Reawaken children’s amazing curiosity in nature with Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s education team
Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s (CWT) Education Service provides fun, safe and interactive environmental activities for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage One (KS1) and Two (KS2) as well as training teachers on INSET days. Our experienced education team works to enhance children’s understanding and awareness of wildlife through enjoyable and positive learning experiences.
Our Aims
We encourage children to engage in their environment and the issues affecting it by:
increasing understanding of our whole environment
fostering awareness and feeling for the world we live in
encouraging a caring attitude towards wildlife and participation in conservation
creating factual, informal and fun ways to investigate our surroundings
ensuring that young people's environmental concerns, ideas and opinions are recognised, developed and opportunities are created to act upon them.
Our Education Sites
We offer environmental education sessions at our headquarters in south Cheshire, Bickley Hall Farm, at schools and at some of our nature reserves and other countryside sites around Cheshire (see map below), which also include sites in Wirral, Runcorn, Warrington, Tameside, Stockport and Trafford. Wherever you are in Cheshire, we can help your pupils discover wildlife at a site near you.
These sites offer the opportunity to introduce children to a wealth of exciting wildlife and habitats. For example, exploring the amazing treasures of the seaside at Hilbre Island and Thurstaston Country Park; the fantastic meres and grassland at Hatchmere and Carrington Moss nature reserves and Astbury Mere Country Park. Some of our education centres at countryside sites can be viewed on the map below.
CWT’s nature reserves:
Black Firs Wood, Congleton
Carrington Moss, South Manchester
Hatch Mere, Delamere
Knutsford Heath
Marbury Reedbed, Northwich
Moston, Chester
Red Rocks Marsh, Hoylake
Other countryside sites include:
Astbury Mere, Congleton
Fiddler’s Ferry, Warrington
Hilbre Island, West Kirby (The Wirral)
Marbury Country Park, Northwich
Tegg’s Nose Country Park, Macclesfield
The Grange, Mickle Trafford (Nr Chester)
Thurstaston Country Park, The Wirral
Our move to Bickley Hall Farm has created new opportunities for us and we are now able to offer environmental education days at the farm during spring and summer. The 210-acre farm provides children with a fantastic opportunity to experience both wildlife and farm life in a variety of habitats.
Educational visits to Bickley Hall Farm are available May to October.
Our education programmes
Our education programmes are outlined below, and are all linked to the National Curriculum and suit a variety of learning styles. We encourage children to learn by experiencing the natural world through practical activities, art and games. We provide worksheets and most of the materials and equipment required for the visits.
Please click the links below to view the example lesson plans. These lesson plans are flexible and can be adapted to suit the sites and your needs.
KS1 : Art - Unit 1B Investigating Materials, 2B Mother Nature. Citizenship - 03 Animals & Us. Science - 2B Plants & Animals in the Local Environment.
KS2 : Art - 6C A sense of place. Citizenship - 03 Animals & Us. Literacy : Non-fiction Unit 3. Science - 4B Habitats, 5B Lifecycles, 6A Interdependence and adaptation.
Plant & Tree Detectives
Discover wonderful wildflowers, terrific trees and how to grow and care for plants
Investigate treasures and natural wonders at the seaside
KS1 :Art - Unit 1B Investigating Materials, 2B Mother Nature. Citizenship – Animals and Us Science 2B Plants & Animals in the Local Environment.
KS2 :Art - 6C A sense of place. Citizenship – Animals and Us. Literacy : Non-fiction Unit 3. Poetry Unit 2. Science - 4B Habitats, 5B Lifecycles, 6A Interdependence and adaptation.
Learn about a sustainable Christmas and festive arts and crafts
KS1 :Art - Unit 1B Investigating Materials.
KS2 : Citizenship - Unit 05 Living in a diverse world
My Living Landscape
Be a part of Cheshire's new and exciting Living Landscape project to reconnect nature and people
KS1 :Art - Unit 1B Investigating Materials, 2B Mother Nature. Citizenship - 03 Animals & Us. Science - 2B Plants & Animals in the Local Environment.
KS2 : Art - 6C A sense of place. Citizenship - 03 Animals & Us, Unit 05 Living in a diverse world. Literacy : Non-fiction Unit 3. Poetry Unit 2. Science - 4B Habitats, 5B Lifecycles, 6A Interdependence and adaptation.
Primary Feathers
Explore the brilliant birds of the UK
KS1 : Citizenship - 03 Animals & Us. Science - 2B Plants & Animals in the Local Environment.
KS2 : Citizenship - 03 Animals & Us Science - 4B Habitats, 5B Lifecycles, 6A Interdependence and adaptation.
Environmental Games
Take part in a range of exciting educational games that stretch your imagination, knowledge and awareness
KS1 : Literacy - Non-fiction Unit 3. Science - 1A Ourselves, 1F Sounds & Hearing, 2B Plants & Animals in the Local Environment.
KS2 : Literacy: Poetry Unit 2. Science - 4B Habitats, 5B Lifecycles, 6A Interdependence and adaptation.
INSET days
Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s education service provides training days for teachers on INSET days to equip them with the appropriate skills for teaching children about wildlife. The day can be tailored to the specific requirements of the school, and different schools can also come together to share this training opportunity.
Wildlife Friendly Gardening Award Scheme
Cheshire Wildlife Trust is running a Wildlife Friendly Gardening Award Scheme to encourage children to get involved in wildlife friendly gardening at schools. A few simple changes in your school’s garden can make a big difference, and could earn your school an award. Take a look at your garden as it is; you may already qualify. There are three levels of award, Gold, Silver and Bronze to work towards, each earning a Wildlife Friendly Award Plaque to display at your school.
Health and Safety
Our professional education team will run your programme, but teachers and adult supervisors remain responsible for discipline and should ensure their pupils are adequately supervised at all times, including lunchtime.
We ensure that risks are reduced to a minimum, throw lines are always available during pond dipping, designated first-aiders are on site at all times, and all our staff are CRB passed. Teachers remain responsible for the care of any children who have had accidents.
Charges
Location
Cost
Bickley Hall Farm
£150 full day
£75 half-day
Countryside site / school
£200 full day
£100 half-day
These prices are for groups of up to 35 children, groups larger than this will incur a £50 additional charge
