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Notes
Prior to
Visit
Early
Years
Aims
Aims
This Wee Wellie Wander is a great way to explore, engage and have fun in your natural
environment. The outdoors can stimulate the senses to create a memorable experience
and also to stimulate questioning, critical thinking, creativity and expression.
The activities are fun and encourage children to use their senses and look and observe
what they see around them. It’s a sensory feast with all the things you can see, touch,
hear and smell on the journey.
Contact Details
Address – Monike Country Park, The Ranger Centre, Monike, Angus, DD5 3QN
Telephone – 01382 370202
Email – monikiepark@angus.gov.uk
* Packs must be booked, also discuss what other services they offer at the park.
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Information
Booking
Call Monike Park Ranger to book your visit on 01382 370202 or email
monikiepark@angus.gov.uk
Clothing
Write home to parents/guardians to advise of visit and ensure pupils are dressed
appropriately for the season – wear wellingtons, bring waterproofs, and be prepared to
get mucky!
Read and Choose
Read the Facilitators Pack and choose the activities you want to do on your visit. *see
Suggested Activities
Resources
Gather resources, see listing on each activity sheet in Facilitators Pack or look at the
Resources to Bring
On Arrival
A member of staff will welcome you on arrival and give you a Facilitators Pack, please
meet at the Ranger Centre.
Risk Assessment
Please contact Park Rangers at Monikie Park Country Park as they have looked at risks
for visits, please ask to be emailed a copy when booking. It is recommended you visit
the park before your visit
Monikie Country Park Code
Make pupils aware of the Monikie Country Park Code - Don’t intentionally damage any
wildlife, Make no unnecessary noise, Don’t uproot any plants, Take your litter home or
use bins provided, Don’t climb walls, Leave gates as you find them, Stay in sight of your
teacher/ranger, Follow instructions of your teacher/ranger. Stay away from the waters
edge.
Most importantly – have fun!
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Information
Parking and Dropping Off Point
Buses can park in the car park, which is close to the Ranger Centre
Navigation
There is a map in the pack and we have 4 suggested areas for the activities to take
place and suggested which activities will work in each area. Bird Hide, Larch Woods,
North Wood, Duck Lawn. See Map
Ratios of Teacher/Pupils
The Wee Wellie Wander is intended to be a Self Led pack. Please ensure you have
enough staff to cover it. To do all the activities it is best to split into groups of 6-8 pupils
with a Teacher or Lead person to take a group. *please adapt ratios to suit your needs!
Teachers Pack and Resource Bag
Collect when arrive (arrange when booking) In your teachers pack you should find a
laminated copy of this guide, coloured spots, stencils, magnifying glasses, funky specs
and mirrors. Please ensure you bring along your resources too!
Curriculum links
The activities in this pack allow you to make your own links to the areas of the curriculum
which are relevant to you and can be used to support and enhance learning in literacy,
numeracy, health and well being, expressive arts as well as social subjects, science and
technology. * see Curricular Links used by others
Toilets
Toilets with wheel chair access are at the car park and near the Ranger Centre. See
Map
Wheelchair Access
Bird Hide and Larch Woods are wheel chair accessible, North Wood ground can be
an uneven surface but is accessible. The Duck Lawn is on the grass and can get a bit
soggy near the edge (weather dependent).
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Information
Resources to Bring
Cameras, string or wool (approx 2 metres per group of 6), clothes pegs (approx. 12 per
group of 6), bag of broken up brown bread, tub of bird seeds, plasticine, scissors, a bag
for each pupil to collect found objects that interests them, wipes for mucky hands and a
story book * see list of suggested books for Once upon a Time. Notepad/Dictaphone to
record children's learning.
Clothing
All Children should be suitably dressed for the weather, it’s much more fun if you’re dry
and in warm clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit mucky in.
On going activities throughout your visit
You should start these activities at the beginning of the sessions.
Story String - use it to peg on reminders of activities and experiences as you go on
your journey . The interesting things pupils find can be pegged to the string and used as
a prompt for recalling the sequence of events. Back in school, it can be used for further
learning and to add photos.
“What will we add to the string?”
