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Download our Education flyer for a taste of what Wildwood can offer both primary and secondary schools

Download Education flyer (670kb)

Introduction

Group visits start from just £2 per person with free places for teachers, helpers and carers.

Each year Wildwood welcomes thousands of schoolchildren to use our unique animal collection and ancient woodland setting to understand better the natural processes of life. Students vary from reception children to postgraduate researchers and we try to make sure that everyone enjoys and learns from their visit, however formal or informal the supervising teacher wishes the day to be.

Teachers can visit us FREE and see the possibilities unfold here at Wildwood - e-mail anne@wildwoodtrust.org or laura@wildwoodtrust.org to arrange your free trip or find out more about what we can offer you.

As well as the most commonly requested topics of variety of life, adaptation and animal homes and habitats we are also able to offer food chains, forensic science and practical woodland ecology to older students and have developed a respected A level practical woodland ecology course, which has been running since 2001. There are also opportunities to experience living history (the Saxons) and to build on literacy and numeracy skills in a fun way through our differentiated programmes.

 

FAQ

Please download our FAQ pack - contains answers to all teachers' most commonly asked questions.

FAQ pack ( PDF document)

 

Download 'Discover Wildwood' the Book - pdf document (1.8mb) large document, Broadband advisedThumbs Up

your guide to:

All of Wildwood's animals

Conservation and scientific research

History and Folklore

Tips on how to see the animals

Interesting facts

To read some of our documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is free and can be downloaded from www.adobe.com

Adobe site.



Keep up to date - fill in our educators e-mail newsletter form

Name:

E-mail:

Phone:

Address :

Postcode:

Have you visited Wildwood before? Yes No

How did you hear about us?

Any problems? info@wildwoodtrust.org.

Do not miss out on important teaching opportunities at Wildwood - fill in the form above with your contact details (make sure you include your address and postcode) and we will keep you up to date. (Wildwood Trust will keep this information strictly confidential and not pass it on to any other organisation)

Please remember to add us to your 'safe senders' list so we are not deleted by your spam filter

Booking your visit

To book your visit please fill in our

Booking Form - pdf document or

Booking Form - Word document

and send it to: anne@wildwoodtrust.org or Anne Riddell, Wildwood Trust,

Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 7LQ

Pre-schools, please use our separate pre-school booking form:

Pre-school booking form - pdf document

Pre-school booking form - Word document

 

School/Group Prices

School/Group Prices - pdf document

 

Pre-schools, please see our separate pre-schools price list:

Pre-school Prices

 

Coach Parking Information

Please advise your driver to drop off children in the first car park, closest to the road, not the main Wildwood car park. Coaches should enter the site through the gates closest to Herne Bay (the same entrance used by cars visiting Wildwood). Disembark here and walk everyone along the path to the main entrance (see below for a downloadable map). Disabled minibuses are welcome to use the disabled car park immediately in front of the Wildwood entrance. Please tell your coach driver that he/she is welcome to come in, tour the park and have a staff breakfast and hot drink or equivalent in the restaurant free of charge. He/she will be issued with a voucher in the restaurant for the breakfast and drink.

Coach parking map - pdf document

Pre-school Activities

We have specially-designed activities for pre-schools and nursery groups.

Pre-school Activities - pdf document

 

Primary School Activities KS1-KS2

We have designed a range of activities of varying duration to try to meet the needs of different schools, age groups, levels of ability, concentration and stamina (see activities sheet). Please get in touch with the education department with any special requests.

Primary School Activities - pdf document

If you are interested in booking one of our workshops, please see our workshop list for full details:

Primary School Workshop List - pdf document

Key Stage 2 - Saxon Day - pdf document


Activity packs for you to download FREE of charge: Use the packs for class activities - ideal to prepare your children for a day at Wildwood.

Key Stage 1 - Badgers - pdf document
Key Stage 1 - Otters - pdf document

Key Stage 2 - Badgers - pdf document

Key Stage 2 - Myths and Legends - pdf document

Key Stage 2 - Otters - pdf document pdf

Secondary School Activities KS3-KS4

Key Stage 3 & 4 Secondary School Activities 2009- pdf



A level and IB students

A level/IB Courses - PDF Document

Typical A level/IB timetable and coursework projects - pdf

We offer one, two and three day courses, depending on your school's requirements. This would normally include one taught day with Wildwood tutors on ecological sampling techniques, followed by students' own investigations over one or two days. Taught sampling techniques can include any or all of the following:

  • Random sampling using quadrats

  • Line/belt transects

  • Leaf litter sampling for invertebrates

  • Lincoln Index/capture-mark-recapture study

  • Small mammal trapping

We can also include coppicing and sustainable woodland management, prey-predator relationships, inter- and intra-specific competition, habitat management using large herbivores and rewilding programmes, captive breeding and conservation, role of zoos in endangered species conservation and ecological statistics.Wildwood is set in ancient, coppiced, sweet chestnut woodland and also includes a modern pine plantation. Practical work takes place in both pine woodland and a minimum of two coppice stages, illustrating different light conditions.

