Wildwood Trust - EDUCATION

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

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 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 (KS1), adaptation, animal homes and habitats (KS2), we are also able to offer food chains, webs 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.

Planning Your Group Visit to Wildwood in 2008

Please download our helpful guide so you can decide if an education visit to Wildwood is right for you.

Planning your visit to Wildwood ( PDF document 114kb)

Planning your visit to Wildwood (Word Document 119kb)

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

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

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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)

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Booking your visit

To book your visit please fill in our

Booking Form - pdf document (77kb) or

Booking Form - Word document (83kb)

and send it to: anne@wildwoodtrust.org or Anne Riddell, Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 7LQ

2008 School/Group Prices

Group Prices 2008 - pdf document (85kb)

Group Prices 2008 - Word document (52kb)

Coach Parking Information

Please advise your driver to drop off children in the outer front car park (the first one you enter on leaving the main A291). There are allocated and marked coach parking bays on the right hand side, infront of the blue Wildwood service yard gates (top right hand corner). Disembark here and walk everyone along the drive up to the main entrance (see below for a downloadable map). Cars and minibuses can negotiate the tight bend in the entrance drive and use the main Wildwood car park, but not coaches. Disabled minibuses are welcome to use the disabled parking bays immediately in front of the gift shop entrance in the Wildwood car park (please follow signs). 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 (22kb)

Coach parking map - Word document (27kb)

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 2008 - pdf document (104kb)

Primary School Activities 2008 - word document (86kb)

Key Stage 2 - Saxon Day - word document (84kb)

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 (512kb)
Key Stage 1 - Otters - pdf document (459kb)
Key Stage 2 - Badgers - pdf document (1.46MB)
Key Stage 2 - Myths and Legends - pdf document (390kb)
Key Stage 2 - Variety Of Life - pdf document (783kb)

Secondary School Activities KS3-KS4

Key Stage 3 & 4 Secondary School Activities 2008- pdf (132kb)

Key Stage 3 & 4 Secondary School Activities 2008 - word (78kb)

A level and IB students
Availability: one/two/three to five-day courses

A level Courses 2008 - PDF Document

A level Courses 2008- Word Document

A Level Water Voles - PDF Document

As residential field trips become more expensive for students, Wildwood has been increasingly asked by schools to develop its established one-day practical woodland ecology course to offer more field opportunities, up to and including a week-long programme. Please talk to us about what you would like to achieve. Students can now develop field sampling techniques (e.g. quadrats, grids, transects, beating and sweeping and assorted traps) to conduct their own comparative investigations within the conifer and broadleaved coppice woodlands, using soil, fungi, trees, plants, invertebrates found in soil, leaf litter and on trees, birds and small mammals under the supervision of qualified ecologists. They can also study the impact that wild boar have on the management of an ancient woodland, through comparing broadleaved woodland pre-and post wild boar, distribution of the hazel dormouse, an endangered species associated with ancient coppice woodland, coppice succession and small mammal distribution in commercial conifer and broadleaved coppice woodland.

Working with other field centres in East Kent, we can plan a programme for you that might also include freshwater, marine and grassland ecology, as well as the woodland ecology that we offer ourselves.

The Kent Scout Association has offered the use of its Ross Wood residential camp on our boundary to A level and IB groups studying at Wildwood (teaching staff must be present). The cost is �40 per night (2003 prices) to hire the building, which has central heating, kitchen and showering facilities. Scout groups have priority for bookings, but these tend to visit at weekends and during holidays. Please contact the education department for further details.

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!

Special needs

We 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.

Wildwood Trust launched a new category of membership for 2007, aimed at special needs groups, so that you can enjoy our animals and woodland whenever you want. We have made it FREE – all you have to do is apply for it!

Our new gold membership scheme is aimed at special needs schools and groups – those whose students or members all have physical, mental, behavioural or educational special needs. Please have a look at our gold membership terms and conditions to see if your school or group is eligible. Then download the application form and return it to anne@wildwoodtrust.org or Anne Riddell, Wildwood Trust, Herne Common, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 7LQ.

Gold Membership Application Form - pdf document (35kb)

Gold Membership Application Form - word document (22kb)

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

- Susie Walsh, Assistant Education Officer and primary teacher

- Suzanne Kynaston, Assistant Education Officer and zoologist

- Steve Kirk, Assistant Education Officer and naturalist

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

Teacher resources
Wildwood is developing its teacher resources every year and is currently working on new programmes for 2008, based on skeletons and teeth. 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 - Word document (119k)

Risk Assessment For Schools - pdf document (60k)

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