Learning Together

Wynyard Woodland Park, Thorpe Thewles - Stockton.

Wynyard Woodland Park has recently had some redevelopment work on it. The small round house display is no longer in the visitors center which has been transformed into a cafe and gift shop. The 'educational' aspect has been removed altogether from the main building and been transferred to an old railway carriage which is now their 'novel new classroom'. This was not open when we visited so I'm assuming it will only be available for booked group visits.

There is a car park, however on the day that we visited there were people parking down the narrow entrance road as the car park was full. This made it incredibly difficult for cars to get in and out. If you are lucky enough to be able to make it into the car park one of the first things you see is a fantastic woodpecker topiary.

The new children's play area is phenomenal. Set amongst the trees there is equipment suitable for differing age ranges, in fact it is the only park I've been too which has enough play equipment to keep all 5 of my children occupied at the same time (age range 18 months to 15 years at the time of writing this).

There are the more traditional types of play equipment too.

Also within the park are the planetarium, orienteering course, sculpture trail, solar walk and the regular events that they put on at weekends and during the holidays. The day we went was the Go Wild! Trail on Hedgehogs and Moles. This consisted of a walk along the path of the old railway and a quiz sheet. You had to read the information sheets that were pinned up along the path, then spot the red dots with a question on it. By placing the correct letter on the sheets we were able to figure out what Mr Mole should feed Mr Hedgehog for dinner! Not awe inspiring for the older children but nice for the smaller ones. Thankfully the Solar Walk also takes place along the walkway so it would be possible to do both simultaneously, if your little ones have strong legs.

One of the things I love about Wynyard Woodland Park is how natural it is. It is set in woodland and farmland, and they have kept this natural environment around the play areas too. Beds of wildflowers are scattered around picnic benches at the side of the play areas and these attract butterflies and insects even while the children are playing there. The only downside to this were some giant wood wasps which decided to hang around some of the equipment.

Our overall view of the day (well couple of hours) was that it was not as great as Albert Park but the play area was AWESOME!

For more information about Wynyard Woodland Park, including the history, webcams and events diary visit their website.

Dorman Museum, Middlesbrough

When the Dorman Museum was first built in 1908 it housed a natural sciences collection. This has since expanded to include ethnographic, archaelogical and local history displays. Currently the museum is hosting an Ancient Egyptian exhibition which is due to end in November 2010.

The Dorman Museum is one of my favourite local museums to take the children to. We travel by bus to Middlesbrough town centre and then walk along Linthorpe Road to the museum, which takes approximately 30 minutes with a stroller and a 4 year old in tow.

The Dorman Museum is situated next to Albert Park which is very convenient when the weather is nice. We have developed a little habit of going around the museum in the morning, having a picnic in the park and then staying there to play for the afternoon.

The Dorman Museum website contains 8 permanent collections which are arranged over two floors. All are accessible by strollers and wheelchairs. The museum has several hands on exhibits and activity stations which engage younger children and keep their interest.

The museum is currently free and is open 6 days a week (closed Mondays). There are printable resources and activity sheets on the website, plus a couple of themed WW2 games that can be played online.

Evacuee Game 

Plane Spotting 

British Dental Health Foundation Printable Puzzles & Games

Dot-to-Dot, word puzzles, spot the difference, colouring in, stories and quiz - free fun printables all on a dental theme.

http://www.dentalhealth.org.uk/ 

Animal Aid Education

Most of the educational resource from animal aid are from, others are reasonably priced to cover postage and production costs.

Animal Aid is an animal rights group who peacefully campaign against animal abuse and promote a cruelty free lifestyle.

Their resources include student factsheets, activities, DVDs, information booklets, campaign leaflets and posters. They also provide a free school speaker service.

As an example of what their resources can contain, the Animal Writes English Resource, is a KS3 resource primarily aimed at Year 9. It was written by Teachit for Animal Aid and the pack includes a resource booklet with 9 balanced work units containing teachers’ notes and photocopiable student worksheets, plus a copy of the Their Future in Your Hands DVD and a large colour poetry poster. IWB resources for use on SMART boards are also available.

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/EDUCATION/ 

Free Online Puzzle Generator

Puzzlemaker is a free puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, criss-cross, math puzzles, and more — using your own word lists. This is a useful tool as it can be used to help reinforce keywords for any subject.

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/ 

Fish and Kids

Fish Kids is a project of the Marine Stewardship Council, designed to bring sustainable seafood sourcing to schools and restaurants.

The education pack is filled with curriculum-linked resources to help you teach Science and Geography at key stages 1 and 2. The pack also contains activities linked to schemes of work for English and Citizenship at KS2. As well as activity sheets the pack contains lesson plans.

The pack can be downloaded in one go or in sections. If you are not able to download or print the pack you can request for a printed copy to be sent to you.

Other resources available on the site include activity sheets, slideshows, assembly plan and discussion cards.

Click Here To Visit The Fish And Kids Website

British Heart Foundation

The British Heart Foundation is working to eradicate premature deaths due to heart disease. Part of their strategy includes educating people about healthy eating and keeping active.

They produce a wide range of educational materials which are available to download or order online (some free, some request a donation).

Some of the publications include activity books, posters, peel and stick activity sheets, CD ROMs and reading books.

They also produce an excellent Big Food Challenge Pack which they suggest a £20 donation for. The website doesn't give many details as to the contents but it includes a set of playing cards and instructions for games, life size human body part cards (to show children where their heart, lungs, stomach, etc. are), inflatable globe and various other games and activities.