Seeing Circles – Look for circle shapes on your journey and take photos of them, from
natural circles of plant heads and berries to tyre wheels and life ring.
Trails – Be a detective and look out for trails and marks in the soft ground to see what
animal, birds and people have been visiting or living there.
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Look out for
Giants in the Forest, North Wood.
Created by Vision Mechanics
http://www.giantsintheforest.com/
Elephant tree near the ranger
Centre and beside Byzantium
North Wood, Frame cut into a tree
trunk.
Look out for the bird boxes and
bat boxes on your journey
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Area description and
suggested activities
LARCH WOODS (wheel chair accessible)
The Larch Woods are located behind the Byzantium
Cafe, near the car park and toilets. This area is made up
of mostly Larch trees, the paths around these woods are
mostly wheelchair accessible and there are benches
dotted about the place. These woods are generally quite
quiet and have a peaceful feel to them.
Suitable Activities
Story String, Seeing Circles, Creative Creatures, Mirror
Mirror, Stacked Leafy Sculptures, Woodland Coats,
Woodland Trail, Natures Palette, Ground Graffiti,
Legwarmer Trees, Land shapes, Once Upon A Time,
Walk Like The Animal, Sandy The Slater, Natures
Perfume, Countryside Clues, Monikie Monster, Funky
Specs.
NORTH WOOD
North Woods are located along the path from the
Ranger centre, passed the Marquee; they are the woods
on the left passed the first bridge. These woods have a
different feel to them compared to Larch woods as the
type of trees here are different and it covers a larger
area. The start of the woodland is made up of mostly
spruce plantation trees with a beech strip on the
left whereas the further you walk in, passed the play
park, the more it turns to a mixed woodland. You can
have a look out for the Giant heads hanging from the
trees near the Zipline area or search on the ground for
any signs of wildlife that may have left tracks.
Suitable Activities
Story String, Seeing Circles, Creative Creatures, Mirror
Mirror, Stacked Leafy Sculptures, Woodland Coats,
Woodland Trail, Natures Palette, Ground Graffiti,
Legwarmer Trees, Land Shapes, You’ve Been Framed,
Once Upon A Time, Walk Like The Animal, Sandy The
Slater, Natures Perfume, Countryside Clues, Monikie
Monster, Funky Specs.
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Area description and
suggested activities
DUCK LAWN
The duck feeding area is an open space of grass right in
front of the Ranger Centre. There are a couple of
interesting trees dotted about the place such as
the Sequoia tree so good for looking at the different
types of bark. This area can become a little wet and
boggy towards the edge of the water when there has
been a lot of rain so best to be prepared with wellies on.
Suitable Activities
Story String, Seeing Circles, Pecking The Patterns,
Legwarmer Trees, Woodland Coats, Natures Palette,
Mirror Mirror, Ground Graffiti, Walk Like The Animal,
Natures Perfume, Monike Monster, Funky Specs
BIRD HIDE (wheel chair accessible)
The bird hide is located half way down the path passed
the duck feeding area, towards the South gate. In here
you will experience a spectacular view of our bird
sanctuary where you are likely to see Black Headed
Gulls, Coots, Moorhens and Swans to name a few.
Suitable Activities
Story String, Seeing Circles, You’ve Been Framed,
Once Upon A Time, Funky Specs.
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Suggested books for
Once Upon a Time…
“Percy’s Friends the Ducks” by Nick Butterworth
“Just Ducks!” by Nicola Davies
“Footprints in the Snow” by Mei Matsouka
“The Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carl
“The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson
“The Gruffalos Child” by Julia Donaldson
“What the Ladybird Heard” by Julie Donaldson
“The Big Bottom Hunt” by Lari Don
“The Foggy Foggy Forrest” by Nick Sharratt
“Molly and the Storm” by Christine Leeson
“In the Woods” by Chris Wormell
“Leaf Trouble” by Jonathon Emmet
“The Treasure Hunt” by Nick Butterworth
“The Bears Winters House” by John Yeoman & Quentin Blake
“Big Smelly Bear” by Britta Teckenturp
“Bear’s New Friend” by Karma Wilson
“Crafty Little Freddie” by Christine Leeson
“Little Owl” by Piers Harper
“The Prickly Hedgehog” by Mark Ezra
“Goose on the Loose” by Claire Freeman
“Green Line” by Polly Farquharson
“A House in the Woods” by Inga Moore
“Christopher Nibble” by Charlotte Middleton
“King of Birds” by Helen Ward
“Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen
“Percy and the Park Keeper” by Nick Butterworth (any in the series)
“The Hodgeheg” by Dick King-Smith
Some of the classics such as Hansel and Gretel, Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood.
