Sustainable schools (Y5/6)
Lots of practical activities investigating habitats, energy & water use and food miles (audits). Find out how these resources are managed at the centre and farm. Try the activities back at school … how sustainable are you?
QCA Sci 6A, 6B, 6D, 5A
QCA Geog unit 8
Core activities
Healthy habitats (show details)
How many different types of plants and animals live in a habitat? The more different types, the higher the biodiversity, the healthier the habitat.
Pupils compare habitats to find out which has the highest biodiversity. Sampling may include use of quadrats for plant cover/types and various methods for minibeast sampling including pooters, pitfalls, beat trays and sweep nets! During the sampling activities, sustainable practice is demonstrated through careful sampling of the habitat and gentle handling of minibeasts, including their safe return to the habitat! Whilst outdoors, pupils use simple keys to identify the plants and animals and record their findings.
The sampling methods used can easily be repeated at home/school without the need for expensive equipment. This would allow you to look at biodiversity closer to home too!
Learning outcomes:
- understand that healthy habitats have a high biodiversity – lots of different plants and animals
- understand that different plants and animals are found in different habitats
- use keys to identify land animals
- sort and group animals by observable features
Curriculum links: Sci 3B, 4B, 5B, 6A
Waste or resource? (show details)
What do we throw away? Sort and classify the many different materials thrown out in our waste each day. Group the materials and decide what you could do with them. What should you do? This quick table top activity works well as an introduction or brainstorming activity to get teams talking and thinking (about) rubbish!
Learning outcomes:
- Recognise and name different types of material including paper, glass, metal, fabric, plastic and organic.
- Understand that some of the materials can be collected and recycled or reused.
- Consider how their own choices and actions at school and home can help to reduce waste.
Curriculum links: QCA
What rots? (show details)
What happens to materials that are buried at landfill sites? Find out by digging up waste from the Centre's very own mini landfill. Before you start, you need to think! What is the waste made from? How will it change in a month? A year? In 7 years? Discuss predictions with your team… then start digging!
Learning outcomes:
- Recognise that domestic waste is made up of a range of different materials.
- Be able to give examples of materials that decay quickly.
- Describe the possible causes of decay eg. plants, animals, fungi and bacteria.
- Know that decomposition is an example of an irreversible change.
Curriculum links: QCA 3
Optional activities
Soil detectives (show details)
What is a healthy soil like? Find out what a good growing soil is like by testing soils on the farm. Are the soils at Sparsholt Farm the same? How does the farmer change the soils and improve them? How can the farmer sustain the soils?
Pupils work in teams to test soil texture, moisture, acid/alkali and pollution levels. Pupils can then explore 'life' in the soils by rotter hunting or even 'worm charming'! Once the soils have been tested, which team can solve the puzzle of what to grow there?
Learning outcomes:
- understand that different crops (plants) need different types of soil to grow well
- understand that differences between soils can be identified by testing
- know that waste from the farm can be used as a farm fertiliser
- understand that the cycling of waste is an example of sustainable practice
Curriculum links: QCA Science 3b, 3d, 4a, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b
