Activities

A high standard of behaviour is required for the children to make the most of their visit.  All the activities require consideration and co-operation between the children.

These are some of the activities that children can be involved in when they visit Foxglove Covert. Allow one hour for each activity.

	Activity		Time of year		
Pond Dipping	May June July Sept (*)
Habitat Walk	All year
Mini-beast Hunt at the Outdoor Classroom	May June July Sept (*)
Poetry Walk Writing of poetry	All year
Flower Walk	April May June July Sept (*)
Season Walks	All year
Practical Conservation Tasks	These can only be accommodated between October to March

Other activities can be arranged with the Reserve Managers.

The activities are organised for the age and ability of the children.

Pond Dipping - There is an opportunity to pond dip from purpose built platforms for pond life, which can be examined in Belfast sinks.

Habitat Walk – During the walk there will be opportunities for the children to enhance their listening and observation skills, and to ask questions. They will learn about the different habitats.

Mini-beast Hunt – Respect for wildlife is important during this activity. Children will learn how to collect mini-beasts using a variety of methods. They will have the opportunity to observe, record, report, ask and answer questions. Children will have to co-operate with each other.

Poetry Walk – This walk allows children to observe their surroundings and the plants and animals living there. They will record vocabulary to describe what they have seen. The words written down are then used to write a poem. As many children and adults as possible will be encouraged to read out their poems.

Flower Walk – Opportunities to observe, record and learn about wildflowers. Variation, plant requirements and the importance of plants can all be incorporated. Flower petal shape, colour and patterns will be pointed out. Identification of some common flowers is encouraged.

Season Walks – Children will learn about the seasons and how these affect the plants and animals in different habitats. Observational and listening skills will be enhanced.

Practical Conservation Tasks – Children will have the opportunity to be involved with the conservation and maintenance of the habitats on the reserve. This could include clearing brash and burning it, pruning trees and shrubs or building a dead hedge. It is important to note that this activity can only be offered during the months stated. Discussions must be held with the reserve managers well before the visit to ensure that the appropriate activity is able to be carried out.

How your day could be organised

This chart shows an example of a day for a class divided into 3 groups. You will be met at the main gate to the reserve and walked to the Field Centre which is the base for the day.

	Group A	Group B	Group C
10.30 - 11.30	Pond dipping	Habitat walk	Mini-beast safari
11.30 - 12.30	Habitat walk	Mini-beast safari	Pond dipping
13.00 - 14.00	Mini-beast safari	Pond dipping	Habitat walk

Half an hour is allowed for lunch (12.30 - 13.00).

Please read our 'Plan your Visit' guide before filling in the online booking enquiry form.