Visit The BHF - Information For Teachers Page By Clicking Here

TeachKind Free Humane Education Materials

TeachKind, the humane-education division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a resource for teachers, administrators, and librarians who want to help students become kinder, more compassionate individuals. On this site, you'll find a wealth of materials that have been designed exclusively for caring and dedicated educators like you. You can download free lesson plans or order free books, posters, leaflets, stickers, videos, and other resources.

http://www.teachkind.org/ 

Amazon Interactive

Explore the geography of the Ecuadorian Amazon through online games and activities. Learn about the rainforest and the Quichua people who call it home. Discover the ways in which the Quichua live off the land. Then try your hand at running a community-based ecotourism project along the Río Napo.

Amazon Interactive 

Dental Defenders

Dental Defenders is a 3D game.

"Danger lurks at every meal. Ordinary foods coat teeth with sugar, attracting bacteria and acids that cause tooth decay.

But the Dental Defenders are on the job! The Defenders patrol the mouths of children everywhere, protecting their teeth from everyday meals and snacks. Join the team and begin your patrol!"

Mouth Power Online

"Discover the power of a healthy smile!

What is the secret to a healthy smile? Taking good care of your teeth!

Explore Mouthie's online laboratory to learn how to brush your teeth, what tobacco can do to your mouth, and how to make healthy food choices."

Mouth Power Online 

Forces Of Flight

Forces Of Flight 

"Just how do airplanes stay up in the air? This whimsical interactive explores the four forces of flight by putting you in the designer's seat. Build a hybrid aircraft by selecting wings, fuselage and other components from 100 years of flight, then see what happens to your aircraft (and your poor test pilot). Does it go faster, slower, higher or lower? Experiment with lift, drag, thrust and weight to reach your target speed and altitude. Then compare those forces with the forces of flight in space!"

Controlled Flight - 3D Flight Simulator

Controlled Flight is a 3D simulation, where you can take the controls of three aircraft and one spacecraft and try to master the art of moving in three dimensions. Learn how aircraft and spacecraft controls apply physics principles to achieve controlled flight, then tackle a nerve-wracking series of aerobatic and orbital maneuvers!

Stardust - Be A Spacecraft Engineer

Stardust - Be A Spacecraft Engineer 

"NASA needs your help! As part of an international coalition, it has begun building the International Space Station. But the Space Station is threatened by orbital debris—abandoned satellites, rocket remnants, and many other things.

Can you design a spacecraft to protect the Space Station from this "space junk"?

Your spacecraft will spin off from NASA's "Discovery Program"—an effort to make space exploration "faster, better, and cheaper." Whenever possible, this means adapting one spacecraft to tackle a different mission.

Your mission is to adapt the STARDUST spacecraft for a new mission.

Ready for lift-off?"

Who's Out There? - A Space Science Adventure

A Space Science Adventure by the SETI Institute and Educational Web Adventures

"Who's out there? Are humans alone in the universe? Scientists involved in SETI—the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence—are using modern technology to search for the answer to this age-old question.

What if you were hired to lead such a search? Explore what you need to know to design a SETI research project, then test your skills at searching for alien signals!"

Bridge To Classroom

"Designing and building a bridge to withstand earthquakes is no easy challenge. Explore the science, technology and people involved in the bridge with these interactive learning modules and simulations!"

New Bay Bridge 

Black Holes : Gravity's Relentless Pull

Black Holes : Gravity's Relentless Pull 

"Black holes are places where ordinary gravity has become so extreme that it overwhelms all other forces in the Universe. Once inside, nothing can escape a black hole's gravity -- not even light. Yet we know that black holes exist. We know how they are born, where they occur, and why they exist in different sizes. We even know what would happen if you fell into one. Our discoveries have revealed one of the strangest objects in the Universe, and there's still much we don't know. The nearest black hole is many lightyears away, so we don't have to worry about threats to the Earth. This is as close as you'll ever get to one. So come explore!"

The Watershed Game

"Water...we all depend on it for survival. But water is a scarce resource—only one percent of all water on earth is freshwater! How can we keep this water pure and fresh?

Many things happen in a watershed that affect the quality of the water we rely upon. What are they? Would you make the best decisions in managing your watershed? Examine the issues in each area of the watershed, then see the impacts of your choices!"

The Watershed Game is brought to you by the Distance Learning section of the Bell Museum.

On The Prairie

On The Prairie - "The prairie is one of North America's great ecosystems and a vital habitat for many plants and animals. The prairie once spread across 1.5 million square kilometers of the Great Plains (that's seven times the size of Minnesota!)—but less than 2% of native prairie remains today."

This site contains a Build-A-Prairie online activity, field guide and movies showing you prairie life.

The Dirt On Soil

Soil... The Final Frontier.

"We know less about life in the earth under our feet than we do about the far side of the moon. Yet every plant and animal you can think of depends on this vast hidden ecosystem.

Each shovel of soil holds more living things than all the human beings ever born. Lots of species are still waiting for scientists to identify and name them. This is a world where fungi lay traps for thread-like worms. Bacteria dine on toxic chemicals. The smaller the creature, the stranger are its habits.

Dig into this underground universe and meet its tiny but helpful residents"

Includes a field guide, a soil safari and an exploration through the many layers of soil.