Primary •
Primary
NIFSA Full of Life Resource
Go hunting for fantastic fungi. Fungi can grow in all sorts of places: in the woods, in the park even in your garden. Some fungi are brightly coloured, some are brown which is your favourite? Did you know that some fungi smell sweet and others smell rotten? Search for mushrooms under leaf litter and on dead wood Remember some fungi can be very poisonous, so never touch them.
Identify the birds that visit your garden with this handy spotter sheet. All sorts of birds make their homes in your garden. Now it’s time to see how many you can spot. Are you up to the challenge? Use nuts and seeds to tempt different birds to visit Look on your ID sheet and tick off each bird you see in your garden Remember to leave water out for birds to drink and wash in too Try experimenting with different foods. Try nuts, seeds and dried mealworms and see which birds prefer which foods. Are there any that come back time and time again?
Use this iDial to help you identify the birds visiting your garden. Be a real Nature Detective! How many birds will you spot? Go on a garden bird hunt and find out which birds visit your garden Tempt more birds to visit by leaving nuts, seeds and fat balls out for them Have you noticed any other birds coming to your garden? Take this iDial with you when you’re out and about, and see which birds you see on your travels. Are they similar to the birds visiting your garden?
A resource to inspire throughout the year
Make the first letter of your name using twigs, fallen leaves, berries and nuts. This is a fun activity for autumn when lots of leaves and seeds fall from the trees. Make an outline on the ground using sticks. Fill in the letter with natural treasures. Can you make the rest of your name?
Collect sticks and make a nest big enough to sit in. Can you create a cosy, comfy nest? Create somewhere for you and your friends to sit in. Choose sticks in lots of different shapes and sizes Don’t forget to add soft dead grass and feathers to sit on! Do you think any birds would be impressed with your nest?
Can you find the tallest tree in the woods? This is a fantastic and really easy way to measure trees. Just find a tree that you think is a giant, and get measuring! Can you guess which tree is the biggest, before you start measuring it? Can you think of any other easy ways to measure trees? Try them out which works best? Once you know how tall the tree is, try measuring how wide it is! Challenge your friends and see who can find the biggest tree!
Whether you are simply looking to familiarise yourselves with your surrounding environment or considering to care for it, compiling a habitat map of the area is a great starting point.
Pupils learnt all about their lunch when they followed it from plot to plate.
The main aims of this project are to engage young people in understanding the range of important landscapes, habitats and species around them, and to encourage interaction with the natural environment within their own school grounds and further afield. It is also hoped that this project will help to overcome the perceived barriers for teachers with regards to outdoor learning. The Heart of The Glens Landscape Partnership Scheme has facilitated a range of outdoor activities with primary schools within The Glens of Antrim
Bake this tasty cake and impress your friends! Hands up who fancies cake for tea? Gather your ingredients and get baking. You’ll need your grown-up’s help as baking cakes can be tricky This cake is super scrummy yum! Invite your friends and family to tea and share your cake with them Can you make any other animal cakes?
Colour in this spiny snuffler using your favourite colours and bring him to life. You might be lucky enough to spot a hedgehog in your garden during spring and summer. Now try colouring one in! Hedgehogs love to eat slugs, worms and beetles Try using twigs and sticks to make spines for your hedgehog Hedgehogs hibernate during winter, so be careful around piles of leaves and sticks Now you’ve created your own hedgehog, try making him a nice cosy nest of leaves to snuffle through and sleep in.
Follow these simple steps to create a hedgehog hogitat. Hedgehogs need somewhere cosy to snooze through winter. Make them a hedgehog house! All you need is a wooden crate, lots of sticks and fallen leaves Make sure it faces away from northerly and easterly winds Tuck your hogitat into a quiet, sheltered spot where the hedgehog won’t be disturbed If you spot a hedgehog during winter, leave some food like dog or cat food and water nearby. Never give hedgehogs bread or milk – it can make them very poorly.
Go hunting in the hedgerows and see what you can find. Look out for hedgerow inhabitants while you’re out and about. How many can you spot? Search among the leaves, grass and brambles Use your senses what can you hear, see, touch, smell? Does anything else make their home in the hedgerows? Go hunting early on a foggy, frosty morning and spot glittering spider webs.
Use this chart to record the characteristics of the different herbs in your school grounds.
A self-guided handbook for primary school teachers to facilitate the use of local parks as outdoor classrooms
NIFSA Hide and seek thematic unit appendix
Hide and Seek Animal Thematic Unit resources
Hide and Seek Thematic Unit main handbook
A Curriculum for Excellence EY – people, past events and societies
Colour in the glossy leaves and shiny berries of the holly tree. Use your favourite pens, pencils or paints to create a festive picture. You could also: Cut it out and hang it on your Christmas tree Turn it into a Christmas card Use lots of holly pictures to make a wreath or garland Did you know holly is evergreen? It stays green all year round! Head outside to explore – how many green holly bushes can you find? Are they covered in bright red berries?
Discovering and creating habitats
A living example to demonstrate how bar charts work
A treasure hunt for spelling and language work