Here at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, our Learning and Engagement team offer curriculum- based education sessions for primary schools. These sessions can be adapted to meet the needs of each group and can be a full or half day at locations across the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Every session is designed to enhance the wellbeing of the participants through spending time outdoors and encouraging young people to connect with nature.
Early Years & Key Stage 1
| Woodland Adventure | Investigate a woodland habitat. Learn about the trees and animals who make it their home through a range of hands-on activities. |
| Patterns in Nature | Explore the natural environment using a range of art techniques. Find examples of symmetry and explore simple maths through nature. |
| A day on the Farm | Explore the changing seasons from a farming perspective. Meet a Yorkshire Dales farmer and learn about what they do. |
| The Lost Words | Explore the natural environment through the ‘spell’ poems and songs. Work together to create new poems and use natural materials to create music to accompany the words. |
Key Stage 2
| A Farming investigation | Visit a farm in the Dales to learn more about where our food comes from and how many farmers are using sustainable farming methods to enhance biodiversity and combat climate change. |
| A Landscape investigation | Discover how the geology of the Dales has formed some of our most iconic landscapes. NB. We can help you to organise your own visit to a quarry or show-cave to extend the learning experience. |
| A Lead Mining investigation | Take a journey back in time and explore how the Dales were once alive with industry and discover how lead mining forms part of the cultural heritage of the Yorkshire Dales. |
| A Meadow investigation (May – July) | Carry out a meadow survey, identify plants and butterflies, and explore the importance of these special habitats for biodiversity. |
| A Moorland investigation | Understand the flora and fauna of our moorlands and learn about the importance of upland peatlands as a specialist habitat and carbon store. Explore their role in combatting climate change through a range of practical activities. |
| A River investigation (April – October) | Carry out basic fieldwork to identify changes along the course of a river. Identify river features and processes. |
| A Tourism investigation | Learn about the impact and management of tourism in ‘honeypot’ sites across the Yorkshire Dales using a range of human geography fieldwork techniques. |
| A Woodland investigation | Explore our beautiful woodlands, learn techniques to identify trees and plants and find out what else lives in the woods. |
| Map skills | Develop map reading and compass skills through a variety of pupil led, engaging activities on a walk in the Yorkshire Dales. |
| Survival skills | Take yourself back to the stone age Europe depicted in the Wolf Brother book. Learn a variety of practical bushcraft skills. |
Most of our curriculum-based sessions are free of charge and we can loan waterproofs and other equipment. There is also a small transport fund which you can apply to for help with the cost of coach or minibus travel. We strive to be a welcoming place for all and would encourage groups of all abilities and backgrounds to plan a visit with us.
The Dales Countryside Museum offers history-based sessions at the centre in Hawes.
Activities in the classroom or school grounds:
These practical sessions are available in the Autumn and Winter to schools within or close to the YDNP boundary.
| Rock detectives | Through practical activities, children learn about the formation and characteristics of different types of rocks and the key features of our limestone landscape. |
| Soil detectives | Through practical activities, children explore the composition of the soil, soil profiles and the properties of different soil types. This is a messy hands-on activity! |
| National Education Nature Park: habitat mapping | Children map their school grounds, exploring different habitats and identifying potential areas for development or protection. |
Resources and training
There are a range of education resources to support teachers with classroom delivery on National Parks and planning educational visits to the Yorkshire Dales.
Are you planning to run your own outdoor learning visits in the National Park? Have a look at our free skills sessions for primary school staff. These webinars and small group sessions offer practical advice and resources to build skills and confidence in outdoor learning. Alternatively, our Ambassador schools programme supports a small number of Primary and Secondary schools to become centres of best practice by developing and embedding outdoor learning and environmental education opportunities in their setting. These Ambassador Schools can then share their knowledge and skills with other schools.
For more details about booking events and contacting us look here.
You can see our outdoor learning flyer – here in a PDF format.