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Further Reading
Books & websites
Nature playground – Fiona Danks & Jo Schofield
Researching children researching the world – edited by Susi Bankcroft, Mary Fawcett
and Penny Hay
The Outdoor Classroom – Hilary Harriman
Make it wild 101 things to make and do outdoors – Fiona Danks & Jo Schofield
I love my world – Chris Holland
Andy Goldsworthy: a collaboration with nature – Andy Goldsworthy
Hand to earth – Andy Goldsworthy
Peter Van Metre (nature guru)
Hola (Healthy Outdoor Learning Angus)
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/approaches/outdo
orlearning
www.richardshilling.co.uk
www.landartforkids.com
www.naturedetectives.org.uk
www.snh.gov.uk/about-scotlands-nature/resources-for-teaching/learning-outdoors/
www.robertsmithson.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkHRZQU6bjI
http://www.eartheducation.org.uk/programmes/earthwalks.html
http://www.giantsintheforest.com/
http://www.mindstretchers.co.uk/
http://www.mindstretchers.co.uk/
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Curricular Links used by
others
Woodland Coats
LIT 0-10a – As I listen and take part in conversation and discussions, I can discover new
words and phrases which I use to help me express my ideas, thoughts and feelings
Stacked Leaves Sculptures
EXA 0-16a – Working on my own and with others, I use my curiosity and imagination to
solve design problems
MTH – 0-16a – I enjoy investigating objects and shapes and can sort, describe and be
creative with them
Ground Graffiti
EXA 0-06a – Working on my own and with others, I use my curiosity and imagination to
solve design problems
Mirror Mirror
MTH 0-19a – I had fun creating and range of symmetrical pictures and patterns using a
range of media
Story String
SOC 0-7a – I explore and discover the interesting features of my local environment to
develop and awareness of the world around me
SOC 0-15a – I am aware that different types of evidence can help me to find out about
the world around me
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Teachers’ and Pupils’
Quotes
“The pack was easy to use and the activities were enjoyable – my pupils had a great
time and are still talking about it. It allows the children a hands on learning experience in
an unfamiliar and exciting environment” – P1 Teacher from Borrowfield
“I liked squashing the plasticine to get bumpy bits from the trees” – P1 pupil
“I saw the top of the tree in the mirror” – Nursery Pupil
I made a sun picture, and we made it with seeds and its going to feed the birds” –
nursery pupil
“We had great fun and learned lots of new and interesting things and are looking forward
to developing our new ideas n our own outdoor area!” – Seaview Nursery
“I liked reading the story in the forest and doing al the actions and noises” – P1 pupil
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park
Suggested activities
A Morning or Afternoon Visit
You’ve been Framed, Sandy the Slater, Woodland Coats, Legwarmer Trees, Duck
Activity
A Walk
Seeing Circles, Story String, Trails
A Full Day Visit
Story String, You’ve been Framed, Funky Specs, Monike Monster, Duck Activity
A Wet & Wild Visit
Story String, Ground Graffiti, Legwarmer Trees, Land shapes
A Spring Visit
Natures Perfume, Natures Palette, Duck Activity, Funky Specs
A Summer Visit
Seeing Circles, Story String, Mirror Mirror, Woodland Coats
An Autumn Visit
Land shapes, Creative Creatures, Stacked Leafy Sculptures, Land Shapes, Monike
Monster, Sandy the Slater, Leaf Trail, Ground Graffiti
A Winter Visit
Duck Activity, Ground Graffiti, Mirror Mirror, Legwarmer Trees
Wee Wellie Wander,
Monike Country Park