Education
Tameside Countryside Service
Education
Tameside's Countryside Rangers can run outdoor classroom sessions in and around our visitor centres, in your local countryside, or in your school. We also offer help and advice on Eco-School and other school environmental projects.
An Education Pack including useful projects and worksheets is available. Contact us for your copy.
Our Aim...
...is to foster an understanding of the ways in which living things, both plant and animal work together to shape the environment we live in.
Our environmental work at any one time touches upon a number of curriculum subjects and we can tailor sessions to suit the specific needs of the group.
We offer the following topics:
Habitats
There are a number of sites in Tameside which are suitable for habitat studies; they include Park Bridge Heritage Centre, Lymefield Visitor Centre, any of our many other countryside sites, or even in your school grounds. The habitat topics are pond dipping, minibeast safaris and woodland studies which are usually individual activities. Sessions can include one or more of these activities.
Woodland - In Tameside there is a range of deciduous trees of varying ages in a woodland setting. Food chains, life cycles, identification and woodland communities are several of the ways we achieve an understanding of the importance of their contribution to our environment.
Pond dipping -There are a number of well established ponds which support a great variety of animals and plants. These can be identified and studied in their own world, below the water and netted for closer observation and study.
Minibeast safari -These can take place almost anywhere. Each has its own inhabitants, ideally suited to their surroundings, which can be identified and their different lifestyles studied and compared.
This is suitable for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2 and can be a half or full day activity. The cost is £3 per head - half day or £4 per head - full day.
Forest Schools
Forest School based sessions are a unique way of building independence, self-esteem and an appreciation of the environment in children and young people as they explore and experience the natural world for themselves
Children usually attend sessions over a number of weeks, gradually building up skills and confidence. Participants in Forest School are often free to choose amongst many activities; some will have been introduced by the leader, for example bug hunting, mud painting, den building or fire lighting. Many are child-initiated and these are as varied as the children and participants involved.
Many sessions are based round a ‘Forest camp’ area where participants can help make a hot drink and perhaps cook some food on the fire.
Forest School also uses hand tools to master a variety of tasks under the tutoring of the leader, Participants can learn how to use the tools and use them to help them with their existing projects/activities - e.g. use a saw to cut wood to the right length to use in a shelter. They can also use the tools to create new activities - e.g. making items from wood - a mallet, a kazoo, or a coaster.
Participants learn valuable life skills through a combination of freedom and responsibility.
This is suitable for Key stage 1 and 2. Activity duration: 2 hours.
Cost £600 for 12 sessions or £55 for a taster session (15 children maximum)
Investigating Rivers
In Tameside there are three rivers, the Tame, Etherow and Medlock which have physically formed the landscape. They were also instrumental in the industrial growth of the area, but now the rivers and valleys have been reclaimed by nature.
The topics covered are physical features, flow rates, pollution, water cycles, river formations, erosion, deposition. Not only does science, geography and maths feature in this package, but there are elements of history, wildlife, poetry and art.
The best site suitable for River Studies is Park Bridge Heritage Centre.
This is a full day activity suitable for Key stage 2 pupils and costs £4 per head.
Step Back in Time
Morning session
This fun session of audience participation takes you on a 1½ mile walk around the once busy industrial site of Park Bridge, mapping the history of settlement along the way. Seen through the eyes of an host of characters, including ironworker, villager, miner and modern day environmentalist you can take yourself back in time and discover how people and places have changed through history.
Choice of afternoon session:
History Alive
Back at the Heritage Centre you can delve into the lives of the characters that lived and worked at Park Bridge, handling and investigating tools, costumes and artefacts and even participating in some drama/ role play. Linked to topics on history, geography settlements, local history, mapping. Can be followed up at school through IT by accessing Park Bridge database and archives.
Or Shelter building
The children will consider the needs of early settlers, choosing an ideal place to design and build their own woodland shelter.
This full day activity is suitable for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and costs £4 per head.
Make Sense of Nature
Immerse yourself in the natural world and get all 'touchy feely' through a wide range of sensory activities. These could include: making a colourful collage from natural finds; creating a cocktail of smells; focusing on the sounds of the woodland orchestra; discovering a texture trail; meeting a tree or appreciating the woods in an upside-down way! There are plenty of other sensory experiences to be had, as we take an 'Earthwalk' through the countryside. This is a half day session, but works well with Wild Art in the afternoon.
This activity is suitable for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2 and is £3 per head for a half day or £4 per head for 2 sessions.
Wild Art
Is it a bird?... or is it a plane?...
Lets get creative. Everyone is an artist when nature provides all the materials. Textures and patterns are all around, so let’s make twig sculptures, muddy mosaics, magical mobiles or woodland spirits. We can be inspired by nature and try some woodland weaving or tree dressing… the only limit is your imagination.
This activity is suitable for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1-3 and is £3 per head for a half day or £4 per head for 2 sessions.
Marvellous Maps
Reading a map is a skill that children love, developing the sense of adventure that goes along with travelling and exploring! Maps have been one of the most instrumental tools in human existence. Knowing how to get from here to there has always been important. Explorers charted their paths and opened up new territories and of course the pirates found their buried treasure chests with the help of a treasure map!
This interactive activity will introduce children to maps and their symbols, direction, grid references, scale and distance. The children can then test their map reading skills by having a go at our interactive wayfaring course around the site.
This full day activity is suitable for Key Stage 1- 3 and is £4 per head for a full day.
Seasonal Walks
Seasonal walks are available throughout the year, giving an introduction to wildlife and the habitats in which it lives. This activity can be tailored to suit individual groups, from walking 100 metres through a woodland with a pre school group to an all day walk over the wild moorlands for older children.
This can be a half or full day activity and is suitable for Key Stage 1 -3. £3 per head - half day £4 per head - full day
Other Topics include:
Animal talks, Industrial archaeology, landscape history, settlements, recycling, conservation, grassland ecology, weather.
The Visitor Centres
Park Bridge Heritage Centre
Originally a thriving industrial settlement, Park Bridge is now a peaceful village, set in the Medlock Valley between Ashton and Oldham. The Heritage Centre tells the story of the once busy ironworks.
A room for the use of school groups is available, as are field study facilities.
Lymefield Visitor Centre
Situated in the heart of the Etherow Valley and within walking distance of Broadbottom Railway Station, Lymefield Visitor Centre is a safe and attractive site. Adjacent to the centre is the site of Broad Mills, the textile works that once dominated the valley.
Lower Higham Visitor Centre, Werneth Low Country Park
Situated 1 mile from Hyde Town Centre, Lower Higham is well placed as a starting point for groups visiting the hillside habitat of the Country Park.
A short walk from the centre is the Cenotaph, Hyde's main War Memorial.
Facilities
All centres have toilet facilities and sell a range of inexpensive countryside gifts and publications.
Booking a Visit
As we always like to discuss with you the kind of event you have in mind, and to agree the most suitable times and venues, we ask that you contact us by telephone. Leave a message if we are not available and we will get back to you. One class of 30 is the usual group size.
Please book your visit at least 4 weeks in advance. Booking Conditions
If you are arranging your own teacher led activity at one of our sites, please contact us to check availability.
| Contact Information | |
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 Send us a Message |
 Countryside Service Park Bridge Heritage Centre The Stables Park Bridge Ashton-under-Lyne Tameside OL6 8AQ |
 0161 330 9613
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