Blashford Lakes education centre

Activities for Early Years at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust's Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve. To book, call 01425 472760 or email blashfordlakes@hiwwt.org.uk

1. Minibeast Safari
   - Explore various habitats to find insects and small creatures. Activities include pond dipping, river splashing, woodland exploration, and meadow hunting.
   - Learning and Development Opportunities: This activity fosters personal, social, and emotional development, enhances communication and language skills, supports physical development, encourages literacy and numeracy, and expands understanding of the world.

2. Look, Sniff, Listen and Explore!
   - Engage all senses to explore the reserve, through a collection of sensory experiences such as identifying colours in nature and listening for our ‘Wildlife Orchestra’.
   - Learning and Development Opportunities: Participants develop personal, social, and emotional skills, enhance communication and language abilities, and expand their understanding of the natural world through sensory exploration and experiential learning.

3. Story Trails
   - Bring beloved stories to life while exploring the reserve. Stories include ‘Superworm', 'The Gruffalo', and more.
   - Learning and Development Opportunities: This activity promotes personal, social, and emotional development, enhances communication and language skills, and supports literacy, numeracy, and expressive arts and design.

4. Natural Art Attack
   - Create art using natural materials found at Blashford Lakes. Activities include painting, weaving, collage-making, and clay sculpting.
   - Learning and Development Opportunities: Participants develop personal, social, and emotional skills, enhance communication and language abilities, and explore their creativity through artistic expression.

5. Go Camping!
   - Build dens, explore natural materials, and enjoy campfire activities.
   - Learning and Development Opportunities: This activity fosters personal, social, and emotional development, enhances communication and language skills, supports physical development, and encourages literacy, numeracy, and expressive arts and design.

Activities for Key Stage 1 (KS1) at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust's Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve. To book, call 01425 472760 or email blashfordlakes@hiwwt.org.uk

1. Fire Play and Den Building
   - Spend a day outdoors learning basic bushcraft skills.
   - Work in teams to build a shelter and safely light a fire before cooking up a tasty treat to enjoy together.
   - Learning Opportunities: Maths (Shape, space, and measures), Science (Materials and their properties), English (Speaking and listening), Design and Technology (Working with tools, equipment, materials, and components to make quality products), Problem solving and teamwork focusing on communication and discussion.

2. Natural Art Attack
   - Create wild masterpieces using natural materials found at Blashford Lakes.
   - This could include weaving willow (seasonal), creating woodland collages, and sculpting with natural clay straight from the ground at Blashford.
   - Learning Opportunities: Maths (Shape, space, and measures), Science (Materials and their properties), English (Speaking and listening), Art and Design (Knowledge, skills, and understanding)

3. Flower Power (May- August)
   - Discover what seeds and plants need to grow.
   - Explore the variety of shapes, colours, and special adaptations of plants.
   - Play games illustrating seed dispersal and the interlinked lives of plants and insects.
   - Learning Opportunities: Science (Life processes and living things), English (Speaking and listening)

4. Map-tastic
   - Explore the Nature Reserve using aerial photos and look at an OS map of the area to see where Blashford is, and use a key to discover different places nearby.

- Develop geographical skills using maps and a treasure map making activity.
  
  - Learning Opportunities: Geography (Knowledge and understanding of places), Maths (Shape, space, and measures), English (Speaking and listening)

5. What a Load of Rubbish!
   - Learn about the impact of rubbish on wildlife by going on a walk around the reserve.
   - Play our Higher/Lower game to learn how long different materials take to break down.

- Sort out rubbish into different categories and come up with creative ideas on how to re-use and reduce waste
   - Learning Opportunities: Geography (Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development), Science (Life processes and living things), Citizenship, Making sense of the world

6. Outdoor Activities
   - Awaken the senses and discover the natural world.
   - Engage in activities exploring hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste.
   - Learning Opportunities: Science (Life processes and living things), Science (Materials and their properties), English (Speaking and listening), Art and Design (Knowledge, skills, and understanding)

Activities for Key Stage 2 at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust's Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve. To book, call 01425 472760 or email blashfordlakes@hiwwt.org.uk

1. Survival Skills!
   - Spend a whole day outdoors learning basic bushcraft skills. Work in teams to build a shelter and learn how to safely light a fire before cooking up a tasty treat to enjoy altogether. Use tools to create a woodland craft to take back to school.
   - Learning Opportunities: Mathematics (Shape, space, and measures), Science (Materials and their properties), English (Speaking and listening), Design and Technology (Working with tools, equipment, materials, and components to make quality products), Problem-solving and teamwork focusing on communication and discussion.

2. Water Waste?!
   - Learn how water is stored, cleaned, and transported to your house from the reservoirs at Blashford Lakes. Explore and compare wetland habitats, dip nets in the pond and river to discover the amazing wildlife hidden in their murky depths, and visit a bird hide to see the variety of waterfowl living on the reservoir. Follow the interactive water conservation trail to help understand why water saving is important for us and wildlife.
   - Learning Opportunities: Geography (Knowledge and understanding of places/patterns and processes/environmental change and sustainable development), Mathematics (Shape, space, and measures), English (Speaking and listening), Science (Life processes and living things).

3. Outdoor Artists
   - Use your senses to explore Blashford Lakes and seek inspiration from nature to create wild masterpieces using natural materials. Weave willow, create woodland collages, and sculpt a 'boglin' from clay you’ve dug up from the ground yourself.
   - Learning Opportunities: Mathematics (Shape, space, and measures), Science (Materials and their properties), English (Speaking and listening), Art & Design (Knowledge, skills, and understanding).

4. Find Your Way
   - Develop geographical skills using language, and map work progression. Children will look at aerial photos and maps in the Centre before heading outdoors. They will use a giant map to help find the bugs for the giant bug ball! Finally, they will use natural materials to make a treasure map for others to follow.
   - Learning Opportunities: Geography (Geographical enquiry and skills/Knowledge and understanding of places), English (Speaking and listening).

5. Eco Challenge!
   - Find out about the wildlife that lives at Blashford Lakes and discover what impact rubbish could have on it. Sort through some rubbish to see just how much is going to be sent to landfill, and think of fun ways to reuse it! Take on the Higher/Lower challenge and learn how long it takes different items to break down.
   - Learning Opportunities: Geography (Knowledge and understanding of environmental change and sustainable development), Science (Life processes and living things), English (Speaking and listening), Citizenship (Preparing to play an active role as citizens).

Group Activities at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust's Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve. To book, call 01425 472760 or email blashfordlakes@hiwwt.org.uk

1. Pondamonium!
   - Discover the weird and wonderful denizens of the deep on a pond exploration.

2. Run River Run
   - Go for a splash in the Dockens Water river and discover the fish and other wildlife that lives there.

3. Catch the Bug!
   - Explore the meadow with a sweep net to find brilliant bugs, crazy crickets, dazzling damselflies, and great grasshoppers!

4. Den Building
   - Work in a team to build a shelter with poles and tarps, with opportunities to learn useful knots and safe bow saw, axe, and mallet use.

5. Fire Play
   - Learn how to safely light a fire before cooking up a tasty treat to enjoy together.

6. Natural Art Attack
   - Weave willow, create woodland collages, and sculpt a 'boglin' from clay you’ve dug up from the ground yourself.

7. Making Sense of the World
   - Outdoor activities to awaken the senses and discover the natural world through hearing, sight, smell, and touch.

8. Wild Night Life
   - Discover Blashford Lakes at dusk and search for bats, moths, and tawny owls. Come after dark to stargaze and discover the nocturnal side of the nature reserve!