Teddy Bear's Picnic

This fantastic learning experience in the grounds of Leeson House provides children with the knowledge, skills and understanding to

• understand living things' requirements for survival
• care for the environment
• explore the environment using senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch
• be aware of importance of treating animals and plants with care and sensitivity
• understand the role and importance of trees and woodland
• create a home for teddy bears with found materials

The programme comes complete with a comprehensive teacher's follow-up pack to develop the experiences from your visit to Leeson House. Over the next few months learning can be consolidated by identifying the needs for life of plants and animals around the school, and helping to ensure that these needs are met. A highlight is another picnic with the teddies, this time with food produced by the children. These take about an hour a week, and achieve national curriculum objectives in Science, Citizenship and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Indeed many teachers have used the course as a basis to a whole term's scheme of work.

The Bear Hunt

Inspired by Michael Rosen's children's book, 'We're going on a Bear Hunt!' this is a new day visit for the Spring and Autumn terms for Early Years and Key Stage 1 children.  The programme is designed to follow on from the Teddy Bear's Picnic, but is also suitable for groups who haven't visited before.  This time we head off-site on a bear tracking expedition, composing our own bear hunt poem as we go. Children will go home having had lots of practise at using adjectives, and an adventure they will never forget! Don't be put off by the prospect of bad weather-we'll ensure the children are properly kitted out and make use of the mud and puddles in our storytelling!

Other activities

Other activities that are popular with this age group include

• pond-dipping
• introductory map reading
• plants and gardening
• sensory trails
• environmental art

• Centre Manager
  Name: Barry Cullimore
  Web: http://www.dorsetforyou.com/outdoored
  Email: leeson@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01929 422126
  Fax: 01929 427534
  Full details for Barry Cullimore