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Creative activities designed to introduce children to the significance of National Parks, and the unique qualities of Northumberland in particular.

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A guide to identifying some of the trees you can see out and about in Northumberland. Explore leaf shapes, berries, seeds and needles and become a tree-mendous expert.

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Treemendous Trees

Today we are going to look at trees and see if we can start to identify some of them.

Below is a list of some of the most common trees you will find in the UK and you may even be lucky enough to have some in your garden. You are going to make your own tree identification chart that you can then take out into your garden or local area to help you identify the trees growing near you.

Trees are very important for several reasons they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and give out oxygen. They provide a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and they also provide us with the materials for tools and shelter.

What is a habitat? A habitat is where something lives; animal, plant or even toadstool. It must provide food, shelter and the right conditions to reproduce - to make lots of little animals, plants, whatever.

How to identify trees?
Trees can be divided into two main groups; conifers and broadleaved trees. Conifers have 'leaves' which are scale like or long and needle like these Larch needles.

Broad leaved trees have wide flat leaves, like these from a Sycamore tree.

Depending on the time of year you are looking at your tree, you need to use different features on the tree to identify what species (type) it is. We have a graphic to help you identity the main feature of trees depending on what season it is.

Types of tree

The list of trees are (but feel free to add others):

Ash

Sycamore

Beech

Rowan

Hawthorn

Birch

Horse Chestnut

Larch

Scots Pine

Identification Charts
You can find fantastic tree identification charts on the Opal Explore Nature and Woodland Trust websites using these embedded links.

Using these online identification charts you can make make your own Treemendous Tree Identification Chart on a blank sheet of paper.

Once you have made your own ID guide take it out into your garden or local area and use it to identify the trees there. You can add to your guide by writing a brief description about each one highlighting key identifying features.

For example, is it a conifer or a broadleaved tree?

Are the leaves simple? ( Does it have a single leaf attached to a stalk like the Beech leaf below)

Is the leaf hairy?

Does the leaf have a toothed edge or is it smooth?

Can you describe the bark - is it rough or smooth and what colour is it?

Are they compound leaves? (These are leaves that are made up of several leaflets like this Rowan leaf)

We would love to hear what trees you are able to find in your local areas.

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National Park Ranger Jane provides some information so you can start to identify some of the Treemendous Trees in your local area.

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Welcome to our digital learning resources padlet!

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Welcome to our digital learning resources padlet!

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Here you will find a selection of information and activity ideas inspired by Northumberland National Park and its unique qualities. There are links to documents to download, as well as blog posts written by our Learning and Engagement staff. From archaeology to storytelling, upcycling to gardening, stargazing and mindfulness, there are topics and themes to suit every classroom.

White Pins: Documents filled with activities and ideas on different themes.

Blue Pins: Blog posts with information and activities to try.

Green Pins: Links to the full listing of our learning programme, with led activities available to book via our enquiry form.

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Celebrate this amazing and mysterious piece of Northumberland heritage and find out more about rock art - pre historic carvings found throughout the National Park. Includes activity ideas based on rock art and archaeologists theories behind its meaning.

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A Pre History Mystery

Northumberland is home to some spectacular examples of prehistoric rock art. Pre History refers to a time before written accounts. These stone carvings were made by Neolithic and Early Bronze Age people, between 3500 and 6000 years ago, but the meaning behind them is now lost. As part of Local History Month, we'd like to celebrate this amazing piece of Northumberland heritage by sharing some of the activities we do with school groups around this subject, and ask why you think these amazing carvings were made.

One of the most accessible rock art sites in Northumberland National Park is at Lordenshaws, where you can see the impressive remains of an Iron Age hillfort built 2,000 years ago. There are also several rock art carvings to be found on the hillsides here, the most famous motif being the cup and ring marks, as well as long carved channels that follow the slope of the hill.

Why they were made remains a mystery. These are some of the theories that archaeologists have come up with in order to explain why these carvings were made.

Route markers - to show paths and routes

Sacred spaces - where the sea meets the shore or a mountain touches the sky

Burial sites - where important people have been buried

Maps for travellers

Showing a settlement boundary

Sending messages between communities

Why do you think the carvings were made?
Activity ideas:
In our Pre History Mystery school workshop, we use activities and replica pre historic objects to try and get students thinking about how archaeologists can decipher clues from the past. If you would like to have a go at creating some of your own rock art shapes, why not try...

Using chalk on the ground outside. (check with an adult first!)

If you have a sandpit, find a stick and use it to carve the shapes into the sand.

If you can find some stones, arrange them into the cup and ring shapes.

Or simply use crayons on paper. If you have any sandpaper at home, this rough surface is great for practising different shapes. Here are some examples from one of our school workshops.

One of the theories behind the creation of rock art is that it was used to send messages. Try using different shapes to write coded messages.

