KS2 Course Information - Field Studies Council

John Muir Award Weather & Microclimates Geography & Numbers
Farming Mountainous Environments Quarrying Stream Habitats
Malham Tarn Field Centre
Courses for KS2
Malham Tarn Field Centre is situated in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, overlooking Malham Tarn, which forms the focus
for an internationally important Nature Reserve. The reserve and surrounding area contain a large and diverse range of
habitats, which provide a range of biological, geographical and historical field sites.
The Field Centre offers a wide range of different topics that can be selected to form a tailor-made progressive course of any
length to suit the needs and requirements of individual learners and schools. The topics have been designed to have strong
links across the KS2 curriculum and support the ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes.
As well as exploring different aspects of learning about the environment, each course has a strong emphasis on developing
personal confidence and team-building skills and includes activities to encourage cultural appreciation, artistic development
and physical well being. Courses can also be designed to enable students to achieve their John Muir Discovery Award.
Conservation Challenge Pond Dipping Investigating Rivers Limestone Landscapes Caves
Woodlands Team Building Rocks & Soil Contrasting Localities Settlement Studies
The Field Studies Council (FSC) is an environmental education charity committed to
helping people explore, understand and be inspired by the natural world. Each year over
100,000 people experience the FSC through visits to our network of 17 Centres

Your course can be compiled from the following list of topics to create a course that meets your group’s specific requirements.
In consultation with your Centre Tutor the course can be adapted to your group’s age, time of year, length of visit and the
outcomes you would like from the course.
Topics marked with * can be offered as stand alone day visits if required. For more information on Day Visits, please contact
the Field Centre office.
Topic Description Site
Malham/Clapham
as a Contrasting
Locality*
(1/2 day)
Discover how the rural village of Malham compares to the student's
home location. What services are available? What are the
similarities/differences and how does it feel to be here? Can be
combined with investigating rivers, stream habitats, an explore of the
stunning limestone scenery of Malhamdale (Malham) or a visit to
Ingleborough Show Cave (Clapham).
Malham
Village /
Clapham
Village
QDCA
SofW links
Geog 13
Investigating
Rivers*
(1/2 day)
How does a river change? Measure width, depth and velocity at different
places along a river and study river features looking for evidence of how
the river has shaped the landscape. Can be combined with investigating
stream invertebrates or a visit to Ingleborough Cave.
Clapham
Beck or
Malham
Beck
Geog 14
Mountainous
Environments*
Investigate what a mountainous environment is like. Use hand held
instruments to discover how climate changes as you ascend from
Clapham Village to Gaping Gill on the slopes of Ingleborough.
Clapham Geog 15
Weather and
microclimates*
(1/2 day)
How do we measure the weather? Activity includes a visit to the Field
Centre's Met Station and using hand held instruments to measure the
micro climate in a variety of contrasting places to solve a problem.
Centre
grounds
Geog 15
Limestone
Landscapes*
An adventurous 4 mile expedition through the stunning limestone
scenery in Malhamdale including Malham Cove. Hike can be extended to
include the beautiful waterfalls of Janet's Foss and Gordale Scar if time
and stamina allow! This day is an integral part of a John Muir Award
course, but makes a memorable addition to any course.
Malhamdale Geog 15
Science 3D
Quarrying / local
traffic*
Visit a local quarry and think about the impact of the industry on the local
landscape and traffic pressures through the nearby towns.
Helwith
Bridge
Geog 20
Geography and
Numbers*
(1/2 or whole day)
Settlement
Study*
(1/2 day)
Team Building*
(1/2 day or
evening)
Farming - Where
does our food
come from?
A variety of outdoor based activities designed to introduce map work and
navigation skills. Symbols, grid references, scale and compass work will
be covered. New skills can then be tested by planning a route for a mini
expedition in the afternoon.
Explore the village of Malham searching for evidence of previous settlers
and discovering what Malham has to offer the modern day settler.
A chance for students to challenge themselves and each other in a series
of activities designed to build on team work, trust and co-operation skills.
Students will be encouraged to plan activities and review their progress.
A half day activity or shortened to an evening. Individual activities can
also be slotted into other days as energiser activities.
An exciting day exploring the farming industry 'from farm to fork'. Day
includes a farm visit and can end with an opportunity for the students to
make their own burgers to eat for tea out of local ingredients.
Centre
grounds
Geog 25
Malham Geog 9
Centre
Grounds
New House
Farm
PE 20
Citizenship
1
Citizenship
3
Rock and Soil*
(1/2 day)
Investigate the characteristics and properties of different rocks and soils
through a range of hands on activities.
Centre
grounds
Science 3D
FSC Malham Tarn Field Centre, Settle North Yorkshire, BD24 9PU
T: 01729-830331 F: 01729-830658 E: enquiries.mt@field-studies-council.org W: www.field-studies-council.org
Field Studies Council is a limited Company, registered in England and Wales No. 412621 and a Charity No. 313364. Registered Office; Preston Montford, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1HW

