Rivers In The Classroom
Ribble Rivers Trust has been delivering educational activities through Rivers in the Classroom for over a decade. And we’re not about to stop now! In fact, we keep expanding to reach more and more children and young people in the Ribble Catchment.
The Rivers in the Classroom education programme brings freshwater science into schools across the Ribble Catchment. By encouraging pupils to expand their knowledge of their local rivers, we hope to promote the value of the Ribble’s natural heritage and improve its condition for people and wildlife. Through field- and classroom-based activities, pupils learn about the relationships between living things and their environment. Then they discover how we can help to protect our rivers in the future by making small changes now.
All activities are linked to the KS2 National Curriculum and help pupils to develop Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) values, recognised by Ofsted as important components of an Outstanding school.
Taking part in the Rivers in the Classroom programme will help your class to achieve the River-Friendly School Award, an award that can be proudly displayed in your school for all to see. Get in touch to ask us how your school can become a River-Friendly School.
So, what activities could your class get involved with?
How about some Trout in the Classroom? Through the Trout in the Classroom project, pupils (and teachers) can truly experience the magical world of brown trout. Ribble Rivers Trust staff will set up everything you need before delivering 100 brown trout eggs for your class to care for and see develop into young fish. We will then help you to release them into your local river, where they will continue their journey. Of course, we will help you enhance your pupils’ learning experience by linking Trout in the Classroom to the National Curriculum and offering additional activities for them to take part in.
If you just want to get your pupils outside, we have a variety of riverside and field-based workshops to choose from. Your class could embark on a River Expedition to discover all they can about rivers before meeting the creatures that live beneath the water’s surface with a Freshwater Micro-Safari. Or, perhaps, learning a new sport through some Angling Coaching with a licenced Level 2 angling coach is something that would help your pupils connect with their local river.
All of our riverside workshops will include a Water Safety session to give pupils some easy-to-remember rules for keeping themselves and each other safe by the river. Our field-based workshops allow pupils to take part in activities to create and conserve freshwater habitats, contributing to the future of the Ribble Catchment. They will learn that they have the power within themselves to make a huge positive difference to our rivers and seas through tree planting and litter picking.
What about classroom based actvities?
If classroom-based workshops are more practical to fit into your school day, we have plenty to choose from to bring the freshwater fun inside! For an indoor Freshwater Micro-Safari, we will bring the minibeasts to you so pupils can learn all about the invertebrates living in their local river and why they are so important. Or how about Exploring the River Landscape with our interactive river table? Pupils will learn all about the water cycle and river formation and see the impacts of climate change and pollution on our rivers. They will also learn how to conserve rivers from home and then race to restore the Ribble.
Our Junior River Explorer activities can be either stand-alone workshops or activities that can run alongside other workshops to give pupils a variety of activities to keep them busy. Take your pick from our six sessions covering a range of subjects including science, geography, English, music, art and well-being.
Can we do a full rivers in the classroom package?
If you want a full, action-packed activity day with Ribble Rivers Trust, then take a look at our day packages which can combine our riverside, field-based and classroom-based workshops. An example of a Remarkable Rivers day could be a walk from school to a local woodland and/or river with some enriching outdoor activities to take part in. We would head back to school for lunch then spend the afternoon learning even more about the wonderful watery habitats that rivers provide.
discover more
You can discover more about the packages and our pricing here, or view the full information pack here.