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Education Officer Rachel takes us on a journey into the mystery of pre-history with a artistic rock art activity for home.

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Did you know Northumberland officially has the darkest skies in England? The National Park was awarded Gold Tier International Dark Sky Park status in 2013. Use these ideas to get creative, inspired by the beauty of the night sky.

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The Lost Spells: Listen to a Landscape of Voices

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The Lost Spells: Listen to a Landscape of Voices

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A series of creative and literacy activities inspired by the beautiful book of nature poetry by Robert Macfarlane, with illustrations by Jackie Morris. Each "spell" conjures an animal, bird, tree or flower with which we share our lives and landscapes. Can you write your own?

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Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. Try these activities and reconnect with nature.

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Archaeologists use clues within the landscape to identify different historical sites that may lie beneath the surface, often with the help of cropmarks. In this activity, young archaeologists can demonstrate this in their own experiment.

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Grow Your Own Cropmarks

Archaeologists use clues within the landscape to identify different historical sites that may lie beneath the surface, often with the help of cropmarks. In this activity, young archaeologists can demonstrate this in their own experiment.

Cropmarks develop when vegetation's growth is affected by the archaeology in the soil. Features such as boundary walls or stone foundations can stunt growth of crops planted directly above them.

The soil above the archaeology does not retain moisture as well and the crops find it difficult to spread their roots. This often means the contrast in crop growth above archaeological features and alongside them, allows the outline of buildings, for example, to be visible from above. Cropmarks are even easier to spot with the help of aerial photography, when the height advantage allows a better overall view of the site.

To grow your own cropmarks, you will need:

A seed tray or plastic/polystyrene food tray

Packet of cress seeds

Small stones or gravel

Compost or good quality soil

Water spray or watering can

Cling film

I reused a plastic takeaway box, collected some gravel from my drive and scooped some soil from the vegetable box in my garden.
Step 1:
Use the gravel to build your own stone wall in the middle of your tray.

This made me think of the boundary wall of a Roman camp like Chew Green or perhaps remains of a Roman road like Dere Street. Fill in any gaps in your wall with smaller stones.
Step 2:
Cover your stone wall with soil.

Because we have had such sunny weather for the past few weeks, the soil from my garden was quite dry - even dug from deep in the vegetable patch. So I watered it.

Top Tip: - add the soil to either side of your wall first and then cover the top. If you just pour soil on top, you risk demolishing your wall.
Step 3:
Sprinkle your cress seeds all over the soil.

Try and disperse the seeds as even as possible so that there are just as many seeds over your wall, as there is on either side.

Use a water spray bottle to spray the cress seeds and help them stick to the soil.

Step 4:

Cover your tray in cling film.

Move it to a warm space indoors, where there will be plenty of light.

Uncover the tray and water every so often.

Wait for your cress to grow and assess the difference in growth around your wall. Send us pictures of the cropmarks you grow yourself, why not try and replicate a full Roman fort in a larger seed tray and take pictures from above - just like a an aerial survey.

And now the wait begins! Follow our social media channels for more Young Archaeologist Activities, and an update on how my own cropmark is developing!

Find out more about our Young Archaeologists' Club here: https://www.thesill.org.uk/young-archaeologists-club/

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Learn how to grow your own cropmarks with our Young Archaeologist's Club activity with Cheviot Hills Heritage Project Officer Rosie Thompson.

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Take a walk in your school ground and use the alphabet to inspire you to really look at the nature you can see around you.

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An A-Z of Nature

Nature is all around us. What can you see from your street, your garden, or even your window? It's time to really look at the view that you see every day. Try this activity if you can go out for a walk, or out into your garden, or just by looking at what you can see from your windows.

Make a set of letters from A-Z

Cut up paper or card and write a letter on each one. You could even use stones and paint if you can find enough! I managed to find some good flat stones while out on a walk. When you have made the letters, put them in a box or bag and pick one out.

See if you can find something outside that begins with that letter, or think of a descriptive word to describe what you can see. Perhaps you can see a Tree, or something Green, or something Small, or something with Wings. Perhaps the day is Bright or Cold or Rainy.

When you have a list of words you can easily make a nature poem by matching words together.

Bright, windy

Trees sway

Green leaves

Muddy grass

Try and write an acrostic poem, where the first letter of every verse spells out one of the words you have selected.

T iny part of a tree

W inds its way down to the ground,

I t finds a home on the grass

G etting ready for me to find.

A non standard acrostic poem uses letters in the middle of each verse to spell out a word.

So tall it T ouches the sky

Its trunk is R ough and brown

A hom E for creatures big and small

Now spring is here its l E aves will grow

I tried this on my daily walk, and was amazed at the colours, shapes, and wildlife I could see in the places I look at every day - things I hadn't necessarily noticed before; plants and trees. I saw lots of birds and a couple of rabbits as well.