Topic Description Site
The Malham Soil
Mystery
(1/2 day)
Small Mammal
Trapping
(evening activity
or short activity)
Stream Habitats*
(1/2 day)
Pond Habitats*
(1/2 day)
Woodland
Habitat*
(1/2 day)
Hibernation and
Nest Building
(short activity)
Seed Dispersal
Challenge
(evening activity)
The Eggcellent
Malham Egg Drop
Challenge!
(evening activity)
Cave Visit
Unravel the clues left in the muddy footprint to solve the mystery of who
stole the cake! Soil colour, texture and pH will all be used to match the
soil sample to the perpetrator!
Set Longworth small mammal traps in the woods to trap wood mice and
voles. Think about what a mammal will need to survive in the trap and
investigate the best place to site the traps to maximise chances of a
successful catch! Combines well with woodland habitat day and
hibernation/nest building experiment.
Explore the life within a freshwater stream habitat. Investigate where
invertebrates prefer to live, who eats who and discover the fantastic
adaptations invertebrates have to cope with stream life. Develop
identification skills through the use of keys and consider food chains and
energy flow through the use of environmental games.
What lurks at the bottom of the Field Centre's peat pools? Explore
adaptations of invertebrates and build food chains and webs. Combined
with a stream habitat day it allows comparisons of different habitats to
be made.
Investigate the woodland habitat from the soil to the canopy using all
your senses thorough a variety of activities. Explore the interdependence
of plants and animals.
Investigate use of different materials to make the ultimate nest to keep
mammals warm over winter.
In teams, design the ultimate mechanism for making your seed travel the
furthest, selecting the most appropriate materials from those provided.
Design and build a contraption to protect a raw egg from breaking when
dropped from a height. Work as a team and choose wisely from a
selection or materials provided in order to prevent disaster!
A guided tour through the impressive Ingleborough show cave near
Clapham (£3.10pp). Combines well with river work at Clapham
Centre
grounds
Centre
grounds
Clapham
Beck,
Malham
Beck or
Gordale
Beck
QDCA
SofW links
Science 3D
Science 4B
Science 6A
Science 4B,
5B, 6A
Tarn Moss Science 4B,
5B, 6A
Tarn Woods Science 4B,
5B, 6A
Centre
grounds
Centre
grounds
Centre
grounds
Clapham
Science 4C,
4B, 6A
Science 5B,
6E
Science 6E
Cross
Curricular
Conservation
challenge*
(1/2 day)
A chance for students to get involved in a practical hands-on
conservation based activity within the centre grounds. An integral part of
a John Muir Award course, but can be incorporated into any course.
Centre
grounds
Cross
Curricular
Night/Dusk walk
(evening activity)
Nightline
(evening activity)
A short walk around the grounds in the dark or at dusk (depending on
time of year) to explore the sounds, smells and sights of the evening.
Includes wildlife spotting and star gazing (cloud dependant!)
An exercise in trust and communication! Guide your blindfolded partner
around a rope course through the woodland undergrowth.
Centre
grounds
Centre
grounds
Cross
Curricular
Cross
Curricular
Environmental
Art*
(1/2 day or
evening activity)
Using natural objects scavenged from around the centre grounds create
artwork or sculptures capturing the huge variety of textures and colours
available in nature.
Centre
grounds
Cross
Curricular
For further information on any of the above topics, please contact the Education Team at Malham Tarn Field Centre by
telephone on 01729 830331 or email: tutors.mt@field-studies-council.org.
FSC Malham Tarn Field Centre, Settle North Yorkshire, BD24 9PU
T: 01729-830331 F: 01729-830658 E: enquiries.mt@field-studies-council.org W: www.field-studies-council.org
Field Studies Council is a limited Company, registered in England and Wales No. 412621 and a Charity No. 313364. Registered Office; Preston Montford, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1HW

Example Programme for a 4 night stay
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Morning Afternoon Evening
Arrive 1-1:30pm
Where are we?
A variety of activities to allow the students to
start to discover the area around Malham Tarn.
Investigating Rivers and Stream Habitats
Including a visit to Ingleborough Show Cave
Limestone Landscapes
Hike through stunning scenery of Malhamdale
Farming in the Yorkshire Dales – Where does our food come from?
Team Building
Challenges
Night/Dusk Walk
Malham Egg
Drop Challenge
Small Mammal
Trapping
Day 5 Woodland Habitats Depart After Lunch 12:30 – 1:00pm
Malham Tarn Field Centre and the John Muir Award Scheme
The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme focusing on wild places – from
mountain tops to city gardens. It encourages environmental discovery and conservation in a
spirit of fun, adventure and exploration. At Malham Tarn Field Centre, we offer a 4 night
course designed to allow students to gain their John Muir Discovery Award based around the
four themes of the scheme – Discover, Explore, Conserve and Share. More information is
available from the Field Centre and the John Muir Award website; www.johnmuiraward.org.
Course start and finish times
Tailor made courses can start and finish in the morning, afternoon or evening. The table below indicates suitable arrival and
departure times based on your course start/finish times.
Course start time
Course Finish Time
10am 1.30pm 6pm 12.30pm 4.30pm evening
Arrival Time 9.30-10am 1-1.30pm 4.30-5pm Departure Time 12.30-1pm 4.30-5pm 9.30am
(Following morning)
Costs
Fees will depend upon the time of year of your course and the length of stay. Please see the ‘Course Fees for School Groups’ sheet
for costs or contact the Centre. Fees include all tuition and full board accommodation for your chosen length of course. Transport
by Centre minibus during the course is charged separately and depends on topics chosen. These prices are detailed in the ‘Course
Transport’ sheet.
Quality Assured
The Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Quality Badge provides a national accreditation combining the essential elements of
provision – learning and safety – into one easily recognisable and trusted Quality Badge for all types of Learning Outside the
Classroom provider organisations. Further information on the Quality Badge can be found by visiting the Frequently Asked
Questions section of the LOTC Quality Badge website: www.lotcqualitybadge.org.uk.
Certificate number: R2QB100474 Date renewed: 10 th March 2011
FSC Malham Tarn Field Centre, Settle North Yorkshire, BD24 9PU
T: 01729-830331 F: 01729-830658 E: enquiries.mt@field-studies-council.org W: www.field-studies-council.org
Field Studies Council is a limited Company, registered in England and Wales No. 412621 and a Charity No. 313364. Registered Office; Preston Montford, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1HW