Your Visit

On this page you can find out more about what to expect from a typical day out at Copsegrove. We offer a wonderful and personal rustic alternative to the usual commercial school trip.

 
 
 
  • A day at Copsegrove Farm is fundamentally about experiencing a day out in the countryside. It is about escaping technology, and classrooms, and playgrounds. It’s about getting muddy, and rosy cheeked and sitting around a camp fire.

    It provides a valuable and rare opportunity for children to experience hands-on learning and traditional old fashioned fun in the great outdoors, whilst also in the context of a working farm.

    A day will typically include a balance of curriculum linked activities with a forest school twist.

    Days are tailor made for each group visit, based on an initial consultation with the teaching staff involved, usually involving a preliminary visit to the school, or/with a visit out to the farm if teachers prefer.

    School visits to Copsegrove Farm are suitable for reception all the way up to year 6, with a maximum group size of around 30.

  • Your programme will include a mix of activities tailored for your school after an initial discussion with you, from an extensive menu developed from 15 years experience of running successful visits. Anything and everything from the curriculum can be covered in a way in which children are engaged, busy, actively learning and having fun.

    Activities will be adapted accordingly for the age group of children and size of group. The setting for your programme is a beautiful old mixed woodland, with prolific garlic, bluebells and a large jungle like area of Laurels. There is also a covered area if wet.

    The structure of a typical day at Copsegrove Farm is:

    • Arrival in Bisley: We will be there on your arrival to meet your coach.

    • We walk you into the farm, just a 5 minute stroll.

    • Welcome to Copsegrove Farm: What goes on here? Copsegrove's composting loos with views!

    • Walk to the woods, just a 10 minute stroll: Safety in the woods around the camp fire.

    • Time to explore: An initial activity enabling children to get to know the woods and explore.

    • Snacktime: Fruit and toasted marshmallows by the fire.

    • Activity 1: Tailored from a range of possible activities.

    • Packed Lunches by the fire.

    • Activity 2: Tailored from a range of possible activities.

    • Best bits of the day by the fire.

    • Walk back to Bisley to catch the coach.

    Activities are adapted for the age group of children and size of group, after consultation with teaching staff.

    Depending upon your arrival and departure time, there may be more activity slots.

    The day is basic, rustic, but full of character! A full risk assessment is provided, and there is hot water from flasks with copious amounts of anti-bacterial soap for hand washing.

  • Themes:

    WW2 Evacuation

    The Stone Age

    Vikings

    Romans

    The Great Fire of London

    Survival in the Woods

    Woodland Art

    Food Foraging and Feasting

    Mini Beasts

    Super Heros

    Farming, Food Production and Climate Change

    Woodland Crafts

    Team Building

    Stick-man

    The Woodland Habitat

    Great Green Giants

    Kate is always up for the challenge of taking on new topics or themes, and relishes the opportunity to work with teachers to create a programme that will support and bring to life school topics in the great outdoors.

    Activities:

    The Copsegrove menu of activities is almost endless, and Kate is always happy to develop new activities where necessary to fulfil teachers’ wishes, wants and requirements for their day.

    Activities are adapted and varied depending upon the age group of the children coming, their ability, and their nature as a class.

    Activities can be mixed and matched, and Kate will always help advise in advance on what might work best for your particular age group.

    Popular actives include:

    My Funny Feely Bag

    Children pull out items from a feely bag which are all items produced from a farm. What have they all got in common? Children learn about the role of farms, the concept of food miles and the importance of buying local and how that affects carbon emissions, the greenhouse effect etc.

    Woodland Art

    Anything and everything depending on the theme of the day. Natural woodland materials help children to produce 2D and 3D art. Opportunities to try hapazome artwork using plant pigments. Opportunities to work with clay.

    Scavenger Hunts

    Mini Beast Hunts

    Game of ‘go find it’.

    Pitfall traps

    Usually done over a two day visit. Traps are set up on day one, complete with bait bags of dung. Traps are revisited on day two, where identification of captures using classification keys is carried out.

    Den Building

    From teddy dens all the way up to full sized dens. Built using woodland materials.

    Camp Fire Cooking

    Toasted marshmallows, s’mores, scone twists, Copsegrove wonder wraps and Copsegrove chocolate eclairs, popcorn, seasonal foraged goodies, and more to tickle the taste buds.

    Map reading and grid reference skills

    Simple maps of woods or OS maps.

    Team building activities

    Hula hoop – a fun game to break the ice and get everyone giggling and wiggling.

    Walk of trust – in pairs, one blindfolded, the other to take them on a walk…to develop talking and listening skills, to build trust between children. Can be progressed to tree hugging and developing sense of touch, string trails and obstacle courses for the older children.

    Walk the plank – serious co-operation needed for this one! Lots of fun!

    Circle of trust – involves a circle of rope…and much trust!

    Can you find the oldest Oak tree in the wood?

    Can you make?...something that would float a potato, something that would make music, something that might carry an injured person out of the woods, etc.

    The Tightrope Challenge!

    Classification and use of identification keys:

    Animal Skulls

    A chance to try and identify a range of skulls from animals that live on a farm or in the wood. Children learn about teeth types and feeding habits.

    Food chains and food web activities

    Construction of food chains and webs on the forest floor using laminated pictures of woodland organisms.

    Tree Studies and ID

    A structured worksheet guides children through a detailed observation of tree/s of their choice, leading them to being able to successfully identify their tree using a key. Includes maths related work such as learning the circumference of a tree and the area of a leaf etc.

    Visit to a badger sett

    A chance to explore an old well established and used sett. The pros and cons of badgers on the farm.

    Woodland Crafts

    Charcoal - making a charcoal pencil.

    Lashings

    Whittling

    Fire Lighting

    Wattle & Daub

    Pond dipping

  • Finish off a wonderful Summer's day in the woods with sausages and beans and more roasted marshmallows round an evening campfire, before retiring to tents alongside the woods. Perfect for something special for the older children!

    Ask Kate for more details.