If you take any pictures or write a poem, please share them with us by tagging @NlandNP on Twitter and Facebook.

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An A-Z of Nature Nature is all around us. What can you see from your street, your garden, or even your window? It's time to really look at the view that you see every day. Try this activity if you can go out for a walk, or out into your garden, or just by looking at what you can see from your windows.

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When poet Robert Macfarlane and artist Jackie Morris discovered that nature themed words were being lost from children's vocabulary, they teamed up to create the beautiful book of acrostic poems, The Lost Words. Imagine what nature would be like if elements such as acorns, bluebells, willows, and ravens disappeared from our landscape? Take part in these literacy activities and reconnect with nature.

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Our learning staff can come to your school and run career information sessions, or attend careers fairs. Take a look at our career pack to find out a bit more about the types of jobs we need at the National Park in order to conserve our beautiful protected landscapes.

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Some handy hints and tips to help your group prepare for a night under the stars.

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Some ideas for transforming plastic items into something new.

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Upcycling Rubbish

I have been using time lately to look more closely at the world around us and nature on our doorsteps. The images and footage of nature taking back areas of the world where it's usually too busy have been amazing and the reduction in pollution and rubbish giving the Earth a chance to repair shows the impact we can have and it is still reversible.

A starting point to helping the planet is by following the three Rs; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. A lot of people try to follow these to help preserve resources, in our house we are very good at recycling but trying to be better at reducing and reusing.

When we are trying to reuse we pass things on to other people or give away to charity shops. But these are usually toys or clothes which is quite straightforward. There is a definite trendiness in repurposing things or upcycling with programmes on TV or how-to guides on the internet.

We (myself and my children) decided to have a go at how we could re-use a commonly thrown away item. Over the years we have used many, many junk items for models with lots of robots and inventions giving many hours of fun. However what if we tried to make something a little longer lasting? We decided to try to make something with a plastic milk bottle.

We always recycle these but if we make them into something else; it's not using resources to recycle them. There are many ideas if you look on the internet but the ones we decided to try were a milk bottle watering can and a milk bottle garden light.

First and very important make sure you wash the milk bottles out very well! Once you have a clean milk bottle you can choose what you would like to make.
To make the watering can you will need:
A milk bottle (it doesn't matter what size), a hammer, a nail, something to rest on while hammering, marker pens.

1. Take the lid off the milk bottle and put it on a wooden board or even a large ball of blu tack.

2. You might need adult help for this. Hammer the nail through the lid to make holes, remember the more holes the faster the water flows.

3. Also poke a hole near the top of the handle of the milk bottle which will help the water flow more easily.

4. Put the lid back on the bottle and decorate the bottle with the marker pens.

To make the garden light or luminary you will need:
A milk bottle, a pair of sharp scissors, sticky tape or sticky back plastic, a few leaves or flowers collected while outside or pictures of leaves/animals/butterflies etc , marker pens, a battery operated tea light, some stones or pebbles if needed.

1. Draw a line around the milk bottle below the handle.

2. You might need adult help for this. Cut right round the line. (We are using the base of the milk bottle; what could you use the other part for??

3. Decorate the outside of the milk bottle. You can use leaves or flowers collected on a walk or pictures you have printed or draw with markers. If you use the leaves or pictures stick them on the outside then cover it with sticky tape or sticky back plastic so they don't fall off.

Put the tealight in the bottom and wait for it to get dark! If it is windy you may need the pebbles in the bottom to weigh it down.

Which ideas would you like to try? What do you have that you usually recycle that you could upcycle? Be sure to send us pictures of what you make.

Written by Joanne McKenna, Learning Assistant, with help from her children.

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Sill Learning Assistant Joanne shares a great craft activity for children to reuse household rubbish.

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In pre historic Britain, people lived in structures called roundhouses. Take part in this creative activity to create your own roundhouse and learn more about how people lived in the Iron Age.

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Make your own Roundhouse

During the Bronze and Iron Ages of Britain, people lived in a type of dwelling called a 'Roundhouse'. These circular buildings were made with timber posts, wattle and daub walls and had a conical thatched roof. One communal room would be heated with a fire in the centre, used also for cooking, and the smoke would escape through the thatched roof.

Towards the end of the Bronze Age and as we progressed through to the Iron Age, you would find clusters of roundhouses in a settlement known as a hillfort. As the name suggests, these settlements were set on hilltops, using the location to their advantage for defensive purposes. They would also be encircled with ramparts and ditches.

I was inspire to create a roundhouse by one of the downloadable activities on the young archaeologists website, with all of the steps listed here on the YAC website. There is also a fun activity to test the effectiveness of your thatched roof. I wanted my finished result to be as close as possible to the picture on the YAC website, and found it was pretty easy to adapt the instructions to the materials I had available to me.

