Kit list for students and teachers
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Date posted: 13/10/2020
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Time to read: 3 Minutes
If your students are cold, wet, thirsty, or sunburnt, they won’t be attentive and won’t learn very much. And if you are outside for any length of time in bad conditions, having the right kit is important in keeping everyone safe.
Every location is different and conditions can change quickly. Our education teams can give you expert advice on what to take on your trip, and our National Park Centres can tell you the latest conditions.
Here’s a basic list of kit for your students, and extra things a group leader should have, too:
Kit list for students
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Walking boots (if walking any distance) or wellies (if ground is very wet and not walking too far)
- Lightweight trousers that don’t rub and will dry out quickly — not jeans (if jeans get wet they stay wet for hours and get heavy and uncomfortable)
- Layers of tops, preferably a synthetic top next to your skin rather than cotton (cotton gets wet from sweating and can make you wet and cold)
- Warm gloves and hat, especially if you are going to upland areas. It can be cold and windy on hill tops even if warm at the bottom
- Spare socks in case you get your feet wet
- Lots to drink, you get much thirstier being active outdoors
- Packed lunch and small snacks to eat throughout the day
- Backpack big enough to put everything in, preferably with padded straps and hip belt
- Backpack liner (plastic bags work great!) to keep everything dry
Extra kit to consider
Summer kit:
- Hat with a brim or cap
- Top with high collar and sleeves to prevent sunburn
- Suncream
- Insect repellant
- Extra drink
Winter kit:
- At least four layers of tops, including at least one warm fleecy or woollen jumper
- Warm gloves
- Fleecy or woollen hat
- Scarf
- Thick, warm socks
- Hot drink in a flask
Kit list for teachers
- First Aid kit
- Map and compass (and know how to use them)
- Whistle and small torch
- Mobile phone – but remember that most rural areas have limited or no signal
- GPS device – but don’t rely on it. Tree cover, bad signal or lack of battery power can stop them working, always take a map and compass as well
- Useful phone numbers (e.g. nearest National Park Centre, bus driver, accommodation)
- Next of kin contact details and medical requirements for pupils
- Risk assessment
- Emergency energy food for group, such as chocolate or jelly sweets
- Extra liquids for group
- Survival bag (dustbin bags will do)
💭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
