Fieldwork and education in the Broads
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Date posted: 13/10/2020
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Time to read: 5 minutes
The wonder of learning in the Broads National Park
Like all the National Parks, the Broads has so much to offer for top quality fieldwork. However, it truly excels as a unique and magical place when it comes to educational opportunities which flow along the rivers and through the swamps!
This watery national treasure can be used to explore the curriculum and children’s imaginations in so many inspirational ways.
The ever-changing nature of waterways is a cross-curricula story thread, which speaks of ecology, history, geography, transport, tourism, literature, art and above all, the relationships between people and the environment.
Geography
Waterways can be all about practical measurements such as flow rates, bank-full discharges and current velocity. In the Broads, the rivers also tell stories of settlement, agriculture, tourism, recreation and conflicting uses, transport, drainage, flooding and landscape reshaping.
Above all, the story of the Broads is one of climate change. The landscape offers a fascinating (and very relevant) case study of human fuel use and climatic fluctuations, from the creation of the broads from abandoned mediaeval peat diggings, to the current threats posed by sea level rise.
A hands-on activity involving charcoal making and drying peat around a campfire brings in aspects of history, geography and science, and leads to thoughtful and provocative discussions about human use of resources and the environmental consequences.
History
The history of the Broads is a rich seam of endlessly surprising learning opportunities.
The changing populations of the Broads, from Romans to modern day tourists, via Vikings, mediaeval peat diggers, drainage engineers and Victorian marshmen, have all left a legacy.
The timeline is written in the landscape and can be illustrated by peat cores up to 3m deep. Sinking an auger into a fen and handling the peat formed 2,000 years ago always seems to capture the imagination of both students and teachers.
Science and ecology
In terms of science and ecology, the potential of wetlands and waterways is almost endless.
River, pond or dyke dipping in spectacular natural environments is among the most stimulating fieldwork activity for any age. The possibility of finding the largest or most fearsome or most exciting underwater creature will engage almost everyone. Concepts like food chains and adaptations, and skills like using identification keys are brought to life. Water testing for nitrates is given real world context when there is a possibility of spotting kingfishers, or even swallowtail butterflies! Working in quaking fens and swampy carrs brings adventure to transects and quadrats.
Practical habitat conservation work like willow scrub clearance will also give a muddy realism to the science.
Other learning ideas for educators
Themes for literacy could be postcards from an Edwardian tourist, or poetic marshland myths and legends. The captivating landscape between shivering reeds and eternal skies has inspired artists and authors for centuries.
Getting close to the water and splashed while spotting a swimming grass snake or otter makes any activity involving small boats very memorable.
Throw in some water safety activities (with all the fun of practising with a rescue-line) and a group of students can have an exciting learning experience.
Just being out in the Broads is excellent for health and well-being, but when coupled with the amazing stories and science woven through the landscape, this wonderful wetland becomes a truly magical, inspiring and potentially life changing place to learn.
The naturalist Ted Ellis described the Broads “a breathing space for the cure of souls”, a phrase which seems particularly relevant today. We need places like this more than ever!
Article by Nick Sanderson, Education Officer for the Broads National Park
💭You might have heard of biodiversity, but what does it actually mean?
It’s the variety of life around us from plants and insects in a meadow to birds, mammals, fungi and the tiny organisms we can’t even see.
But it’s not just a list of species - it’s the intricate web of relationships between them, and our National Parks are home to an incredible diversity of life.
Protecting biodiversity means protecting that web of life.
📸 An adder in @southdownsnp by Simon Watkins.🐍
#Biodiversity #NatureLovers
Could spending more time among trees be good for us?🌳
Research into forests suggests natural compounds called phytoncides could promote a sense of wellbeing and that time spent in woodlands can help decrease feelings of stress and anxiety.
Forest bathing is the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku - which translates as ‘forest bath.’ It’s all about immersing ourselves in nature. Not to get steps in. Not to reach anywhere. Just to feel, be still and be present.