Roundhouse walls were made with wattle and daub. This means wood was woven around posts and then filled with a mixture of clay, soil, straw and animal poo !

If you have access to all of the materials on the YAC website, you can make your posts using wooden dowels and MDF, weaving hazel or willow around them to create the structure of your walls. Maybe your parents have these in a workshop - or you could go for a rummage in your garden or on a daily walk. See if you can find any suitable sticks or twigs.

I didn't have access to MDF and wooden dowels, because I haven't seen any of our national park rangers to ask for some, so I used 3 undecorated Easter wreaths, which I tied together using pipe cleaners. And positioned centrally on a square piece of cardboard I saved from a delivery from the postman.

Before I added the daub (minus animal poo of course), I made the frame for my thatched roof. You need to make a conical shape, using wooden dowels, twigs or lolly sticks. The YAC worksheet shows you how you can tie you roof beams to your walls and together in the middle, to make this cone shape.

I used pipe cleaners which I wove together for added strength. I liked the pipe cleaners because they were easy to bend into shape, so made a suitable alternative to wooden beams.

You can add struts between your roof beams for added strength and structure. This also means you have something to tie your thatch on to when you come to finishing your roof later.

Because I hadn't tied the roof to the walls of my round house, it meant I could lift off the roof structure while I added the daub to my wattle walls.

For the daub of my walls, I used air drying clay in a natural colour. If you don't have clay - maybe somebody in your house has play dough, or you could get really messy and mix wet mud and sand together from the garden.

Make sure you cover your table with newspaper, a plastic sheet or make it outside. We don't want to upset the adults at home! Whatever you choose to use as your daub, press it into your woven walls.

Smooth the sides of your walls using your thumbs. If you use clay, I found it helpful to keep dipping my thumbs in a little bit of water.

Leave your structure to dry before adding the roof back on.

Whilst I was waiting for my clay to dry, I decided to add some dried moss to hide my cardboard base. I stuck the moss down using clear PVA glue. You could do the same.

I followed YACs suggestion of using raffia to act as the thatching for my roof. You might have some left from a Christmas hamper. Its quite similar to fresh rabbit bedding. If you cant get raffia, maybe you could collect skinny twigs in the garden, use straw or shred some thick paper

Tie bundles of the raffia together using jute, twine, string or even ribbon. Whatever you can find and is available to use. Starting from the bottom and then working your way up, tie the raffia bundles onto your roof beams and struts.

This is the last step in creating your own round house. Remember, there is no need for a chimney in your roof - the smoke was allowed to disperse by itself.

And so, here is my finished roundhouse, sitting proud in my own house. This is the first in a series of models I shall be recreating. And if you enjoyed making yours too, perhaps you could share them with the national park. Remember to tag us in your social media posts, and tag the young archaeologists club too! Join us next time, for more step by step guides.

Don't forget, the full guide is available on the YAC website at the link - https://www.yac-uk.org/activity/build-a-mini-roundhouse.

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Follow our step by step walkthrough of how to build your own wattle and daub roundhouse.

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Learn about butterflies and moths and discover the science behind their symmetry. Includes activity ideas for making your own symmetrical butterflies.

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Butterflies, Moths and Symmetry

Our recent post about moths and butterflies shared with you some ways to get out and get involved in two Citizen Science projects - National Moth Week and the Big Butterfly Count. We hope you were inspired to learn more about these incredible creatures and had fun with your spotting!

As the Big Butterfly Count continues until 9 th August, you can still get involved in this great project; but for a little something extra this week we're thinking about symmetry and getting a little creative.

Very simply, symmetry is where something is the same on both sides around a central line or axis. This axis - also a line of symmetry - divides the symmetrical shape in half. If a shape is not the same on both sides, it is said to be 'asymmetric'.

Humans are said to have 'bilateral symmetry' - that is, there is one line of symmetry down the middle, which runs from our head to our feet. What other shapes or creatures can you think of that are symmetrical? Can you draw them, and draw where the line of symmetry goes? Do they have more than one line of symmetry? Square paper is really helpful for this!

Butterflies and moths are great examples of creatures that show bilateral symmetry. They have a single line of symmetry down the middle of their body, meaning the patterns on their wings are the same on both sides. This makes them fascinating examples to explore symmetry - and have a bit of fun at the same time!

Art for Kids Hub has some great worksheets to get started with- two examples are here:

https://www.artforkidshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/symmetry-butterfly.pdf and https://www.artforkidshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/butterfly-symmetry.jpg

Fancy getting a little more creative? Why not draw or cut out a butterfly or moth outline shape. Twinkl has some great resources for this here. Then using crayons, felt tips, colouring pencils or even paints, why not have a go at creating your own butterfly or moth wing pattern? You could find a picture of a real moth or butterfly and copy its patterns and colours; or let your imagination run wild and create your own pattern.

