Eastlife Summer 2020 (Web)

• Find the ducks at Danbury Country Park lakes; can you spot a
Mallard or a Teal?
• Try geocaching! Explore the beautiful surrounds of a Country
Park with GPS technology, what treasures will you uncover?
• Find at least five different species of trees in the Country Parks
• Treat your furry friend to the dog activity course at Thorndon
South, or the dog agility course at Belhus Woods; there’s jumps,
hoops and ramps to enjoy
• Draw a picture of your favourite place in Essex and share it
with Explore Essex
• Spot the magnificent deer at Weald Country Park. Buy food
from the visitor centre and feed them through the chutes
• Fly a kite high in the sky at one of Essex’s Country Parks.
Hadleigh, Cudmore Grove, Weald and Thorndon South have
plenty of open spaces to enjoy the fresh air.
• Explore the Flitch Way and follow the former railway line by
foot or bicycle
• Go to the panto at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester
• Take in the views across London by walking across Old
Thorndon Pastures (from Thorndon South)
• Join a fun Park Run at one of the Country Parks. Most parks
host Park Runs and they take place every Saturday at 9am
• Visit the new permanent artwork by internationally-acclaimed
artist, Henry Driver in the Wheat Barn at Cressing Temple Barns
• Join a volunteer group! Get more involved with local places
and parks
• Make a bird feeder and see which birds you can attract to your
garden
• Take a walk around the lake at Thorndon South
• Hunt for fossils on the beach at Cudmore Grove Country Park,
but be careful not to disturb the cliffs
• Find the grazing sheep and goats at Thorndon North. Top tip:
call into the visitor centre to find out where they are likely to be
• Visit the Chelmsford Museum at Oaklands Park in Chelmsford
and detect some ancient coins
• Learn to read a map and follow a route through a Country Park
• Play a game of rounders or cricket
• Find five different types of leaves or flowers
• Visit the Antony Gormley exhibition at the Firstsite art gallery
in Colchester
• Come and enjoy the great outdoors at Family Forest School,
gather round the camp fire and so much more
• Hug a tree
• Make a bug house
• Get on your bikes! Take a cycle ride in one of the Country
Parks, you can hire bikes from Trailnet at Thorndon Country Park
or Hadleigh Park Cycles
• Taste three different types of chocolate
• Bring your magnifying glass and go on a bug hunt, remember
to count how many mini beasts you find
• Have a go at parkour in the special activity area at Hadleigh
Park
• Write a poem about your favourite place or green space
• Join a nature walk
• Visit the house of the Captain of the famous Mayflower ship,
Christopher James, in Harwich
• Walk up the Belvedere mound to the remains of the folly at
Weald Country Park
• Build a den
• Paint a pebble and gift it to a friend
• Read a book during half term
• Can you spot the fabulous Snow Bunting
along the foreshore at Cudmore Grove? The bird
is scarce in the UK but can be spotted during the
autumn and winter months
• Discover the hidden Victorian Ice House and
find out how food was once kept chilled at
Danbury Country Park
• Go to the theatre or a music concert
• Attend a session at one of the Essex Outdoors centres during
half term
• Go stargazing! Look up into the night sky and see if you can
make out any constellations
• See and smell the sensory garden at Thorndon North (close to
the visitor centre)
• Watch or join the mud run in Maldon
• Enjoy a family picnic
• Climb a tree
• Try your hand at bark or leaf rubbings
• Bring your binoculars and watch Kingfishers and Little Grebes
from the bird hide at Childerditch Pond, Thorndon North
• Go for a swim
• Attend an Essex 2020 STEAM event this year.
• Make a campfire (*only available in Country Parks during
Forest School and education sessions)
• Go for a jog in a park, get some green exercise
• Visit your local ‘Summer of Art’ trail or travel to somewhere new
to take in theirs
• Play hide and seek in the woods (but make sure not to lose
sight of your parents/children altogether)
• Visit the Blackwater Estuary from Cudmore Grove Country
Park and look for Grey Seals or catch a ferry from Brightlingsea
• Feed the birds
• Discover what lies beneath your feet! Many of the Country
Parks have geology trails, what can you find?
• Take a walk around Danbury Country Parks beautiful Victorian
Lakes
• Try orienteering! There’s a special course at Belhus Woods
Country Park, Great Notley Country Park and Weald Country Park
• Meet the peacocks at Weald Country Park
• Spot three different insects and find out their names
• Toast marshmallows (*only available in Country Parks as part
of a Forest School and education sessions)
• Read a book in the woods
• Skim stones on the foreshore of Cudmore Grove
• Take a torch, wrap up warm and enjoy a night walk at one of
the Country Parks
• Kick-up the autumn leaves
• Stand still and listen to the bird song, add audio to the Essex
Sounds map
• Try and capture a wild animal in a photograph, such as a
squirrel
• Attend the ‘Green Festival’ at Great Notley Country Park this
summer
• Don your wellies and take a stroll in a stream or seashore
• Exploring fungi is fun! Try and identify three different species
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