Upper KS2

Upper KS2 Education Activities

Education activities at Wildwood fall into three main categories: Workshops, Tours and ‘Animal Focus Talks’. Tours and workshops last an hour for up to 30 participants and are £45 per session, while ‘Animal Focus Talks’ are shorter, just 15 minutes for 15 participants at a total of £20.

Workshops

Structured sessions held in our designated learning spaces (which range from an indoor classroom to a woodland glade) with links to the National Curriculum. See below for more information.

Tours

Guided walks around Wildwood led by an experienced presenter. Often these are just a general look at the site, but many different topics can be highlighted such as conservation, habitats, history and ecology. See below for more information.

Animal Focus Talks

Short talks on specific animals, delivered by that animal’s enclosure. These are particularly handy for groups that don’t have much time, money or attention, or just want to explore Wildwood by themselves.

15 minute session, £20 per group, max 15 children per group.

Visit an animal of your choice (subject to births, seasonal behaviour, etc.), find out more about them and have your questions answered by a member of our education team. Typically, animal artefacts will be available for handling, such as shed fur or replica skulls.

Please note: on health and safety grounds, visitors do not touch or feed the animals.

And we’re more than happy to produce bespoke experiences at no additional charge!

For further information, just contact our Education Department on education@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 937 451.

Upper KS2 Workshops

60 minute session, £45 per group, max 30 children per group.

Adaptation: Bird Beaks

Explore the amazing range of shapes and sizes shown by birds’ beaks, from scoops and sieves to spears and nutcrackers. Gather different foods using artificial ‘beaks’ to discover how they must fit the bird’s diet and what clues they can give about their owners lifestyle. A messy and fun way to learn about how animals are adapted to their environment!
N.B. Please notify us in advance of any food allergies.
Indoors.

‘CSI: Wildwood – Who Killed Mr Bunny?’

Our award-winning forensic science workshop! Use your investigative skills to solve a woodland murder mystery, based on real-life predator-prey relationships. Working in small teams, students will examine physical evidence, draw their own conclusions and report back on their findings until the culprit is identified!
Please note: this session takes place in woodland so be aware of uneven flooring and poor weather conditions.
Outdoors.

Evolution and Inheritance

Learn through dressing up which human characteristics you inherited and find out whether your genes are dominant or recessive. Discover the ways that adaptations develop and how over time they can lead to the evolution of a completely separate species.
Indoors.

Green Plants

Without plants, humans could not survive, but plants are so unlike us, they seem like aliens. Explore through role play what a plant needs to grow, then get hands-on with some live plants to name their different parts and determine their functions. Play the pollination game, handle a variety of real seeds and discover the diverse ways that they are spread.
Indoors.

Let’s Talk Wolf

Meet Wilf the wolf puppet as we reveal the surprising ways that wolves communicate with each other. Take a closer look at how posture and body language are used by both wolves and humans to show their emotions. Test your senses against those of a wolf through fun challenges and compete in a howl-off as we teach you to do it properly!
Indoors.

Lifecycles

Certain organisms undergo extreme changes through their lives – their adult and juvenile forms may even be accidentally identified as separate species! Experience through roleplay what a seed needs to grow. Discuss whether tadpoles are more like frogs or fishes. Follow the transformation of a butterfly by dressing-up, then try sorting insect life-cycle models into their correct order.
Indoors.

Nature Detectives

A zoologist is much like a detective, but instead of using clues to solve crimes, it’s a case of studying tracks and signs to learn more about wildlife. From footprints and feathers to nests and gnaw-marks, examine a selection of natural artefacts and investigate which animals made them – and for what purpose.
Indoors.

Plastics and Recycling

Learn about the different materials we use in our modern lives and how long they take to degrade. Find out why plastic is of special concern from an environmental perspective, and how plastics recycling works. Practice recycling sorting and explore what you can do to reduce waste.
Indoors.

Predators

Enter the dangerous world of predatory animals to find out if they’re really as bad as we believe. Meet some unexpected British predators and investigate the benefits and drawbacks of being a carnivore. Explore the remarkable senses used by hunting animals and discover why predators are vital to their environments.
Indoors.

Rainforests

Rainforests may seem a world away from Wildwood, but there are more similarities than you might think. Compare tropical rainforests with our local woodlands, examine which Wildwood animals have unexpected jungle cousins and discover how everyone can help to save these vibrant and diverse ecosystems.
Indoors.

Super Sleuths

Test your detective skills and knowledge of mammal adaptation in this team competition. Handle skulls, antlers, horns and skins in order to answer questions and discover how these features help animals to survive in their environment.
Indoors.

For further information, just contact our Education Department on education@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 209620.

Upper KS2 Tours

60 minute session, £45 per group, max 30 children per group.

General

Discover more about the animals at Wildwood with fantastic facts about their lifestyles, habitats, diet and conservation. Ideal for a fun day out or if you don’t want to focus on a single topic. Students will observe at least four of our animals and have their questions answered by a member of our education team.
Outdoors.

Adaptations

Visit a variety of our animals to take a closer look at predator and prey species, as well as climbers, swimmers and burrowers. Find out more about their individual physical and behavioural adaptations. Students will observe at least four of our animals and have their questions answered by a member of our education team.
Outdoors.

Conservation

Visit a variety of our animals to learn how changes in their wild environment have impacted their species and what can be done to help them. Students will observe at least four of our animals and have their questions answered by a member of our education team.
Outdoors.

Food Chains

Discover what our animals eat both in captivity and in the wild. Compare a carnivore, a herbivore and an omnivore and learn how to recognise prey animals from predators. Students will observe at least four of our animals and have their questions answered by a member of our education team.
Outdoors.

Habitats

Learn about animal homes naturally occurring in our ancient woodland setting and within our enclosures, including badger setts, otter holts, wolf dens and ant nests. Discover how each animal is suited to life in their particular habitat. Students will observe at least four of our animals and have their questions answered by a member of our education team.
Outdoors.

For further information, just contact our Education Department on education@wildwoodtrust.org or 01227 937 451.