Looking to learn more about symmetry? Check out this TedEd video on YouTube.

As always, we'd love to see any of your makes - share them with us via our social media account or email learning@nnpa.org.uk.

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Butterflies, Moths and Symmetry * The Sill

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Our Education Team provide an activity about symmetry to get you a little creative.

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Any questions? Click here to fill in our enquiry form

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Any questions? Click here to fill in our enquiry form

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Enquire about our learning packages

Get in touch to learn more about, or book, one of our learning experiences. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 working days.

Stay informed

Sign up to our newsletter and keep up to date with all the latest news, events, offers and things to do in the Park and at The Sill.

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Send enquiries to the learning team to learn more about, or book, one of our learning experiences at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre.

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Find out how you can begin to create a wildlife garden, and learn why some weeds can in fact be wonderful!

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Gardening For Wildlife

Its National Gardening Week this week and families have more time than usual to 'get on top of' the garden by tidying, weeding, planting and regularly manicuring the lawn - but hold on a minute!

Let's have a go at doing things a bit differently this year and creating a wonderful wildlife garden that will not just look pretty but will work hard to add to the biodiversity of your little patch of the outdoors.
Weed or Wonderful?
Before we give ourselves back ache taking out everything that is considered a weed have a think about what a weed can do. Nettles are a great source of nectar for bees. They can also be host plants for some types of moths and butterflies. The Garden Tiger Moth caterpillar thrives on the leaves of the White Dead-Head Nettle, a good choice of nettle for you to nurture as it doesn't sting.

This year I wasn't able to nip to the garden centre and buy lots of plants that would add a bit of temporary colour. My solution was not to be as vicious as usual with my dandelion removal and now there is a lot of yellow to my garden!

Dandelions are a great source of nectar for the bees, butterflies and hoverflies that I'm hoping will pollinate my flowers and vegetables. They don't need looking after as they will always thrive, they are self-pollinating (meaning they are not reliant on pollinating insects to reproduce); they can grow in poor soil and they don't need watering. As they are so good at growing anywhere it is a good idea to actively manage dandelions. So why not dedicate a corner of the garden where it's difficult to grow other stuff to dandelions or pop a few in pots when you are 'weeding'?

I think they are just a stunning as some cultivated colour- givers and I'm going to carefully watch to see which plant is more popular with the pollinators.

Have a guess how many individual seeds one dandelion flower makes on average? (Answer at the end of this blog!)

The seeds are super-efficient, each one like a tiny parachute. Now anyone without a garden this is where you win! You can help seed dispersal by blowing the seeds off a dandelion clock so they get a good chance at growing in corners of more urban areas and helping out insects there. If you are trying to manage your dandelion crop though just pinch off the 'clock' and pop it in your compost bin.
Waste not Want not
Aha- compost bin! Composting is another great way to garden for wildlife and keep kitchen and garden waste out of landfill, especially when refuse recycling centres are closed at the moment due to Covid 19 measures. The easiest way to make compost is to buy a purpose made compost bin, but some people with bigger gardens or allotments could keep a more open compost heap contained by a simple wooden structure. There are some good tips on where to site your compost bin and how much of what to put in it here: https://www.recyclenow.com/reduce-waste/composting/guide

In addition to providing you with peat free soil improver, your compost bin or pile will become a home to a myriad of insects that in turn will provide food for garden birds. You may also find the heap attracts bigger visitors such as frogs, toads or slow worms and these garden residents are excellent at eating slugs before the slugs eat your seedlings!
Hedgehog Haven
If you want to progress from insects, reptiles and amphibians and attract hedgehogs to your garden try tidying less. This doesn't mean your garden starts to look like an eyesore. Just like wonderful weeds we can manage which bit of the garden does what. Choose a shady corner where you can deliberately pile a few logs and bricks. You could add some rotting wood and leaves too as, just like the compost heap, this will create a place for insects to thrive and that makes a tasty restaurant for hedgehogs.
We made this Bug Hotel to put in the woodland area at The Sill so that small mammals could shelter in it and find food there. We have held events where families can help rangers monitor what mammals live in the woodland. Water for Wildlife
No-one can garden successfully without a water supply but let's think further than a hose or filling a watering can from your tap.

The deluxe water feature is a small garden pond that may give a home to frogs and newts. It will also let you grow water loving plants such as marsh marigolds and flag irises and may even attract dragonflies or damselflies, especially if you live near a site with a larger pond or wetland. If you have enough room and are up for the challenge you could follow these steps to build a small pond https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-pond

If you don't have the space or resources for this at the moment making sure water is available for birds and mammals such as hedgehogs is a good idea. Nothing fancy, just a shallow sided dish or terracotta plant pot saucer that you can keep topped up in hot weather is fine.

