WOODLAND ACTIVITIES                          Back to KS1 contents
Below are just a few of the many organised activities that are possible at Wilderness Wood. In addition, you may find that many of your children have little or no experience of being in a woodland and just exploring and investigating will be in themselves valuable and fun.

We can advise on locations and materials.  You may organise the activities yourselves, or we can organise and supervise them for you at an extra cost of £37 per hour per supervisor. In either case full use needs to be made of adult helpers in helping 1-2 groups each. 

1. Woodland art: Create a "sculpture" or picture from branches, twigs, leaves, bracken, sawdust etc. Record the results photographically (please bring camera) before clearing away the masterpieces. In small groups (½ hour).

 

2. Shelter building: Build shelters for yourselves and/or animals/teddies etc., using poles, branches, leaves etc. Campfires can also be included. You may build shelters on your own if you wish (£5 charge), but campfires must have a Wilderness Wood leader.

 

Shelters only: up to 30 children per group. ¾ hour - 1 hour.

 

Shelters and campfire:  Marshmallows only 1¾ hours

Sausages and marshmallow 2 hours

Maximum 24 children.  You must provide 2 competent adults per campfire to help supervise, and over 16 children means 2 campfires i.e. 4 adults.  For instruction see Castaway page under Group Visits.

 

Risk assessment available on request.

 

Camp fires can also be included - see "castaways" in group visits on our main website ½ - 2 hours).

 

3. Tramp's rubbish: Observe and record 10 items discarded by a "tramp" next to the path – from welly boot to false teeth! Relates to camouflage, rate of decay of waste materials, recycling, biodegradability. Paper, pencil, clipboard needed. ‘Rubbish’ supplied. Max 16 children (15 mins)

4. Tramp's tea: Identify by taste the food left by the tramp in his lunchbox - familiar and strange,
"yum" and "yuk". Items can be supplied. Maximum 16 children (15 mins).


5. Recapitulation quiz: for 10 mins. at the end of a guided walk, and based on items collected during the walk. Tests teamwork, memory, comprehension, quick reactions!

6. DIY quiz: Devise a woodland quiz of 6-10 questions to be answered by the other group(s); to
include feel, smell, riddles, acting, etc. Paper, pencil, clipboard needed. In groups of 6-10 children
(½ - ¾ hour).

7. Treasure trail: Find points marked on a map of Wilderness Wood (available on request); with a simple numerical question to answer at each point. Tests map reading skills. In groups of 4-8 (¾ hour).

8. Natural maps: Create a two dimensional map of an area of the woodland on the ground using natural materials, such as pine cones to represent pine trees, sticks to show boundaries or paths, stones or pieces of wood for buildings.... (½ hour).
9. Tree identikit: Make an identikit picture using leaf, twig, fruit, flower if available, leaf and bark rubbings etc. Bring paper, card, glue. In small groups (½ hour).

10. Bug hunt:  Search for woodland invertebrates in different areas of the wood.  Who lives where, and what do they eat? Max 16 children with supervisor, or small groups  (½ - 1 hour).

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