Natural England - East Dartmoor: school and community groups

East Dartmoor: school and community groups

Spend an exciting day discovering some of England’s natural treasures on one of our oldest National Nature Reserves (NNR).

Ottery Scouts visiting East Dartmoor NNR © Natural England

East Dartmoor NNR was set up in 1952 to help conserve some of our most important wildlife and provide opportunities for research and wider learning. Scientists, naturalists and students have all helped us learn more about the reserve.

The reserve is the perfect place for your group to come to make their own natural discoveries.

We can help your group make the most from a visit to the reserve whether you want to take part in one of our guided sessions or you want to run your own activity. We can help you plan your visit (when? where? what?), lend you field equipment and help you with the risk assessments. We have a Woodland Classroom where you can stop for lunch or do more in-depth work.

So whatever the age of your pupils there is something for you to do here

Visits for primary schools

We work with primary children right from Early Years up providing arrange of high quality curriculum based sessions which lay the foundation for a lifetimes passion and interest in the natural world. Our aim is to create a sense of awe and wonder as we look at lichens, migrating birds and the woodland ecosystem.

We have set out some formal sessions below. These can be tailored to meet your groups needs and abilities. We also offer specific sessions based around project work throughout the year.

Feathered Friends and the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch (½ day Jan/Feb)
A chance to get close up to some of the birds at your school and on the reserve. Together with the RSPB we are available to come to your school to give an introductory talk about the birds at your school and on the reserve and to help you run your own Big Schools Birdwatch which is the last two weeks of January. We will also be offering a limited number of sessions in February to come to the reserve and learn about bird surveying through the use of bird ringing with local experts. This is a great opportunity to see birds close up and learn about important conservation work.

Spring Fever, Piedflys and Yarner (½ day May/June)
Discover more about the long term research of piedflycatchers. Learn about their long-distance migration and how we hope to learn more. Watch with binoculars as the birds pair up and begin feeding their young. Try to learn their song amongst the musical chaos of all the other woodland birds. Work together to explore the birds lifecycle, make a nest and search for food. Learn about the foodchain that links them to the woodland and how global warming could cause real problems

This is a half day session which runs throughout May and early June only, when the pied flycatchers have arrived and are breeding.

Woodland discovery day (½ day throughout the year)
Find out why the National Nature Reserve is so important. Learn how to identify our Oak woodland and discover the foodchains which rely on it. Learn about photosynthesis and build a human tree and find out why deadwood is dead good!

This is a half day session which can run throughout the year.  The woods are at their best from April to September.

Bushcraft (½ day or full day sessions throughout the year)
A chance to explore the woodland in a fun, hands on way. Build a shelter, use a map and compass and have a go at fire lighting.

Storywalks (½ day throughout the year)
Younger children will enjoy visiting the reserve, listening to a story and using it to inspire a walk through the woods. Explore using their senses then make something crafty to take home.

Stream dipping and riverside explorers (½ day or full day throughout the year)
Visit the Bovey Valley Woodlands, part of the reserve, and walk the riverside path. Discover what grows along the valley and learn about erosion and deposition and how water has shaped the landscape. Explore shallow waters with nets and use kick sampling to find the creatures that are adapted to life in flowing water, use keys to identify. Stream dipping is also available at Yarner Wood where the water is shallower.

Suncatchers (½ day June/July)
Discover some of the reserve’s floral secrets as we go on a journey to unravel the lifecycle of plants. We’ll be getting close up to all things botanic and using interactive games and activities to help explain some of the key learning points. We’ll look at germination, photosynthesis, parts of a flower, pollination and seed dispersal.

Living in the past (½ day early July)
2012 marks the reserve’s 60th anniversary since it was designated. During this year we plan to run a series of schools workshops focussing on some of the industrial heritage that helped shape the reserve looking at the Yarrow Copper Mine and the Templer granite tram way.

Visits for secondary schools and above

We are currently developing our formal programme for secondary schools but many of the above sessions are easily adapted and extended to suit older pupils. We can also offer field sessions undertaking basic survey work, we can look at habitat management and how we balance conservation and recreation and we can provide opportunities for practical conservation work. We can also help older students undertake more advanced project work.

The Woodland Centre

The centre is a great, new, flexible space. It can be used as a formal classroom, meeting room, a place for arts and crafts workshops or just somewhere dry to have lunch. It is equipped with the basics and has toilets and an attached kitchen. You can book the classroom as part of a guided visit or to run your own session.

Contact andrew.bailey@naturalengland.org.uk for more information.

Equipment

We can lend out field equipment such as stream dipping nets, minibeast trays and pots, identification sheets and binoculars to groups wanting to get more out of their visit.

Booking a visit

To book a visit email andrew.bailey@naturalengland.org.uk or phone the office on 01626 832330.

Health and safety

We have produced a set of risk assessments which you can adapt to help you manage your visit to the reserve and our experienced staff can advise you on any necessary precautions and take you on a pre-visit if required.

What to wear

It is always a good idea to come prepared for all weathers on any visit to the British countryside. In the wooded valleys we are fairly sheltered but the heathland is quite exposed. Bring wellies for stream work and clothes that you don’t mind getting muddy. Sturdy shoes or boots are a good idea and a waterproof coat is essential