And our National Parks can certainly help. From pine forests and wooded valleys to ancient trees. Our parks are helping people to slow down and reconnect with the natural world every day.
Have you ever tried forest bathing? Tell us below👇
1. Stanmer Woods - @southdownsnp
2. Whinlatter Forest - @lakedistrictnpa
3. Cairngorms National Park @cairngormsnationalpark
4. North York Moors National Park @northyorkmoors
#Mindfulness #ForestBathing #Wellbeing #NationalParks
Has the rain reached you yet? 🌧️
A change in the weather is making its way across our National Parks. And with it comes a different rhythm to the landscape - changing how our surroundings look, sound and feel.
The sound of rain. The smell of wet earth. The air feeling fresher. Wildlife finding shelter.
What do you notice most when the rain arrives?
#RainyDay #BritishWeather #NationalParksUK
They may look like windmills, but in The Broads National Park, they are actually windpumps.
Rather than grinding flour, they were built to pump water from the marshes, helping to drain the land for agriculture and grazing.
Today, these distinctive structures are part of what makes the Broads landscape so recognisable.
And while this is a story from the Broads, it’s one that can be found across all 15 of our National Parks - landscapes shaped by people finding ways to adapt to live and work within their landscape. Something which still remains the case today.
Did you know that one of these mills is said to be haunted? Comment down below which one you think it is 👇
In photograph order:
📍1. St Benets Mill
📍2. Horsey Mill
📍3. Turf Fen Mill
📍4. Thurne Mill
📍5. Bograve Mill
#NorfolkBroads #NationalPark #Windpumps
✨🌙 Look up!
With a partial solar eclipse taking place tonight across the UK, we’re reminded about how important it is for our dark skies to be protected. Our National Parks are home to some of the best places in the UK to enjoy them, due to low levels of light pollution.
These incredible photos capture another recent celestial phenomenon that has been on display for stargazers and is peaking tonight - the Perseid meteor shower.
The sightings were captured in @northyorkmoors - home to one of the UK’s largest areas of protected dark sky.
🌟Tag us in your eclipse photos across our National Parks. Just be sure to follow safe viewing and photography guidance while you snap!
📷 1. Perseid meteor shower at Skelton Tower by Richard Horsman.
📷 2. Milky Way and Perseid meteor shower at Sutton Bank by Russ Norman.
📍North York Moors National Park #DarkSkies #SolarEclipse #Perseid #MeteorShower
Just goats being goats. 🐐
These incredible animals call the Valley of Rocks in @exmoornp home - scaling walls and cliffs, grazing on the rich meadows and, occasionally, blocking the roads!
They’re a wonderful reminder of why our National Parks are so important, providing a home for such a diverse range of wildlife.
Have you ever spotted one?
📷 Exmoor National Park
#ValleyOfRocks #Exmoor #Goats #NationalPark
Look out for us at the cinema. 🎬🌳
Our latest Wild Spaces episode, screening before selected films, takes you to Northumberland National Park. Their team, alongside farmers, landowners and volunteers, is working together to create healthier, more resilient landscapes through woodland creation and hedgerow planting.
It’s a story of partnership, long-term thinking, and the small actions that can have a lasting impact.
Find out more about the project and watch the episode via the link in our bio. 🔗
@northumberlandnationalpark
#WildSpaces #Northumberland #TreePlanting
💭You might have heard of peatland, but what exactly is it and why does it matter so much?
Peatlands are our natural climate allies. They store vast amounts of carbon, support rare wildlife, improve water quality, reduce flood risk and preserve thousands of years of archaeological and cultural history.
Some of the UK`s most important peatlands are found within our National Parks, making them critical places for tackling the climate and nature crises.
Across the UK`s National Parks, peatland restoration projects are helping damaged peatlands recover, benefiting both nature and people.
📍Dartmoor National Park
#NationalParks #Peatlands #NatureRecovery
