Independent visits and activity trails
At Westonbirt we pride ourselves on providing a comprehensive educational service. To this end we are always happy to advise schools that wish to visit the arboretum independently on possible activities for their visit. In addition, we also offer a variety of resources to independent groups. Trails We have a variety of quiz trails designed to encourage children to explore the arboretum and support a variety of curriculum areas. Orienteering Westonbirt has three permanent orienteering courses designed as a safe introduction to orienteering – while also allowing exploration of the beautiful but often overlooked Silk Wood area of the arboretum. An orienteering pack is available to schools wishing to use the courses independently or in conjunction with a half-day led programme. Courses include both easy and more challenging routes for older and more able students. Numeracy activities Working with a local primary school, we have developed a range of numeracy worksheets that use the Old Arboretum's environment to support both KS1 and KS2 numeracy topics - including length and circumference, measurements, data handling, sets, shape, perimeters and areas and time. We also have a stock of resources available for groups to borrow, for use with the worksheets. To prevent conflicts between users, the orienteering courses and numeracy activities are only available to one group per day – strictly on a first-come-first-served basis. Please contact the education team (telephone 01666 881211) to check the availability of your preferred date or book these activities. After you have made your provisional booking you will be sent a booking form – to confirm you booking you must complete and return this form. 'Who Lives At Westonbirt?' This is a quiz trail that invites children to discover some of the wildlife that lives in the woodland habitat. A selection of worksheets linked to this trail is also available covering animal homes, food chains, and animal story characters. Art activity trails Two trails are available that explore a variety of art themes including colour, shape, texture, contrast, emotional response and symbolism. Cryptic quiz This trail provides clues to lead you different locations in the arboretum where the quiz questions can be answered. You will need to pick up a map of the site when you arrive in order to complete this trail.
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