| Newsletter Term 5 & 6 2009 | ||
| The Centre is part of the Swanley and District Local Children’s Services Partnership.. We have been connected to the Kent Community Network for over a year now and have a range of ICT equipment, including two interactive whiteboards and six wireless PCs. The Centre has TAG digital blue microscopes which enhance class visits and INSET through the videoing of terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates; all of which can be discovered in the Centre's superb wildlife area. Live recording of a nest of Blue and Great Tits, together with Badgers is planned for this spring and summer term. Other programmes include local history ICT days when we find out more about past inhabitants of Horton Kirby with help from the National Archives and other agencies. Our Darenth Valley At War project, which we originally launched with Lullingstone Visitors Centre, has attracted a number of classes.
The Centre's badgers emerge when the children have left Have they been taking the straw from our new outdoor classroom. See Straw Bale Outdoor Classroom below! Another of the Centre's developments is the increase in the number of INSET courses led by quality tutors with appropriate experience of the curriculum. Most of these run while class visits are taking place. Continual Professional Development There are a number of INSET courses planned for 2009 / 2010. Most are also applicable for teaching assistants and other school staff and include Environmental Art, River Studies, Local Geography, Crafts with Materials, ESD and School Grounds Development. All encompass cross-curricular approaches to using the local environment and embrace the Outdoor Learning Manifesto, now controlled by the Council for Learning outside the Classroom. The Digital Movie Cameras in the Classroom course run last November was a success. Other courses led by Diana Marsden, Swanley and District's HOS are planned for Terms 1 & 2 2009.
See Teachers Courses for more details and other courses. Also look out for flyers at school.The Riverside Pre-School top class visited on the 5th May. They listened to the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ in the straw shelter and went on a minibeast safari and pond dipping. . HKEEC Wins an Award! School Grounds Development Project A number of primary schools have been involved in a school grounds development project coordinated by Andrew Berry, Advisory Service Kent which began with a launch at the Centre on the 6th February. Phil Bracegirdle led the morning session on how to use Flashmeeting as the project involved a video link with participating schools later on the 26th March.
This Flashmeeting event enabled pupils from the different schools to ask a variety of questions ranging from how to encourage wildlife to their school grounds, to the differences between butterflies and moths. The project continued on 7th and 8th May when small groups from the following schools; Culverstone Green and Kings Hill on the 7th and Borough Green, St George’s, Hextable and Our Ladys, Dartford on the 8th, took part in the pupil activity days where the children become nature detectives for the day and investigated a range of freshwater and land habitats. The aim was for the rest of the class back at school to also study their grounds during the morning. The groups then took part in individual school Flashmeetings where they were able to discuss their findings live with their friends back at school. During this time other groups were preparing some art displays before going out again to complete a plan of the wildlife area.
We hope to deliver more Early Years provision in 2010. Look out for further information in your school.
Delegates preparing outdoor resources during the 'Whatever the Weather' INSET course | Class Visits Last year the Centre was visited by over 4,000 mainly Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils accompanied by their teachers and parent helpers. Most classes carried out village, Victorian and river studies. There several days available during Terms 1 and 2 2010. In addition to local, river and village studies, the wildlife area is an appropriate resource for minibeast and habitat investigations up to the end of October, then ideally from March 2010. WW2 Writing Project During spring terms 1 & 2 the Centre is organising pupil activities which include a visit in November (date to be announced) to experience what life was like for local children on the ‘Home Front’. We hope that pupils will be able to meet and interview ex-evacuees and use ICT to find WW2 resources on the internet. Apart from this special project WW2 visits may be booked from November 2009 - February 2010.
An ICT INSET course at the Centre For further information about class visits and how to book see booking info. For a summary of the Main Programme of Study offered see Study Topics.
Frequent visitors to the wildlife area Wildlife Area Developments Work on the site was again carried out during the winter by the local Environmental Task Force. In the past they have improved the paths, constructed a barrier by the main pond, cleared undergrowth, assisted with water recycling and created further mini habitats. Groundwork Kent and Medway, with the help of young adults with additional needs, have also cleared vegetation to provide more light for plant growth. The ETF also prepared the old air raid shelter for our WW2 evacuation experiences and prepared the ground for a mini allotment which we hope will contribute to our ‘Dig For Victory’ theme. Anderson Shelter Experiences In addition to using the old school brick built WW2 air raid shelter a replica Anderson Shelter, made out of corrugated iron, was constructed over the winter by the ETF and other volunteers. This will provide pupils with an opportunity to experience what wartime children had to endure nightly during the worst of the air raids. A Straw Bale Outdoor Classroom During last October half term break several volunteers helped to build a straw bale shelter. 60 bales were used, together with rafter boards, 2.40m x 1.20m wooden sheets, roofing felt and polythene damp course were the main items used. The aim was to create a construction out of as many natural materials as possible. We aim to grow a green roof planted with Sedum and other low water maintenance flora. The shelter will be used as an outdoor classroom for pupil visits to the wildlife area with log seating and possibly a workbench. Maybe even the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ could come alive in the shelter!
For more photos of the straw shelter’s construction visit http://www.swanleyed.org.uk/ Volunteers are frequently required to carry out conservation management work in order to maintain this delicate habitat and assist with the recycling area. Plus manage the "Dig for Victory" mini allotment. Please contact the Centre Manager for further details. Archive:
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