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Nature Resources from Cheltenham Science Festival – June 2010

Schools Out — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:28:35 +0000

I picked up loads of resources last week at the Cheltenham Science Festival. I want to share them on here, so will split them into Nature, Science/Eng and Art.

These are the ‘Nature’ related resources I collected:

A number of factsheets, games, surveys, competitions and resources can be found from Opal. We picked up a series of sheets ‘Pond Puzzler’ and ‘Water Wonders’ – exploring pond dipping; ‘Worms are Wild’ and ‘Super Soil’ – about wormeries and composting; ‘Looking for Lichens’ and ‘Climate Mission’ – concern air quality and pollution. I will attempt to scan and add when I’m feeling more awake!
National Geographic Kids site has a similar array of resources
I picked up a booklet from Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust all about The Park, the University of Gloucestershire campus in Cheltenham. It contains the history of the site, and details of the wildlife, trees and other things of horticultural interest! Might have to have a wander there one day!
I was given sunflower seeds by the Global Bee Project, to attract bees long enough to photograph and upload to their site to help monitor bee numbers. They have a flickr account, and are on facebook.
Conservation travel company Steppes Discovery were running a trail to explain about different creatures close to extinction all over the world. I was recommended the site as being full of resources for home educators!!
We picked up a volcano model to create. Having now looked at the British Geological Survey website, their homepage is full of fantastic links and resources, and the ‘Learning and Popular Geology‘ section is definitely worth a look.

50 Science things to make and do

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:26:16 +0000

I can recommend this book for simple, fun science experiments, with clear, concise explanations of the science behind them.

Ice Mobiles – Outdoor crafts

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:22:17 +0000

This was kindly contributed by Karin:

We’ve had fun making ice mobiles – one of many wonderful ‘crafts, activities and games to get children outdoors’ included in the beautiful ‘Naure’s Playground’ by Fiona Banks and Jo Schofield. A great start to bushcraft with younger people.

Edit – you can find out how to make ice mobiles here

Also there are 2 other books by the same authors mentioned above that I have been recommended:

Make it Wild, and Go Wild

Any book reviews welcome!!

Ice hotels resource

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:16:21 +0000

Visit this site to answer questions about Ice Hotels related to our recent snowy weather!

Home Ed Choir – Stroud

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:13:19 +0000

I can recommend the HE Choir in Stroud.
Each session we’ll do a mixture of physical and vocal warm-ups and games to help with listening and copying skills, followed by learning a variety of songs from around the world.

Children and parents of all ages are welcome. No previous experience required. If you’re an adult who thinks you can’t sing, you’re very welcome too! The cost will be £3 per family, regardless of the number of participants.

Contact me for further details.

Introducing maths in HE

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:05:27 +0000

This is a useful site I have found about how to approach maths in a home ed context.

Gloucestershire Libraries’ Education Service

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:59:08 +0000

You can order library books on themes from the Library’s Education Service (delivered to your local library).

Contact:

Susan Staniforth (Westwood)
Manager
Library Services for Education
Gloucestershire County Council
Quayside House, Shire Hall, Gloucester GL1 2HY
Tel: 01452 427247
E-mail: susan.staniforth@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Roman Villa- Gt. Witcombe, Brockworth

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:51:48 +0000

I visited the English Heritage Roman Villa, at Gt Witcombe, just outside Brockworth this week. Nice walk, beautiful views, and free to visit!

Sudeley Castle – Henry VIII exhibition

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:46:14 +0000

I can recommend the exhibition at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, on Henry VIII and his six wives. It is also where Katherine Parr lived with her 2nd husband after Henry died, and where she later died.

The castle also boasts beautiful gardens to walk around, with exotic birds. There is also a fantastic adventure playground for kids to explore. It is quite expensive considering the castle isn’t open to visitors, but we found a 50% off voucher online.

Young Artist’s Club – Cinderford’s Artspace

Schools Out — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 22:44:39 +0000

We have also found the Young Artist’s Club at Cinderford’s Artspace a fab little group
For kids around 5-10yrs, every Tues 4-6pm in term time.
They’ve done shadow puppets, making model racing cars, pottery, landscapes etc.