A great eco gardening tip is to use recycled water in your garden too. You could set up a rain water collection point using a simple water butt or one that connects to your drain pipe. You can also use dish or bath water to water plants as gentle soap suds are not damaging to plants or lawns.
National Gardening Week
I hope you are inspired to garden a little differently this year. Remember, no garden is an island. Birds, insects and small mammals don't care about fences, hedges and boundaries so more wildlife gardening means more wildlife for everyone, and more and more people are gardening in this way. For more inspiration have a look at https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/gardening-in-a-changing-world

Oh! And one dandelion flower produces about 200 seeds!
Mandy Roberts is one of the Sill Engagement Officers. Mandy has her own allotment in Ovingham, Northumberland and is a founder of Ovingham Community Orchard.

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For National Gardening Week our Engagement Officer Mandy shows how your can create your own wonderful and bio-diverse wildlife garden.

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Take a walk out in nature and use your five senses to really explore the world around you. Find out about how different creatures use their senses to survive in the wild.

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Sensational Senses

National Park Ranger Jane shares some activities related to our senses.

During this session we are going to be using our different senses:

We will also be thinking about how different species of wildlife - be it plant, mini-beast, bird or animal - use their senses, or rely on others to use theirs, to survive.

For these activities you do need to be outside, if you don't have a garden or have limited outside space then you can collect the things you need while out and about and then take them home and finish the activities inside.
TOUCH
We will begin our sensational senses journey with touch. If you had to rely on your sense of touch how good would you be?

Equipment needed - A blindfold

If you are lucky enough to have large trees in your garden/local area then you can play Meet at tree. For this you need to work in pairs. One of you is blindfolded while your partner is the guide and leads the person with the blindfold - the guide has to be careful and explain any upcoming hazards to the person with the blindfold. The guide takes the blindfolded person to a tree in the garden/park where you 'meet' it. Spend time getting to know your tree:

smell it

touch the bark - is the bark rough or smooth

can you get your arms all the way round the trunk

feel right down to the bottom and its roots

does it have any branches that you can reach

Once the person who is blindfolded thinks they know their tree the guide carefully leads them away to another part of the garden/park and turns them around a few times. Take the blindfold off and see how long it takes you to find 'your' tree. Swap over so you both get to meet a tree.

If you don't have any big trees near where you live another activity you can do using your sense of touch is Feely bags.

Equipment Needed - A bags and cards with different textures written on them

Working in pairs or small groups each person gets a little card with a different texture written on such as prickly/tickly/hard/smooth etc., and a small bag. Don't tell anyone else what word is on your card. You then need to go and find things and put them in your bag which represents the word on your card. Once you have 3 or 4 things in your bag ask your partner to put their hand in your bag and feel what is there and see if they can guess what was written on your card.

Earthworms - these underground dwellers are sensitive to vibration and stamping on the ground will often bring them out of their tunnels, why do you think that might be?

Mole - this small animal has very poor eyesight and smell but it does have a good sense of touch and hearing. They rely on their sensitive whiskers around their nose and tail to find their way around. The short tail is also always held up-right to gauge the size of the tunnel.
SIGHT
It's now time to use your eyes and see how good you are at spotting things. When asked about what colours you see in the countryside people usually say greens and browns, but look closer and see how many other colours you can find.

There are a couple of ways to do this, if you have some paint Colour Charts take one each and see if you can find something to match each of the colours. If you have some card and double-sided tape then you can collect a small amount of each colour and stick it on your card. (Try, where possible, to collect things which are already on the ground, and if you are picking things only take a small piece.)

If you don't have any colour charts, then you can make your own paintbox on a piece of card, choose a colour or colours you want to look for and again stick a small piece of each colour onto your paintbox using double-sided tape.

Owls - these bird's eyes are very sensitive to light, this allows them to see clearly in what would be complete darkness to us.

Daffodil - this plant relies on its bright colours to attract bees, which will come and feed on its nectar and therefore help spread its pollen.
SMELL
Many things in the countryside rely on their sense of smell to find their way around and to find food. It's now time to use your nose and see how good you are at making Smelly Cocktails.

Take a paper cup or small container of some kind and put a small amount of water in the bottom. Now add natural things to your cup - grass/bark/leaves etc. - and mix them up with your twig to make your own natural smelly cocktail. Name your cocktail and pass it around the group for the others to smell and see if they can guess what ingredients are in it. Remember don't drink your cocktails and empty them out once you are finished.

Hedgehog - these animals have a keen sense of smell which helps them to find food in the tangled vegetation.

