Foundation Years Course


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
FIRST STEPS IN THE ENVIRONMENT · Outside today – looking at weather conditions
and appropriate clothing
· Seasonal observations – identification of
seasons through natural observation
· Sensory experiences
· Themed scavenger hunts
· Sorting, counting and displaying natural
objects
· Animal detectives
· Introduction to a range of habitats
· Observing and constructing animal
homes
· Care of living things
· Walks using geographical language
· Outdoor, site-specific story telling
· Exploring the properties of natural
materials and how they may change
over time
· Making connections between natural
materials and manufactured objects
Pupils will:

· Develop listening skills
· Develop observational skills
· Learn to follow instructions
· Practise reporting back
· Extend their vocabulary
· Become more confident
· Develop respect for their environment
· Experience sharing and taking turns
· Develop their knowledge and understanding of
the natural world
· Develop awareness of space, of themselves
and others
· Handle a range of equipment with increasing
control
· Be aware of the life and decay cycle
· Understand that natural materials can be
selected by their properties to make things


KS1 Literacy Course


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
WORD PLAY · Following directional instructions

· Sensory hunt which features descriptive
vocabulary
· Listening to questions from a key in order to
identify a plant or animal
· Listening to a traditional woodland story in situ
· Using a simple writing frame to record
observations
· Reading text about some of the plants or
animals they have seen
· Story or poetry trail
· Using mirrors, magnifiers or frames to
observe closely and write creatively
Pupils will:

· Develop listening skills
· Learn to follow instructions
· Practise speaking to a group
· Extend their descriptive vocabulary
· Understand the links between a woodland
story and the real woodland
· Practise recording their thoughts outdoors
· Use non-fiction texts to gain information
· Practise sequencing text from a story or
lines of poetry
· Increase their observation and
communication skills


KS2 Literacy Courses


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
WORKING WITH WORDS

(NON-FICTION)
· Write a route to a treasure for others to follow

· Interpretative scavenger hunt
· In situ cloze procedure on tree species
· Compose an information post on a plant or
animal feature from observation and research
· Prepare instructions for use of equipment or an
activity
· Use of a plant or animal key to identify a
species
· Present information from a hypothesis and
investigation
· Detailed description of a plant or animal from
observation
· Discussion of an environmental issue
Pupils will:

· Improve their ability to write and follow clear
and concise directions
· Practice interpretation of words and phases,
achieving a group consensus
· Gain confidence in bringing together listening,
observation and research skills in a piece of
writing for a specific audience
· Be able to write sequenced steps of procedure
· Learn how to use dichotomous word keys
· Practice posing questions, designing
investigations and communicating results
· Develop focused descriptive writing
· Be able to communicate and defend a point of
view



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
WORDCRAFT

(FICTION)
· Scavenger hunt leading to exploration of

alliteration and collective nouns
· Writing frame which focuses on the senses or
time or serial vision
· “Creature Features” invertebrate poems
· Haiku landscape writing – Japanese poetry in
17 syllables
· Composing a folk tale or myth from an
observed green plant or fungus
· Listening to a fable and writing a fable about
woodland animals
· Composing shared text and continuation of
writing outdoors
· Closely observed observational writing with the
use of mirrors, magnifiers or frames
· Story or poetry trail
Pupils will:

· Extend their descriptive vocabulary
· Be able to organise their observations from
note form into a succinct poem or piece of
prose
· Improve & develop their imaginative ideas
· Gain an appreciation of the work of other
writers, and be able to continue in similar style
· Learn about the purposes and structure of
certain text types
· Be able to sequence lines or extracts from a
poem or story
· Draw inspiration from, and develop empathy
with the natural world
· Gain confidence in performing their work


KS1 Numeracy Course


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
NUMBERS IN NATURE · Estimation and counting plant or animal

species
· Number trail
· Measuring heights or girth of plants
· Measuring distances travelled
· Collecting and matching shapes and patterns in
plants
· 2D and 3D shapes challenges
· Temperature trail and temperature range
Pupils will:

· Develop approaches to solving number
problems outdoors
· Practice calculating and communicating using
mental methods
· Be able to use mathematical equipment to
solve practical problems
· Recognise patterns and shapes in natural
objects
· Improve their ability to estimate measures


KS2 Numeracy Course


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
NATURAL NUMBER WONDERS Number or activity trail

· Establishing a scale for a map enabling
estimation and calculation of distance walked
· Tree measurements of height or canopy or
age through girth
· Leaf area investigation
· Grass growth patterns
· Temperature trail of microclimates
· Grids and co-ordinates treasure hunt
· Finding natural spirals and making spirals
based on number sequences
· Shape and symmetry challenges
· Transect mapping
· Plant or animal data collection, interpretation
and presentation
· Quadrat surveys
Pupils will:

· Identify and use appropriate methods to solve
practical outdoor problems
· Develop estimation and prediction skills in
calculations of measures
· Practice relating maps to distances and areas
· Make connections between number patterns
and natural forms
· Use appropriate mathematical equipment
effectively
· Work collaboratively
· Draw inferences from data collection


KS1 Science Courses


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
OUR SENSES · Exploring ways of looking through the use of

magnification, mirrors, and frames
· Exploring the range of colour in plants and
matching colours
· Making “feely” bags
· Texture scavenger hunt
· Leaf and bark rubbings
· Tasting herbs, fruit and vegetables in season
· Concocting “potions and perfumes” from plants
· Investigation of seasonal and specific weather
conditions and their effects
· Focussed listening exercises
· Exploring animal camouflage
· Making sounds from natural objects
· Animal observations
· Trails using sound, poems or songs
· Examining the effects of exercise
· Matching shape hunt
· Direction finding and distance estimation
Pupils will:

· Gain awareness of the richness of colour,
texture, sound, smell and taste of the natural
world
· Gain an appreciation of the “micro” world of
plants and animals
· Learn to observe and listen without disturbing
animal life
· Extend their descriptive vocabulary
· Knowledge of seasonal and diurnal weather
changes and their effects on plants, animals
and ourselves
· Enjoy composing and performing in a group
· Learn how to establish directions and
estimate distance
· Learn how the body changes as a result of
exercise



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
ANIMAL INVESTIGATIONS · Animal evidence hunt
· Exploring animal homes
· Investigating a specific habitat for the range of
animal life it sustains
· Animal needs
· Identification using picture keys
· Invertebrate investigation
· Camouflage activity
· Animal menu game
Pupils will:

· Be able to identify a number of animals
· Gain heightened observational skills
· Discover that animals have specific habitats
· Know how to care for the animals they are
investigating
· Be able to record their observations in situ
· Be able to use investigative equipment
· Gain an understanding of animal camouflage
· Understand how animals and plants
are linked by food chains



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
MATERIALS · Materials scavenger hunt

· Making and testing “feely” bags
· Ephemeral artwork using natural materials
· Investigating outdoor clothing for different
weather conditions
· Exploring the properties of natural materials
and how they may change over time
· Making connections between natural materials
and manufactured objects
· Unnatural objects trail
· Construction of animal homes using
appropriate materials
· 3D constructions using natural materials
Pupils will:

· Improve observation and discrimination skills
· Increase their knowledge of the properties and
uses of natural materials
· Learn about manufacturing processes
· Understand how clothing can assist the heating
or cooling of the body
· Learn about the life and decay cycle
· Have experience of building structures co-
operatively
· Appreciate the skills of animal builders
· Experience making a 3D object from raw
materials


KS2 Science Course


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
PLANT INVESTIGATIONS · Sorting plants into named groups and

identifying species within those groups using
keys and reference books
· Woodland succession observations
· Life cycle of plants, highlighting the specific
seasonal stage
· Plant survey of two contrasting habitats
· Non-flowering plant investigation
· Decay cycle and fungi foray
· Plant profile
· Hunt for plants in the food chain
· Human use of plants
· Conservation trail
· Making a plant identification key
Pupils will:

· Have knowledge of specific plant groups and
be able to name species within that group
· Understand the conditions for growth
· Be able to describe how plants adapt to
certain habitats
· Have knowledge of plant life cycles
· Improve their observational skills
· Be able to use a variety of equipment and
recording methods
· Be able to interpret data and draw conclusions
· Appreciate the diversity of plant forms
· Know how plants contribute to food chains and
webs within a given habitat
· Be aware of the uses of native plants
· Understand the organic method of growing
plants
· Be aware of human impact on plants, the
importance of plant diversity and conservation
methods
· Understand the importance of bio-diversity



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
ANIMAL INVESTIGATIONS · Animal evidence hunt within a given habitat

· Collection of invertebrates in two contrasting
habitats
· Exploring animal homes
· Animal identification by use of keys
· Animal adaptations to habitats
· Investigating animal groups
· Food chains and webs
· Animal life cycles
· Conservation trail
Pupils will:

· Be able to recognise animal evidence
· Have learnt techniques which allow them to
collect and investigate invertebrates with care
· Be confident in the use of keys
· Have an appreciation of the diversity of animal
life within a habitat
· Have knowledge of the life processes of
specific animals
· Be able to explain how animals are adapted to
their habitat
· Understand feeding relationships in a habitat
· Learn what can be done to protect animal
diversity and conserve species
· Understand the importance of bio-diversity



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
HOW TO INVESTIGATE HABITATS Choose from:

· Woodland
· Hedgerow
· Meadow
· Freshwater ponds
· Streams
· Moorland
To undertake:
· Plant investigations
· Animal investigations
· Micro – organism investigations
· Environmental quality assessments
· Conservation trail
Pupils will:

· Learn to use the most appropriate methods to
explore a habitat
· Be confident in the use of scientific equipment
· Understand how plants and animals are
adapted to different habitats
· Understand how plants and animals are
connected within a habitat
· Be aware of the variety of micro habitats within
a given area
· Be able to make judgements about the quality
of an environment, and how it might best be
improved or sustained.



