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Main > School Trip Destinations > Brocks Hill Environment Centre and Country Park - Click for Details
Type: School Trip Destinations
Washbrook Lane
Oadby , Leicester, LE2 5JJ England WEBSITE LINK: http://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/ EMAIL ADDRESS: brockshill@oadby-wigston.gov.uk| CONTACT: 0116 2572 888 School Trip & Group Educational Information Introduction for school trips and educational visits Brocks Hill Country Park and Environment Centre has been awarded the Green Flag for its second year and opened a new children’s play area in July. With free entry, free car parking, shop, café, Exhibition Centre, 67 acres of Country Park, activities and 2 children’s play areas Brocks Hill has much to offer! For schools and community groups we also have a rich variety of educational programmes available throughout the year. Why is this venue great for School Trips and Educational Visits? Brocks Hill is a great venue for school visits with plenty of outside space to explore and an Exhibition Centre where groups may look round free of charge. The building is designed to be environmentally friendly and electricity is produced from our wind turbine and solar photovoltaic roof panels. There is a free self-guided tour sheet at Reception which gives information about the design. If the weather is wet and/or cold, the activities will proceed (unless it is really adverse conditions when staff would cancel the activity). It is recommended that groups dress suitably for outdoor activities including sun hats (and sunscreen) if hot and sensible footwear. There are a few spare raincoats and Wellingtons available for the day if children do not own their own. Groups may eat packed lunches indoors but may prefer to picnic outdoors. What does a typical school trip or educational visit include? Brocks Hill offers a broad range of educational programmes which staff are happy to adapt according to the age or ability of the group. Pond Dipping: What is lurking in the depths of our pond? Hands-on experience, where children do their own pond dip and use keys to identify what they find. (Available Easter to end of October) Mini Beast Hunt: Search and identify insects and other mini beasts hiding in the undergrowth! (Available Easter to end of November) Habitats: Where do animals live and why do they live there? What birds, animals and insects do we have in the park and what do they need to keep themselves alive, warm and well-fed? (Available Easter to end of November) Environmental Art: Take a multi-sensory walk in the park, focusing on colours, patterns and textures in nature and then make a collage using natural resources to take back to your classroom. (Available all year) Seed Search: Search for seeds in the country park and investigate how they are dispersed. Make a small kite or model sycamore seed to remind pupils of wind dispersal. (Available all year) Solar, Wind Energy & the Environment Centre: Find out how we keep warm at the Environment Centre and how we make our own electricity. Pupils will make up their own simple circuits and use a photovoltaic cell to create their own electricity. Best suited to KS2 but can be adapted for KS1. Not suitable for Reception pupils. (Mainly indoor- available all year) Sculpture Programme: Explore some of the sculptures around the park, consider how they were made and from what material, but also comment on choice of subject and aesthetic value. The second part of the activity consists of building their own sculpture in the woods from natural resources, giving them the chance to be creative whilst demonstrating their previous learning. (Available all year) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: A brand new programme for 2008 that considers the problems of large amounts of rubbish in our society and what can be done to reduce, reuse or recycle it. A brief look at some compost bins and a discussion of nature’s way of recycling is followed the exciting paper making activity. (Mainly indoor- available all year) (Please do not book ‘mini beast hunt’ with ‘habitats’ as the subject matter overlaps) What size groups do they cater for? Brocks Hill usually works with groups of approximately 30 children for the activities. Smaller groups are welcome but will be charged at the minimum rate to cover staffing costs. What can they provide you with to support your school trip or educational visit? Upon request, teachers’ notes can be provided which provide links to the National Curriculum and may provide suggestions for pre and post visit activities. The Activities Officer, a qualified primary teacher, was involved in developing these notes. Can you take photos, video or audio? Are there any copyright restrictions? Schools are welcome to take photos in the Centre or the Park but please only include pictures of children in your own group. How do you arrange a risk assessment? Teachers are welcome to visit the site to complete their own risk assessments at any time. The Park has open access and the Centre is open from 10am-5pm (Mon-Fri) and 10am-4pm (weekends and Bank Holidays). Risk assessments for booked activities are sent upon receipt of confirmation of booking. What are the contact details for their education officer?
Bookings for school groups are taken by the Activities Officer: What does it cost? Charges apply only to booked activities: currently, £1.25 per child, per activity (to be reviewed 1st April 2009) - no charge for adults, however, there is a minimum charge of £36.00 per activity for smaller groups. Is specific clothing required? It is recommended that groups dress suitably for outdoor activities including sun hats (and sunscreen) if hot, rain coats and Wellingtons if wet, and sensible footwear. There are a few spare raincoats and Wellingtons available for the day if children do not own their own. Do you have first aid on site? Brocks Hill cannot provide a First Aider, so groups should bring their own. What facilities do they have for school trips and educational visits? Free car parking, shop, café, Exhibition Centre, 67 acres of Country Park, activities and 2 children’s play areas. Groups may eat packed lunches indoors but may prefer to picnic outdoors. Children may purchase a range of goods from our shop ranging from 15p upwards. If preferred, a bagged selection may be pre-ordered for the group at a set price. For example, a pencil (30p), a Brocks Hill rainbow rubber (30p), a bouncy ball (30p) and a plastic stick insect (15p) – total cost £1.05 per child. Free tap water is provided but groups should bring their own cups. Are there disabled facilities? The Centre is fully accessible with a disabled toilet. One of the pond dipping platforms has disabled access and there is a hard surface path around the park. Featured Listing: NoMore Information
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