We offer day visits for Key Stages 1 and 2 and residential courses for Key Stage 2.
All our courses are designed alongside the teachers in order to ensure the time spent at Leeson House is as valuable as possible and tailored to the needs of your class, topic etc
Popular themes and activities for Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils include
The list below shows the activities that we commonly teach for KS1 and 2, grouped by subject. Click on the activity for more information about it.
River Studies at West Mills, Wareham - Get your wellies on and jump straight in to the River Piddle at West Mills, learning all about rivers and taking scientific measurements such as width, depth, flow velocity and pollution indicator species.
Coasts - At Leeson House we're spoiled for choice when it comes to studying coasts. With the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site right on our doorstep and such a range of fantastic study sites nearby, we can cater for almost any coastal topic. Below is a list of the coastal sites we regularly visit and the topics that they lend themselves to.
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Lulworth Cove (and Durdle Door)- geology, concordant coastlines, coastal landforms and erosion processes.
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Swanage Bay - Coastal management and protection, long shore drift, reosion and tourism.
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Kimmeridge Bay - geology, wave cut platform, erosion, coastal habitats, fossils, oil and coastal management.
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Studland and Old Harry Rocks - erosion and coastal landforms, long shore drift, deposition and sand dunes, tourism, recreation, coastal management and retreat.
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Durlston Country Park - erosion, concordant and discordant coastlines, geology, habitats, quarrying and local history.
Geology and Land Use - Take a lovely country walk across the valley from the Chalk Ridge to Leeson House, crossing the many rock types that make up the Isle of Purbeck. Along the way look at the shape of the landscape, habitats, human influences and land use, and learn how these all link back to the underlying geology.
Geology Workshop - Learn all about the rocks and fossils of Purbeck and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, whilst getting your hands on ammonites, ichthyosaurs, fools' gold and fossilised dinosaur poo!
Weather Studies - Ever wondered what it would be like to be a weather forcaster? Become a meteorologist for the day, learning about different types of weather, climates and micro-climates. You will be taking scientific weather recordings at our mini weather stations, making prdictions and displaying your findings.
Combine this activity with a 'Windy Walk' out to the coast, taking windspeed recordings along the way to help us decide where to site a new eco-friendly wind turbine!
Swanage and the Victorians - Learn how the Victorians shaped the town of Swanage, by trading the local stone, building the railway and inventing the good old British seaside holiday, and giving it the nickname 'Little London By The Sea'.
Corfe Castle - No trip to Purbeck is complete without a look around the enchanting Corfe Castle! Hear its fascinating tales of kings and queens and Roundheads and Cavaliers, and gory stories of the dungeons and medieval hygiene.
Worth Matravers - This picture-postcard Purbeck village has a wealth of intriguing history and stories, from infamous smugglers and shipwrecks to important medical discoveries and stone-masons' guilds. Can easily be reached on foot from Leeson House, either via the coast and Dancing Ledge or a shorter countryside route along the Priest's Way.
Leeson House Carvings Trail - Use a map of the house to explore the amazing collection of European oak carvings we have at Leeson House, some of which are over 400 years old!
Orienteering - learn how to 'orientate' your map and use it to find all the markers around the grounds before your classmates do! We have 3 permanent courses of varying difficulty, plus several temporary courses that can be set out especially for your visit.
Compass Skills - find out the difference between the magnetic needle and the direction of travel arrow, then learn to walk on a bearing and test your new skills on the Games Field Compass Course.
Off-site Orienteering - If you've mastered using a compass and conquered the orienteering in the grounds, then this is the next challenge. Working in teams, can you navigate your way around the nearby fields answering questions along the way?
Team-Building Games -
Pond Dipping - Perhaps our most popular activity, pond dipping is a wonderful opportunity for children (and adults!) to catch their own pond creatures to identify and study.
Animal Trackers - Our collection of stuffed animals allows students to look very closely at British wildlife and learn about adaptations, food chains, and habitats. This activity can be supplemented nicely with some bird watching from the hide in the grounds.
Durlston Country Park - Designed and built by the famous Victorian gentleman George Burt, to enlighten the people of Swanage, Durlston Country Park is a fabulous place for wildlife conservation and birdwatching. Local history can be explored by a visit to the Great Globe, castle and old quarries and, forming a section of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site as Durlston does, geology and coastal geography are really brought to life here .
Local Walks - Leeson House is surrounded by stunning Purbeck countryside and the beautiful coastline is just over a mile away, making it a perfect place for exploring on foot. With the network of footpaths and bridleways that are easily accessible from our grounds, and our minibuses to drop you off or pick you up further afield, the options for walks are almost limitless.
On our local walks we can explore themes such as smuggling, local history, geology and quarrying, map reading, settlement studies, coastal landforms and features, and land use.
Why not make a day of it and spend the morning walking to the place you want to visit in the afternoon? This works well for visits to Corfe Castle, Worth Matravers, Swanage, Durlston and even Studland and Kimmeridge.
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Night Walk - to help everyone sleep on the first night and to allow the students to see a night sky devoid of light pollution, hear nocturnal animals, experience the silence of the rural nightime and maybe retrace the footsteps of old smugglers!Click on the Teddy to go to the Teddy Bears Picnic Page - a fantastic day of fun environmental education for Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils