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
ROCKS AND SOILS · Sorting rocks, minerals, plant and animal

fossils
· Sorting rocks into local and global categories
· Exploring properties of local rocks and learning
about their formation
· Separating the components of soils by sieving
or settling in water
· Collection of surface and drilled soil samples
· Observations relating soils to plants
· Testing soils for particle size
· Investigation of leaf litter invertebrates
· Soil profiling
· Making and using soil paints
Pupils will:
· Be able to distinguish between rocks, minerals
and fossils
· Be able to identify local rocks and explain their
properties and uses
· Know how to identify soils according to particle
size and organic content
· Understand how plants are related to soil types
· Be aware of the decay process and the action
of soil invertebrates
· Understand how weathering and erosion occur
and the impact this has on the area
· Have experience of making soil paints and an
appreciation of their qualities


KS1 GEOGRAPHY COURSE


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
OUT AND ABOUT · Map interpretation: use of simple map

with symbols and key
· Map and compass work: orientation
and route finding using cardinal compass
points
· Directional language
· Activity trail
· Distance estimation and measuring
· Sketch map making
· Land use observations
· Environmental assessment
· Giant outdoor compass
· Map sticks – artefacts that record a
journey
Pupils will:

· Gain practical experience in interpreting maps
· Be able to orientate a map and navigate a route
with the aid of a compass
· Improve their ability to estimate distances
· Have experience of map making
· Be able to identify land uses
· Gain confidence in expressing opinions about
environments
· Have experience of working collaboratively
· Be able to recall and describe a route


KS2 GEOGRAPHY COURSES


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
EXPLORING THE OUTDOORS · Map interpretation: use of symbols, keys, scale

and co-ordinates
· Map and compass work: orientation and route
finding, using the eight point compass or
bearings
· Contour map reading
· Distance estimation and measuring
· Transect map making
· Land use recording
· Weather data collection
· Environmental assessment – problems and
solutions
· Map sticks – artefacts that record a journey
· Writing a route for others to follow
Pupils will:

· Be confident in the interpretation of maps
· Be able to orientate a map and navigate a more
complex route with the aid of a compass
· Understand how to set a compass and walk
on a bearing
· Understand the relationship between contour
lines on maps and slopes
· Have improved distance estimation skills
· Be able to survey an area and make an
accurate map
· Be able to record land use on a map
· Know how weather data is collected and used
· Have experience of assessing environments,
identifying problems and proposing solutions
· Be confident in giving and following directional
instructions



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
RIVERS AND STREAMS · Mapwork to trace catchment area

· Exploration of valley and stream features
· Sketch mapping
· Cross sectional profiling
· Speed of flow calculation
· Erosion, transportation and deposition
· Human impact assessment
· Pollution monitoring using invertebrate
indicators
· Exploration of the impact of drought and flood
on local land use
Pupils will:
· Learn the geographical vocabulary of river
systems
· Be able to represent their observations in a
sketch map of a river or stream
· Be able to construct a profile from data
collected
· Know how to calculate speed of flow
· Know how water shapes the landscape
· Understand that a river or stream is a habitat
with plant and animal communities
· Be able to assess the quality of the water
· Appreciate how human activity affects a river
system
· Be aware of the consequences and
implications of drought and flood



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
VILLAGE OR TOWN STUDY · Origins of the settlement

· Map work to establish how an area has
changed over time
· Sketching landmarks, buildings and road
systems
· Land use mapping
· Environmental quality assessment
· Amenity provision assessment
· Observing building styles and materials
· Environmental improvement exercise
· Photographic trail
· Pollution assessment
· Comparison with home area
Pupils will:

· Understand how a settlement has
developed over time
· Develop their skills of interpreting maps
· Be able to use a variety of methods to
record their observations
· Have specific knowledge of local architecture
· Have generated ideas for environmental
improvement
· Understand the forms of pollution and how to
assess them
· Gain critical awareness of the environment
and be able to express an informed opinion
· Appreciate the differences between their
home and study area


KS 1 & 2 HISTORY


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
RESEARCHING THE PAST – Simonsbath · Consider Village origins and historical development
· Look at land use and change over time
· Identify features in the area on a large map
· Consider the use and development of buildings
· Trace the history and the development of the road systems in and around the village
· Church and Graveyard study – dating grave stones
· Research the historical background of Simonsbath House
· Local Natural Disasters
· Changing use of natural materials
· Arrange a display and/or make a presentation that provides information about an aspect of life in the village in the past
Pupils will:

· Identify & Draw key external features common to homes.
· Describe & Draw the features of a home built a long time ago
· Use features of buildings to infer their use and who owned them
· Write a short, accurate description of the place suggesting who might have used it
· Record their observations by annotating drawings or by labelling and completing a prepared outline
· Categorise buildings as ‘old’ or ‘new’
· Identify environmental and physical features and how these might affect settlement and lifestyle
· Measure distances in scale on maps and make comparisons with their own area
· Ask and answer questions about archaeological discoveries
· Contribute to making a visual time line
· Produce a description of the area that contains appropriate historical detail
· Identify features of the area from pictures
· Suggest why and for whom a picture was made
· Collect information about the area from oral evidence & summarise the information collected


KS1 and 2 Art Course


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
ART IN THE ENVIRONMENT · Plant colour collection – water-colour painting

matching colours
· Oil pastel drawing of plant or animal forms
· Pencil /pen line drawings of plants
· Serial vision sketching
· Graphic designs from framed natural materials
· Charcoal drawing of wood
· Woodland painting using soil paints
· Hessian scrim weaving with textured natural
objects
· “Green Man” leaf and bark wax rubbing
· Ink prints of leaf shapes
· Wax resist fungi forms
· Mobiles from found natural materials
· Andy Goldsworthy study of ephemeral art
· Choice of artist study of landscape or natural
Forms
Pupils will:

· Improve their observational skills and learn how
observational recordings can be developed into
imaginative work
· Gain confidence in using a range of materials
and techniques
· Develop work which emphasises the qualities of
colour, line, form, texture and pattern
· Work confidently in 3D with natural materials
· Gain an appreciation of the work of artists
depicting the natural world


KS1 AND 2 PE COURSE, OUTDOOR AND ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
INTRODUCTION TO “TOP OUTDOORS” Progressive tasks in the following core activities of the programme:

· Trails
· Physical Challenges
· Orienteering
Pupils will move from dependence to greater independence in learning:

· From performing given tasks to being able to devise challenges of their own
· From using given criteria to judge the
performance of others to developing their own
criteria to evaluate their performance and that
of others
· From simple tasks to more difficult and
complex ones
· From working individually, through pairs, to
group problem solving activity.


KS2 PE COURSES, OUTDOOR AND ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
BASIC ORIENTEERING SKILLS Introduction to basic orienteering skills in the following areas:

· Orientation
· Route planning
· Symbols and keys
· Compass work
Pupils will:

· Improve their spatial awareness
· Be able to interpret simple maps, symbols
and keys
· Have experience of planning and following
routes
· Be able to use a compass as an aid to
navigation
· Know how to set a compass and walk on a
simple bearing



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
INTERMEDIATE ORIENTEERING SKILLS Intermediate courses using the following activities:

· Activity trails
· Route planning
· Basic compass bearing activities
· Basic orienteering using maps over line, star
and route courses
Pupils will:

· Be confident in interpreting maps, symbols
and keys
· Understand the use of the a compass as an
aid to navigation
· Know how to set a compass and walk on a
variety of bearings
· Be able to transfer information from map to
Map



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
ADVANCED ORIENTEERING SKILLS A range of advanced orienteering courses which will use the following skills:

· Route planning
· Moving a bearing from a grid to a magnetic
direction
· Moving on a bearing
· Taking a bearing to and from an object
· Line event
· Competitive event
Pupils will:

· Be confident in planning and following routes
· Make full use of a compass as an aid to
navigation
· Be proficient in setting a compass and
travelling on bearings
· Be able to compete in competitive
orienteering events


KS1 AND 2 PE AND PSHE COURSES, OUTDOOR AND ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES


Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
INTRODUCTION TO OUTDOOR AND ADVENTUROUS ACTIVITIES

LEVEL 1
Team building and individual challenge activities including:

· Low level assault course
· Parachute games
· Circus skills
· Group development including planning,
communication and review
Pupils will:

· Acquire specific OAA skills
· Understand the attributes of an effective team
· Understand the consequences of their own
actions upon others
· Recognise personal strengths and
weaknesses
· Be able to work together and on their own to
meet challenges
· Respect the differences between people
· Build relationships



Course Title Activity Options Learning Outcomes
GROUP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PROBLEM SOLVING A range of physically and mentally demanding challenges including:

· Island Hopping
· Lattice
· See-saw
· Vortex
Review sessions which highlight:
· Team work
· Questioning skills
· Effective contribution
· Active listening
Pupils will:

· Understand the attributes of an effective team
· Be able to formulate and communicate plans
and review performance
· Work co-operatively on shared problems
· Recognise personal strengths and
weaknesses