Primary Residential Experiences

Think like a scientist

Through a series of hands-on, outdoor experiments and activities, children will explore scientific ideas and what it means to work scientifically. They will invent, discover, trial and test, while learning how to think like a scientist and work in team. They will explore the natural world, looking for evidence that refutes or supports their ideas, and discover some ideas from famous naturalists and scientists.

Tree-mendous

Children will discover forests, woodlands and meadows on a sensory level as well as through games and investigations, looking for the clues that make trees and plants special. They will see the fascinating features of plants and find out what plants need to survive and how plants work.

Compass orienteering

Using key orienteering skills to explore inspirational landscapes, children will quickly and accurately navigate their teams through challenges and problems – mistakes cost time! Developing map reading, orientation and compass abilities, they will gain confidence in finding their way through unfamiliar terrain.

Curious coastal creatures (coastal sites only)

Children will delve into the fascinating world of the seashore and enjoy active enquiry games to consider the adaptations and lifecycles of the animals they find in this unique habitat. Can you find the one-footed vegetarian with a hard hat? Or perhaps the “flowers” of the sea with stinging tentacles?

Digital stories

Children will use technology to share creative ideas, stories and feelings relating to the landscape. Their unique perspectives can be captured in a multitude of media, allowing each child to journey into expressive and vibrant areas of art, meaning and language.

Disappearing animals

Discover the world of wildlife hidden within the landscape; warrens, burrows, nests and hollows all hide signs of the animals that live there. Children will use all their senses to explore the busy world of wildlife that crawls, flies, walks and hops throughout the countryside. There may be opportunities to use IT to detect bats at dusk, as well as live trapping and observation of small mammals.

Eco-action

Children will take part in exciting sensory games and activities to help build a bond with the natural landscape. They will participate in some active conservation or habitat management, such as bird box building or pond restoration. Children will consider human impacts on the environment and sustainability.

Exploring place

Children will build their spatial and locational knowledge creatively exploring the distinctive landscape and settlements surrounding the centre. They will use innovative ways to answer their own geographical questions, such as: What makes this place special? How is it connected to my place? Why is it like this? Locations explored could be coastal tourist areas, Olympic Park, World Heritage sites etc.

Geo-journey

On an expedition through the local landscape, children will challenge themselves to uncover the mysteries of our countryside. They will employ cutting edge digital technologies and apply their geographical knowledge to a series of exciting activities which will deepen their curiosity and understanding of the natural world.

Hidden histories

Uncover fascinating local histories through hands-on enquiry. Active participation and immersive activities guide children through our ancient past hidden within our modern landscapes. Iron-Age hill forts, medieval timber-framed buildings, Roman remains, castles and watermills provide the settings which reveal the secrets of our past.

Literacy through landscapes

The outdoor landscape will provide the inspiration and focus to stimulate children’s creative thinking, enabling them to build and improve their literacy skills. By exploring poetry and stories, then using a combination of tactile and visual experiences in a local landscape, children will create characters, develop plots and generate ideas to form a story of their own.

Secret ponds

Delve into the unseen watery depths to discover the life teeming beneath the surface. Children will explore pond margins for signs of life and investigate the life support systems behind the abundance of pond invertebrates hidden from everyday view.

Maps and Geometry

Activities introducing the geometry of the Earth and basic mapping techniques will outline the science of map making. Children will use IT and a range of different maps, to explore spatial dimensions, angles, shapes and distances, while relating these concepts to the landscape surrounding them, for example within relief, contours and scales. They construct 2D and 3D maps, to different scales and find out which maps are most useful in different situations, as well as considering the history of map making.

Natures numbers

Children will become maths detectives, discovering the numbers and patterns hidden in nature. They will take part in mathematical games, finding patterns in snail shells, symmetry in leaves, angles in trees and fractions within animal populations. This session will use the environment to inspire children, improving their mathematical literacy and problem solving skills.

Rivers and life everywhere

Using a variety of engaging activities, children will discover the physical geography and river processes, which have formed this distinctive habitat. Working scientifically to gather data children will ask questions to build a picture of the river and the life that surrounds it. They will journey beside and within the watery world, discovering the plants and animals that make rivers and streams their homes.

Team challenges

An exciting and challenging introduction to the concepts of working well together, using a wide variety of fun activities and puzzles designed to encourage problem solving and teamwork.

Wilderness bushcraft (including shelter building)

What do you need to survive a night in the wilderness? Students to discover what they would need to survive a night in the wild. They will work in teams to build their own shelters and have a go at lighting a fire using natural materials. Depending on the length of the session, students may also have ago at making elder beads, whittling and cooking some nettle tea to have round the fire.

Canoeing

An inspiring introduction to the sport of canoeing, including games and competitions designed to engage and enthuse. Working together, children prepare, launch and manoeuvre open boats within a natural water environment, while also taking opportunities to observe the wildlife and landscape.

Hiking

A great day out in the hills and mountains enjoying nature and the breath-taking views.

Rock climbing

A chance to experience rock climbing on a natural rock face, gaining a real sense of mountaineering risk and adventure. Skills in balance, technique and control will be developed through ground based games and bouldering before moving onwards and upwards to practice these skills on the rock face.

Abseiling

in this adrenaline filled activity children will lean back over a rock face to let the ropes take their weight, conquering their fear before enjoying the decent down.

Bouldering

Coasteering (Dale Fort only)

Ghyll scrambling

Children will step outside their comfort zones as they journey upstream and experience the flow of an impressive mountain river as it cuts its path through the wild environment. They will work together to scramble up the sides of waterfalls and jump into plunge pools. Journeying up the river they will encounter the unique habitat and wildlife of the gorge.

High ropes challenge

Children will be given the chance to experience fun, outdoor challenges at height in a safe environment, they will push themselves out of their comfort zones and face personal challenges. They will take part in activities such as the leap of faith, abseil tree and zip wire.

Low ropes

These low rope challenges are the perfect setting for children to develop flexibility, strength, control and balance in an exhilarating outdoor environment. Balance beams, rope bridges and scramble nets allow the whole group to keep active and try different ways to conquer the challenge.

Mine exploration (Rhyd-y-creuau only)

Journey through a real mine in Snowdonia. Discover the fascinating history and geology of the mine and surrounding landscape, and find out about mining techniques on your underground adventure.

Raft building

This is a wet, challenging and fun activity to increase teamwork and communication skills. Children will consider buoyancy, stability and steering when designing and building a raft to launch onto our wild lakes or rivers. Aboard the raft, with others, they will take-up their paddles and work together to face races, wet games and time trials.

Sailing (Dale Fort only)

Sit on Kayaking

Stand up paddleboarding

Surfing (Dale Fort) only