Stinkhorn Fungi - this plant attracts flies to lay their eggs on it by smelling of rotting flesh. The fly lands on the gunge, picks up some of it on its feet and flies off again, taking some spores with it.
SOUND
If you had to rely on your sense of sound how would you get on? For this you are going to create your own Sound Map. Sit down, if there are a few of you spread out so you are not all sitting together, and close your eyes. Sit in silence for a couple of minutes and listen to all the different noises around you. If you have some scrap paper then you can create your own Sound Map. Put an X in the middle of the piece of paper, this X represents you. When you hear a sound draw on your map something to represent that sound, how far away you think it is and which direction it is coming from. If you don't have any paper then you count the different sounds on your fingers.

Equipment - paper

If there are quite a few of you then you could also play Bat & Moth. Everyone stands round in a circle, someone is chosen to be the bat and is blindfolded and goes into the middle of the circle. Someone is then chosen to be a moth and they join the bat in the circle. The bat shouts 'BAT' and the moth shouts 'MOTH' and the bat has to try and catch the moth. You can add more bats and moths as the game progresses.

Equipment - blind folds

Bats - these night time hunters rely on echolocation to find their food. They make a high pitched sound which we cannot hear; this sound is reflected from any object. The bat hears the reflected sound and so knows where the object is.

Robin - this bird uses its song to signal its presence all year round. This is done to claim either its breeding or feeding territory.
TASTE
There are many things which we could eat from the woodland but there are also lots of things which are poisonous so we won't be doing any tasting today. Instead, have a look around and see how many different things you can find which have been eaten or nibbled. Who do you think has been feeding on this?

Butterfly - these insects have their taste buds on their feet

Ladybird - these insects protect themselves against birds because of a nasty tasting liquid which they ooze when attacked.

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Northumberland National Park Ranger Jane shares some fun craft activities related to our senses.

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A debate activity designed to encourage students to think about the different viewpoints of National Park users on the theme of tourism and its benefits.

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This series of creative writing activities encourages children to develop stories based on nature, wildlife, and landscapes.

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For National Storytelling week, explore different ways in which we can write our own stories that are inspired by the landscape.

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Find out more about all the workshops we offer school groups, which topics explored including science, geography, history, literacy, art, maths, and more. The programme is flexible with sessions delivered either in school, in our visitor centre The Sill, or on sites out in the National Park. Please email learning@nnpa.org.uk for more details, or fill in our online enquiry form.

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Explore our wide range of workshops, with activities which utilise the unique culture, history and landscapes of the National Park.

What's on offer

Our Learning Programme covers a wide range of subjects, with activities linked to the National Curriculum which utilise the unique culture, history and landscapes of the Northumberland National Park. Indoor and outdoor sessions led in school, in The Sill, and out on sites in the Park make the most of what Northumberland has to offer.

From pre history to habitats, inspiring art to beautiful rivers, there is a wealth of learning opportunities waiting to be explored. See the links below for more information on our sessions.

Stay informed

Sign up to our newsletter and keep up to date with all the latest news, events, offers and things to do in the Park and at The Sill.

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Explore our wide range of workshops, with activities which utilise the unique culture, history and landscapes of the National Park. What's on offer Our Learning Programme covers a wide range of subjects, with activities linked to the National Curriculum which utilise the unique culture, history and landscapes of the Northumberland National Park.

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Loans Boxes - Bring the Park to Your Classroom

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Loans Boxes - Bring the Park to Your Classroom

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Our loans box service allows schools to borrow boxes of artefacts to use in the classroom for up to four weeks. Box topics include dark skies, geology, pre history, and literacy.

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Age Group: KS1 - 3 Subjects: History, Science, Literacy

Bring the National Park into your classroom! This is an ideal way to experience a little bit of the National Park if your school is unable to come out for a visit. Schools can borrow boxes of artefacts for up to four weeks, providing students with the opportunity to explore different topics in the classroom, and they are a perfect complement to a future visit to The Sill or one of our sites across the National Park. Our loans boxes include objects, information, maps, and activity ideas. Each loan is charged at £50.

Special Offer: If you have booked one of our led sessions, you can book the associated loans box for a reduced price of £20. Please visit our schools page to see details of the sessions associated with these boxes (Investigate Pre History, The Lost Words, Geology Rocks, Discover Dark Skies).

For more information on prices, box collection, and Covid secure measures, please get in touch via our enquiry form.
Available Boxes: Investigate Pre History
This box includes 12 replica artefacts from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age, including costumes, axe and arrow heads, bowls, clay lamp, and rock art examples.
Geology Rocks
Find out about the geology of Northumberland and have a closer look at our large collection of rock samples. This box also includes geological maps and ID cards, allowing students to test their knowledge of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.
The Lost Words
Inspired by the book by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane's award-winning book The Lost Words, this literacy themed box contains objects and inspiring activity ideas all themed around our connection to nature.
Dark Skies
The National Park works hard to look after the darkest skies in England. This box includes artefacts such as meteorites, and equipment such as red light torches, binoculars, and a light meter, to allow children to explore the constellations of the night sky and understand how and why we protect the darkness.

