S.O.C.S.
&
Education
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The Hi-Tech Wild-Trek trailer
On numerous occasions SOCS has had the pleasure of teaming up with Dr Richard Osmond and his “Hi-Tech Wild-Trek trailer”. This is a captivating hi-tech educational dislay which is available to visit schools, nature reserves and outdoor events to give a fascinating insight into local biodiversity.
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| The very popular Hi-Tech Wild- Trek trailer |
The trailer is equipped with video equipment linked to microscopes and a computer, so a full range of plant and animal life can be displayed and recorded. After a pond dipping session, captured mini-beasts can be viewed through a video microscope linked to a big screen, making them look like monsters!. During the visit the on-board biologist is always at hand to help with capturing and identifying wildlife.
The Hi-Tech Wild-Trek trailer is always a hit with the children. For more details and to book a visit, please visit this website: |
| www.5kingdoms.co.uk |
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| Schools River Visit |
The Sussex Ouse Conservation Society
Rivers Visit Scheme is funded by the Society and is completely free
to schools within the River Ouse Catchment.
The programme is designed
to last a whole morning, but can be extended with additional material
to last all day if required .
This particular programme has been developed specifically for Key
Stage 2 students and has proved to be very popular with pupils,
teachers and participating parents alike.
Over the past few years, we have expanded the activity to include other youth organizations such as the YMCA, Scouts and Guides.
The outdoor activities are designed for six groups of children; it
is advisable that each group is accompanied by at least one adult.
Below is the programme for the
visit, a list of equipment that S.O.C.S. will provide, a list of equipment
that the school will need to provide, and information for parents
on what to send their children into school with on the day of the
Rivers Visit.
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| River Dipping Session |
Programme
River Dipping
The object of the exercise is to find
out what lives in the river. Using nets, trays and identification
keys the pupils collect kick samples of the river inhabitants and
identify them. Once identified using the key, the species found are
recorded on a tick sheet. If the weather is inclement, samples can
be taken back for examination in the classroom. (S.O.C.S. will provide
containers for this purpose).
Using the information gathered on the Minibeast Tick Sheets we work
out how clean or polluted our river is using the Environment Agency’s
General Water Quality Assessment methodology.
In addition the activities can be either preceded or followed up using
the additional information included in the Schools Pack folder provided
by S.O.C.S. which covers:
- The Sussex River Ouse
- A Food Chain and A Food Web
- Life Cycles
- Facts about Water
If you would like any further information
on our educational programme please contact us..
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| Part of the Schools Pack produced
by S.O.C.S. |
Requirements
S.O.C.S. will provide:
- Nets, trays and waterproof identification keys
The School needs to provide:
- River/Stream -You will need to select a suitable section of
river or stream – near to your school, one that is ‘natural’
and accessible. Please ensure that riverbanks are not steep and
are easily accessible by the children at a place where the river
is shallow. The S.O.C.S. Education Officer will be pleased to
advise on this. If on our visit the river is sufficiently high
to pose a threat to safety, then the Education Officer of S.O.C.S.
will do the ‘getting into the river’ bit and the children
can do the remainder of the activities in safety on the riverbank.
Should you have any difficulty in arranging access or finding
a suitable section of river, please do not hesitate to contact
S.O.C.S.
- Access - Please ensure that you have permission to use the selected
section of river.
- Transport - If transporting children please organise your own
facilities, ensuring that drivers know where they are going and
that they know what time to pick up the children.
- School Facilities - Ordinary classroom facilities will suffice,
with sufficient table area for sorting the specimens if this activity
is to take place in school, (waterproof covering advisable). S.O.C.S.
can provide PowerPoint or overhead projection presentations where
facilities exist.
- Stationery - One clipboard, pencil and eraser for each pupil.
To be supplied by the children.
For each child a:
- Waterproof cover to go over the clipboard that allows writing
but minimises wetness, i.e. big transparent plastic bag.
- Waterproof coat.
- Pair of wellies or old shoes, so old that it doesn’t
matter if they get really wet and smelly.
- Waterproof hat or rain hood.
- Some gloves for cold hands if the weather is cold.
- A change of clothing is advised
Here's what one of the schools that participated in our scheme had to say
 On Tuesday 20th March 2007, three visitors from the S.O.C.S. (Sussex Ouse Conservation Society) came to help us find out about the sort of life in the stream behind our school. The twenty one children in Dolphin class were terribly excited about it although when they arrived in their class room at 8:45 it was raining quite hard. Luckily it dried up in time and everyone strolled to the river equipped with buckets and nets.
 As the water was still quite deep, Sam, Geoff and Amanda from S.O.C.S. climbed into the water to collect samples and water. Once back in the classroom, pupils and staff busily started to use the identification keys to find out what some of the creatures found were called.
The little creatures identified included: Hoglouse, Mayfly Nymph, Water Snail, Leech, Freshwater Shrimp and Pea Mussel.
Finally a pollution assessment was carried out and they discovered that the river was fairly clean. Thank goodness!
Hopefully we will welcome back the SOCS in the summer and repeat our assessment.
Thank you to Sam, Geoff and Amanda of the SOCS for a fabulous and informative morning.
St Peters School, Chailey. |
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