Design your own day

Often teachers want to link their visit to an imaginative project they have been working on with their children. Please contact us if you would like us to design a day which will complement your specific requirements. We are only too happy to help!

Evaluation - get free tickets!

Has your school visited Wildwood recently? Complete our evaluation form and receive a class pack of one-child-free-per-family tickets and a free family ticket for yourself! By completing the evaluation form you help us to improve the education service and give valuable feedback to our team of tutors.

Evaluation form - word document

Special needs


AccessWe are used to adapting our activities to appeal to special needs groups, whether these needs arise from behavioural or learning difficulties, sensory, mental or physical disabilities. Please get in touch with us to discuss your requirements. The park has full disabled access, large low-level viewing windows at enclosures, a disabled toilet with changing facilities and wheelchairs which can be reserved.

We have two new membership schemes for special needs and social needs groups. Gold and Silver Memberships are for special needs groups and Chestnut and Acorn Memberships are for social needs groups. Information and application forms are available below.

If you are interested, download the application form and return it to laura@wildwoodtrust.org or Laura Hester, Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 7LQ.

Gold Membership Application Form - word document

Gold Membership Information - pdf document

Chestnut Membership Information - pdf document

Chestnut Membership Application Form- word document



Non-school groups
Wildwood has a busy programme for youth and adult special interest groups, who may book visits and activities in exactly the same way as teachers book school visits. If you are a beaver scout leader, guide leader, conservation group leader or organiser of a local club or society, you can book a guided tour, workshop or meet the keeper session, or visit the park independently, and take advantage of the group admission rates offered to schools. Please use the booking procedure.

Education staff
Wildwood has a dedicated education team:

-
Anne Riddell, Head of Education and ecologist

- Laura Hester, Education Officer and secondary teacher

- Suzanne Kynaston, Outreach Officer and zoologist

- Lati Howe, Outreach Officer and secondary teacher

- Steve Kirk, Assistant Education Officer and naturalist

- Susie Walsh, Assistant Education Officer and primary teacher

In addition, we have a small pool of professional tutors we can call on as required for extra or specialist help.

Teacher resources
Wildwood develops its teacher resources every year. Our existing resources cover a variety of natural science topics, as well as KS2 numeracy, animals in Saxon/Viking myths and legends, beavers and A level/IB study topics on the role of wildlife parks in the captive breeding and reintroduction of endangered species and woodland ecology. A complete list of resources is attached to the booking form. Please use this to make your selection.

Student resources
We are happy to try to help students with their projects as far as possible. Help varies from talking to primary school children about specific animals to discussing project design and research material with older students.
Please contact us for details or an appointment.

Research opportunities
Wildwood has several research projects of its own on offer to students, many of them based around animal behaviour and diet, woodland ecology or conservation projects in the wider countryside, as well as a strong network of other organisations/research institutions it liaises with to develop external projects.
Please get in touch for details.


Pre-visit inspections and risk assessments
Teachers and group organisers are always welcome to visit the park in advance for a pre-visit inspection, either independently or to meet the education team and discuss plans for their day. Please contact us for an appointment. Pre-visits are free to teachers and organisers. You are welcome to conduct your own risk assessment or use ours.

Risk Assessment For Schools - pdf document



Outreach Education

Many schools and community groups in the deprived districts of Kent can now access and enjoy their natural heritage through an outreach scheme run by Wildwood.

This scheme will run from 2008 to 2010 and is funded by the Heritage Lottery.

The Project will allow our outreach team to bring nature direct to the classroom through outreach activities in the form of animals from the Wildwood collection, natural artefacts (including skulls and antlers) and workshops.

If you would like to know if your school is eligible to take part in the scheme or to find out more about what is on offer then please call either Lati Howe or Suzanne Kynaston on 01227 712111 or by e-mail lati@wildwoodtrust.org or suzanne@wildwoodtrust.org

 

Outreach Booking Form - PDF Document (114k)

Outreach Booking Form - Word Document (123k)

Outreach Evaluation Form - PDF Document (343k)

Outreach Evaluation Form - Word Document (102k)

 


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