Self-led school trail
About this trail
KS 1 – 2 | Subject: Numeracy, The World Around Us, Language and Literacy, The Arts | Topic: Nature, Weather, Gardens, Plants & Animals, the Senses | Session Type: Self led resource
This Gardener’s Notebook encourages children to explore the gardens at Hillsborough Castle, focusing particularly on the plants and animals that live there. After discovering what fruit and vegetables grow in the Walled Garden will they design a dinner menu fit for a King or Queen? Perhaps they’ll observe the animals in the gardens and record how many they can spot? Or keep a close record of the weather on the day of their visit?
This activity book will encourage pupils to explore the gardens and engage with them meaningfully, observing closely, and recording what they see, hear, touch and experience, while applying their own creativity to a range of different activities.
Learning Objectives
Pupils will:
- Be able to simply and accurately record the weather.
- Creatively respond to what they see in nature.
- Find out more about the history of Hillsborough Castle’s gardens, including some of the famous visitors who have planted commemorative trees.
- Think critically about the things they see, hear, smell and feel.
- Immerse themselves in the natural environment.
National Curriculum Links
This resource supports:
Numeracy
- Collecting, recording and representing numerical data gathered from the natural environment.
Language & Literacy
- Pupils to read, understand and respond to a range of texts, including historical sources.
- Pupils to read, understand and follow written instructions accurately.
- Pupils to share ideas appropriately, listen, respond and ask questions.
The Arts
- Pupils to react to what they see around them in the natural environment and use it as a stimulus for their own creative work.
- Pupils to visualise and express their experiences of the real world.
- Express their emotions and feelings through drawing.
The World Around Us
- Pupils to explore plants and animals in the natural environment.
- Pupils to explore how places have changed over time.