Environmental Education
We offer a range of inspiring education programmes and activities for primary school children. Our skilled and experienced educators deliver engaging, hands on learning activities, encouraging children to explore and understand the natural world through applying scientific enquiry skills.
All our education programmes are linked to The National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 or 2. Schools come to us for a full day and all sessions based at Iver Environment Centre include an indoor lunch room and an outdoor space for breaks. We also deliver “River Detectives” sessions at Denham Country Park. To enquire about making a booking for your class, submit your enquiry online and we’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your requirements in more detail.
A days tuition cost £225 for a class of up to 30 children. A typical day runs from 10am to 2pm and has three hours of teaching time, often split into three different sessions. Included in the schedule is time to wash hands before a quick break time mid morning, lunchtime and the end of the day.
Iver Environment Centre is committed to being an accessible experience. If your students have specific needs then please contact us to discuss how we cater for them.
Naturewatch
Enter the wonderful world of mini-beasts. Explore Iver’s pond and woodland habitats discovering aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Then either take a sensory nature walk looking for the different colours, textures and sounds nature offers, or create a micro mini-beast hotel to take back to school.
Curriculum links: Science – habitats, sorting by observable characteristics
Activities: Pond dipping, Mini-beast hunt, Sensory nature walk or mini-beast hotel.
ENQUIRE
Meet our trees
Learn about all the many different types of trees we have here at Iver. Observe and learn about how trees and plants change through the seasons. Work scientifically to identify the different species of trees and learn how to estimate their age. Explore the different structures of plants and trees using natural art.
Curriculum links: Science – plants, conditions for life, observation skills
Activities: Tree identification, tree survey & getting to know the different parts of a tree.
ENQUIRE
Seed to Supermarket
Where does our food come from and how does it reach our plate? Explore our allotments, discover the different food groups and what makes a healthy meal. Make and taste some home-made butter and try grinding some wheat. Investigate plant lifecycles, dissect a seed and plant your own seed to take home.
Curriculum links: Science – life cycles, food groups, changes
Activities: Plant life, Where does our food come from?
ENQUIRE
Naturewatch: Habitats
Explore the different habitats we have at Iver Environment Centre. Observe and compare the pond, woodland and rainforest habitats as you investigate how plants and animals have adapted to their habitats. Learn about how these adaptations help plants and animals survive in their environment.
Curriculum links: Science – environments and adaptation. Geography – world habitats
Activities: Pond dipping, mini-beast hunt & rainforest exploration.
ENQUIRE
All about plants
How do plants grow? Why are plants and flowers so colourful? Why do we need plants? Dive into plant biology as you explore pollination, seed dispersal and food production. Investigate plant life-cycles through seed dissection, hand pollination while exploring our gardens.
Curriculum links: Science – parts of a plant, life cycles.
Activities: Pollination, dissecting seeds & exploring the many uses of plants.
ENQUIRE
Visit our mini rainforest habitat and investigate the adaptations that help the plants survive in such damp and dark conditions. Think about the characteristics of the canopy and use all of your senses to explore how rainforests affect our daily lives. Work in teams to learn about the threats to the rainforest. Curriculum links: Science – habitats and adaptation. Geography – contrasting locations
Activities: Shelter building, conservation and investigations. Venture into the safe shallow waters of the River Misbourne in Denham Country Park to investigate the physical features of the river. Discover what aquatic mini-beasts live in the river and what they can tells us about pollution. Study the shape, size and movement of these creatures and explore how they are adapted to river life. Head out on a self-guided walk to explore the Country Park. Curriculum links: Science – habitats. Geography – river dynamics
Activities: River dynamics, river dipping, wild walk. Become an animal expert for the day and discover the wildlife that lives here at Iver. Investigate what eats what in our ponds. Sort and classify the different invertebrate living in the woodland. Construct a home for some of the animals that we’d like to visit us at Iver, making sure to include everything they need from their habitat. Curriculum links: Science – habitats, sorting by observable characteristics
Activities: Pond dipping, food chains, classifying mini-beasts & animal homes. A fantastic team building day for students to develop friendships and strengthen communication skills. Which group can make the best shelter? Work in pairs to navigate around the gardens using our orienteering map. Finish the day with a campfire and toasted marshmallows. Activities: Shelter building, orienteering & team challenges.
Rainforest Experience
River detectives
Naturewatch: Animal Explorers
Iver Team Challenge
To enquire about making a booking for your class, submit your enquiry online and we’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your requirements in more detail.