Booking information

Cost: £50

Location: Boxes can be collected and returned to The Sill or The National Park offices in Hexham.

Duration of loan: Up to 4 weeks

To enquire about booking a box, please get in touch via our enquiry form.

Stay informed

Sign up to our newsletter and keep up to date with all the latest news, events, offers and things to do in the Park and at The Sill.

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Bring the National Park into the classroom with our artefact boxes.

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Find out how ancient people used the stars and create your own Bronze Age Sky disc, inspired by the earliest depiction found of the night sky, dating to 1600BC.

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Make your own Sky Disk

The stars above us have enchanted humans for centuries, and we can find evidence of this in many ancient cultures and civilizations.

Prehistoric man observed the rising and setting of the sun, the changing phases of the moon, and annual events such as solstices. The Neolithic site of Stonehenge was built to align with the rising and setting of the sun in midsummer and midwinter. Ancient Egyptians built pyramids to align to the north as they believed Pharaohs would become stars in the north sky after death. It is thought that the three largest pyramids in Giza all point to the stars of Orion's Belt.

Most famously of course, is the link between astronomy and Greek and Roman mythology. Many constellations are named after heroes of classical myths such as Hercules and Perseus, who were granted immortality and a place amongst the stars. There are archaeologists and historians who have dedicated their careers to study how past humans have interpreted the sky, this is called Archaeoastronomy.

The Nebra Sky Disc

Bronze disc

The Nebra Sky Disk is a bronze disk embossed in gold dating to 1600BC. It depicts the sun (or full moon), a crescent moon (or eclipse) and a collection of stars. The cluster of seven stars just above the sun and moon is widely accepted to represent The Pleiades, more commonly known as 'The Seven Sisters'. The gold arcs on each side of the disk could show the rising and setting of the sun across the horizons at solstice. An additional arc on the bottom is often called a sun boat. The image of a vessel is often used to represent the sun being transported on its journey across the sky. The disk may have been used as an astronomical clock, with the annual celestial events used to determine the best time to plant or harvest crops.

The disk was found near the German town of Nebra in 1999 by metal detectorists without a license, at which point it was damaged during excavation. The disk and a collection of bronze age weapons also discovered on site, entered the black market and was sold on to numerous private collectors. In 2002 the disk was recovered by police and returned to the Saxony-Anhalt State with the rest of the hoard. The disk now belongs to the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle.
Find out more about the Nebra Sky Disk here.

Make your own

Materials needed

To make your own Sky Disk, you will need:

Green card

Black paint

Paint brushes

Scissors

A compass or a circular object

A pencil or pen

Gold paint, gold leaf (and PVA) or gold metallic pen

Step One

First, use a compass or a large round object to trace a circle onto your green card. I used the tea plate that I use for mixing paints on. Carefully cut out using scissors. I gave my circle a wavy edge at the top to show the damage on the disk.

Step Two

Using a pen, pencil or compass point, poke holes around the edge of your disk. In case you want to be as accurate as possible, the original had 39 holes around the perimeter. Be careful with any sharp points. I used a thick sponge under the card to protect my fingers and table.

Step Three

Bronze objects change colour over a long period of time due to oxidation. This is called patina and is the green colour you see on many artefacts.

To replicate the appearance of patina on the disk, use a small amount of black paint on a dry brush - I found stippling the best method. Pressing the paint down very quickly but gently and letting the green show through the gaps. Leave to dry.

Step Four

When the paint is dry, use a pen or pencil to mark where you will paint the sun, moon and stars.

You could copy the sky disk closely, or you could look up to the sky at night and use the stars you can see above your home as inspiration. The Nebra Sky Disk has 30 stars visible in its current state, including the seven sisters. Use a metallic pen or gold paint to colour the stars.

Step Five

I used gold leaf for the sun, moon and arcs, because of the way I could create a 3D and metallic texture. But you could continue with gold paint if you don't have any.

Paint your drafted sun and moon with PVA glue and then use a dry and clean paint brush to push fragments of gold leaf onto the sticky areas. Gold leaf is very fragile and can feel very static. Its fiddly but fun! Repeat for the right-hand arc and the sun boat.

Step Six

On the left-hand side, use black paint to outline the arc, so that it reflects the current condition of the Sky Disk. Leave to dry and you are done!

Watch our step by step video

Watch as Rose Thompson creates her Nebra Sky Disk.

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Try out our latest dark skies themed Young Archaeologist Club activity from Rosie Thompson and make your own Nebra Sky Disk.