School and pre-school groups

With its ancient history, important Thames terrain, its meanders and oxbows and its varied habitats, Long Mead offers opportunities for real-life, out-of-classroom study of every subject of the national curriculum from history to science to DT and art. It has a weather centre that uploads data to the internet and photographic material to assist with classroom work.



Regular Activities

• Nature walks and games
  
• Pond-dipping 
  
• Bug hunting
  
• Flower identification and flower pressing
  
• Orientation skills using a map, compasses, binoculars
  
• Take part in Long Mead bird surveys, and flower surveys using quadrats 
  
• Climate change and other environmental surveys
  
• Learn about the weather, using data from Long Mead's weather centre 
  
• Slide show/video presentation. The life of Long Mead through the year, includin footage from owl box cameras 
  
• Widlife photography/art workshops, nature writing
  

Seasonal activities

• Fruit harvesting and juice making
  
• Watch the summer haymaking, by tractor and scythe 
  
• Learn about fuel coppicing and sustainable wind and solar power 
  
• Build an otter holt
  
• Willow pollarding, hurdle-making, basket-making, hedge-laying

---