Louise Shorthose – Outdoor Learning Manager
Bay Pond Nature Reserve sits in the heart of Godstone, close to Junction 6 and is a fantastic location for studies in the village and on our nature reserve. Although in the autumn our hay meadows are no longer in full bloom it’s still a great place to wrap up, get outside and blow the cobwebs away. The following sessions work really well throughout the autumn at Bay Pond and really bring the curriculum to life:
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Site Investigation gets the children out and about studying and mapping habitats and collecting scientific data such as soil type while Map and Compass allows time to study maps of the area, get to grips with grid references and put their skills into practice with trails around the reserve (suitable for KS2 up).
- Our Village Study incorporates a range of field work skills including quantitative and qualitative data collection and introduces children to Geographical Information Systems and allows them to use a GIS to help with their data interpretation (KS2);
- Plant studies at this time of year are the best time of year to look at seed dispersal strategies while we can look at how wildlife adapts to the season on our sensory walks (EYs up);
- In our forest school site any time of year is great for creating objects such as a stick man which can then become the inspiration for children’s own stories (KS1 up).
- Ponds and invertebrates can be studied well into the late autumn - as long as the ponds aren’t frozen there is still plenty of life to be found in them. Our session ‘Badger’s Day Out’ is great for our younger visitors and includes a minibeast hunt as well as simple crafts. (EYs up)
Have a look at our programmes here and book a half day (1 session) or a full day (2 sessions) by contacting us at education.centres@surreywt.org.uk