoring techniques and land designations.