Top School Trips -Issue 6

• Is it important to have green spaces in communities? • What are the most important elements of a pocket park design? • Describe and explain the reason behind your group’s design choices. • What would you change about your local community and why? there differences of opinion that were unexpected? Next, provide A3 sheets of paper to pairs or small groups of children and signpost them to the display they have created of the photos, reflections and nature art to be used as a tool for inspiration when designing. Remind them of the checklist they need to refer to alongside their design, and emphasise the importance of teamwork to create something that showcases all their ideas. 2 | REVIEWING YOUR WALK Use these images to hold a class discussion about the features they liked in the green spaces and things they would improve. Talk also about what they feel is missing from their local community, that they could pull into their designs. Scribe some of the children’s reflections, or encourage them to write down their thoughts on strips of paper. Display the reflections alongside the images. Make a checklist of important elements from this discussion that children can refer back to during the design process. Is there something that all pupils feel there should be in a local green space, or were • Using the teacher-in-role drama technique, pretend to be a pocket park inspector and walk around the tables while students present their design ideas, trying to convince you to choose their design to bring to life. • Ask pupils to write a persuasive letter to their local MP or councillor, outlining their ideas to transform their local community through pocket parks and highlighting the importance of green spaces as a source for wellbeing. Focus on persuasive language and use photos from the walk to remind them of the areas they felt needed to be improved and why. • Involve the community by reaching out to local garden centres or allotments to see how they grow and plant items in their area. Encourage the children to use this knowledge in their designs. EXTENDING THE LESSON Once they’re happy with their designs, give them time to show their creations to other groups, reflecting and adapting their work as they think necessary. 3 | MAKING IT 3D Start a nature collection in the classroom and encourage children to bring in a range of natural materials, textures and colours. Ensure the material collected is dry and can be easily stored; plastic tubs with lids are a good storage solution. Using this collection, along with masking tape and junk modelling items, children can turn their 2D drawings of pocket parks into 3Dmodels displayed on their tables. Masking tape can be used to create a bird’s eye view of their pocket park design and map out the landscape details. Notes and thoughts can even be written on the tape for further information. Another way to encourage children to add detail to their designs is to suggest they use sticky notes to label some of their pocket park features. Give time for the groups to ‘visit’ everyone’s designs and share feedback about what they liked or would have adapted from their observations. Emily Azouelos is an experienced primary teacher who moved to the world of heritage and arts-based organisations two years ago. She creates educational-related content for a variety of settings. “This lesson gets children out into their local green spaces and helps fuel their imagination” USEFUL QUESTIONS www.teachwire.net/school-trips | 53