Fountains tree trail teachers resources
Teacher’s pack includes:
Map of the estate with proposed route and locations for carrying out the different activities
Information cards about the trees on the spotter sheet
Instructions for each of the different activities
Pupil’s pack includes:
Laminated tree spotter sheet—summer or autumn/winter version
Activities booklet
Paper and crayons for bark rubbings
Tape measure
Pencil
Outline of tree trail activities
Throughout the trail use the spotter sheet to compare deciduous and evergreen trees and, use
the information cards in the teachers resource pack to help the pupils identify them. To help the
pupils identify the different trees, get them to look at and discuss:
Shapes of leaves
Colour of leaves
Texture of leaves
Texture of bark
On Page 1 of the activities booklet the pupils can record their observations of some particularly
interesting shaped/textured leaves from oak, lime, holly and rowan trees.
Activity 1
Look at the uses of trees
Page 2 of the activities booklet looks as trees as a habitat
Page 3 looks at human uses of trees
Activity 2
Use a section of the story of the wind in the willows to help the pupils think about trees
Use this to explore how trees change with the seasons
Activity 3
Take bark rubbings of 1 evergreen and 1 deciduous tree
Activity 4
Measure the height of trees
Measure the girth of trees, as an extension to this, or as a follow up activity back at school,
you can estimate the age of the trees
KS2 extension activity: How do trees reproduce?
Look for evidence of different flowers and fruits on trees, and investigate how the seeds
are dispersed
Follow-up activities:
Den building—pre-booked activity
Tree art—pre-booked activity at Fountains Abbey, or follow up back at school
Visit the mill and/or bird hide
Route of the tree trail
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14.
15.
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17.
From the visitors centre take the left hand path to the small wooded area.
Along this path there are examples of sycamore, field maple and ash trees.
In the small wooded area carry out Activity 1. In this area there are examples of hazel,
lime, beech, birch, yew, pine etc.. There is also the bird hide, which is worth a visit! And
there is a den building area (possible follow-up activity in the afternoon).
On leaving the wooded area through a gate, walk across the field (from which you get a
view of the top of the abbey), and follow the path to the corner of the field. Here there are
some good examples of pine trees behind the fence.
Follow the path around the corner, along this section there are many different trees on the
cliff top, including some fruit trees, e.g. apple trees. When you reach the big old beech tree
in the dip, stop and carry out Activity 2.
Continue along this path to the gate and then take the left hand path through this wooded
area. In this area there are lots of sycamores along the path.
When you reach the end of the path at the bottom of the wooded area, head onto the
green in front of the abbey.
Here there are some nice examples of sweet chestnut trees.
There are lots of trees in this area which can be used for Activity 3 and Activity 4.
From the Porters Lodge take the path to the Mill. Along the path there are good examples
of Yew trees and some English Oak.
Just in front of the mill café on the river bank there is a nice sycamore tree, which is a good
example of how bark peels off. This may be a good tree to do a bark rubbing of as part of
Activity 3.
You may wish to visit the mill now if you have time (see follow-up activities).
Retrace your steps along this path back to the porters lodge and now take the path to the
left towards Fountains Hall, along this path there are many yew trees, which are accessible
and have large girths so may be good to measure as part of Activity 4.
Just before the Hall take the path on the right which leads back up to the gate.
This time take the left-hand path up towards Swanley Grange.
On reaching Swanley Grange you could have your lunch here and do some tree art as one
of the follow-up activities.
Continuing on from Swanley Grange you will go past the play-area (a good example of the
Nice example
of a sycamore
tree to use for
Activity 3 near
the mill café.
Beech tree to use in Activity 2.
4
3
2
1
Activity 1
Location: small wooded area marked 1 on the map.
Trees as a habitat:
Use evidence around this area to investigate how trees are used as a habitat, and record this on
page 2 of the activity booklet. This could include a visit to the bird hide to see a large number of
birds in this habitat. Rabbits are also seen in this area so if the children are quiet they might be
lucky!
Uses of trees:
Use the teachers information sheets to help the pupils find out which tree is best used for each of
the things described on page 3 of the activity booklet. (sweet chestnut trees are not present in
this area but the rest are).
Ash—making a fire
Birch—broomstick
Hazel—making a den
Lime—making a cup of tea
Oak—making a table
Sweet chestnut/hazel—making a fence
Holly—decorating your house at Christmas
Scots pine– predicting the weather
Activity 2
Location: bottom of the field near the fence above the abbey, marked 2 on the map.
Read a section of ‘The wild wood’ from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. The first
part of this chapter has been included at the end of the teacher’s pack. This section of the story
is about Mole going into the wild wood on his own and getting scared in the wood. This can be
used to get the children to think about:
How does it feel to be amongst trees?
What can you hear/see/feel? Is it different to not being in amongst trees?
What kinds of animals can you see/hear/find evidence of?
This story can also be used to explore the seasons by thinking about the following questions:
What season was it when Mole went into the woods?
Do the trees look like when Mole was there or are they different? How are they different?
What season is it now?
Why do trees change with the seasons? How is this different between evergreen and deciduous trees?
Activity 3
Location: On green in front of abbey and near the mill, marked 3 on the map.
Paper and crayons have been provided to take bark rubbings. Ideally the pupils will take 1 bark
rubbing from a deciduous tree and one from an evergreen tree to compare them. Trees that
have particularly interesting bark to take rubbings from include:
Deciduous tree: sycamore—bark peels off in flakes.
Evergreen tree: yew—bark smooth and flaky.
Activity 4
Location: Green in front of the abbey—good examples of sweet chestnut trees to measure the
height of, and along the path to Fountains Hall there are good examples of yew trees to measure
the circumference of.
Potential hazards: River—keep away from the bank of the river.
Measure the height of trees:
KS1—Estimate the height of a tree
Aim: Compare the height of a tree to another object to get a sense of scale.
Work in pairs. Estimate the height of a tree by measuring the height of one
child. This child then stands next to the tree and the other child imagines how
many times that child will fit head to foot in the height of the tree. Multiply the
number of times the child fits by the height of the child to get the height of the
tree.
KS2—Look through your legs to measure the height of a
tree.
Ask each child to chose a tree and then walk away from it
every so often looking between their legs. When they can
see the top of the tree through their legs get them to stop.
Ask another child to then measure the distance between the
tree and the child. This distance is roughly the height of the
tree. This estimates the height because maths says that if
you view a tree’s top at a 45 degree angle the height of the tree is equivalent to the distance you
are from the tree.
Measure the girth/circumference of a tree:
Hug a tree!
Get the children to stand around a tree with their fingertips touching until they have gone all the
way around the tree. Now get these children to stand in a line with their fingertips toughing in
the same way to get an idea of the girth of the tree. Do this with different trees. What tree
needs the most children to hug a tree?
To measure the girth more accurately this can be done using a tape measure. Girth is normally
measured at 1.5m from the ground, but for children do this at their underarm height. (If you are
going to estimate the age try to measure at 1m or at approximately the children’s head height).
KS2 extension—estimate the age of the trees
Roughly every 2.5cm of girth represents one years growth of a tree. To estimate the age divide
the girth by 2.5. Do this with a range of trees to see which are the oldest. This information could
be made into timelines or charts back in the classroom.
Other things that could be discussed could include the effect of a tree being in the open or
woodland has on its ability to grow. Trees like the ones you are measuring in the open will grow
faster because there is less competition for light, water and nutrients from other trees. In a
woodland on average trees increase in girth by approx 1.25cm per year. Are there any trees in a
woodland elsewhere on the estate if you have time, or near the school that you could measure
and compare?
KS2 extension activity
Location: throughout the tree trail.
How do trees reproduce?
On pages 4 and 5 of the KS2 activity booklet are some activities to investigate how trees reproduce.
First explore how trees are pollinated. In the spring/summer you should be able to see flowers on the
trees, at other times of the year the children may need more guidance from the tree information
sheets. The answers for the activity to match the different types of flowers to each tree are:
Blossom—ash, lime and sycamore
Catkins—birch, hazel and oak
Whilst thinking about pollination you could hunt for different insects that pollinate trees, there is space
in the activity book to draw any that you find. Next Investigate how trees disperse their seeds.
Autumn will be the best time to carry out this activity as the trees should have produced seeds that you
can find and collect. There is a table in the activity booklet to fill in the different methods of seed
dispersal for some of the trees you will have seen:
Type of tree
Type of seed
Wings
Method of seed dispersal
Berry
Oak

Sycamore

Nut


Wind
Acorn
Animal

 Hazelnut


Ash

Squirrel

Birds

Birds


Holly
E.g. squirrel

Hazel
Rowan

Follow-up activities
For guided activities that need to be booked in advance contact our learning officer Emma Manners.
Den building
Students work together in groups to build a den from natural materials. They will need to fit the whole
group inside and pass the “rain test” - a great way for children to bond and create lasting memories.
Guided activity, advance booking required.
Tree art
Collect fallen items from trees as you are walking around the trail to make a piece of art either back at
your school or in Swanley Grange (guided activity, advanced booking required). Possible ideas include:
Leaf collage—collect different shaped and coloured leaves to make a collage.
Make a tree—collect different items to form the structure of a tree and label it, e.g. collect twigs
to make the trunk, stems and roots, leaves and any fruits/seeds you wish to add.
Visit the Mill
Investigate the role of the mill when the monks lived at Fountains Abbey., and what the monks
used wood for, e.g. there is replica machinery and cups on display.
Investigate how the mill was used as a sawmill from the 1840s until the 1930s.
Feel samples of different woods—there are polished examples of oak, ash, larch and elm to feel.
The wind in the willows
by Kenneth Grahame
Chapter 3: The Wild Wood
The Mole had long wanted to make the acquaintance of the Badger. But whenever the Mole
mentioned his wish to the Water Rat he always found himself put off. ‘It’s all right,’ the Rat would
say. ‘Badger’ll turn up some day or other - he’s always turning up - and then I’ll introduce you.
‘Couldn’t you ask him here...dinner or something?’ said the Mole.
‘He wouldn’t come,’ replied the Rat simply. ‘Badger hates Society, and invitations, and dinner,
and all that sort of thing.’
‘Well, then, supposing we go and call on HIM?’ suggested the Mole.
‘O, I’m sure he wouldn’t like that at ALL,’ said the Rat, quite alarmed. ‘He’s so very shy, he’d be
sure to be offended. Besides, we can’t. It’s quite out of the question, because he lives in the very
middle of the Wild Wood.’
But the Badger never came along and it was not till summer was long over, and cold and frost
kept them much indoors, that the Mole found his thoughts dwelling again on the grey Badger.
In the winter time the Rat slept a great deal, retiring early and rising late. During his short day he
sometimes scribbled poetry or did other small domestic jobs about the house; and, of course,
there were always animals dropping in for a chat.
Still, the Mole had a good deal of spare time on his hands, and so one afternoon, he formed the
resolution to go out by himself and explore the Wild Wood, and perhaps strike up an
acquaintance with Mr. Badger. It was a cold still afternoon with a hard steely sky overhead,
when he slipped out of the warm parlour into the open air. The country lay bare and entirely
leafless around him as he pushed on towards the Wild Wood, which lay before him low and
threatening.
There was nothing to alarm him at first entry. Twigs crackled under his feet, logs tripped him,
funguses on stumps startled him for the moment by their likeness to something familiar and far
away; but that was all fun, and exciting. It led him on, and he penetrated to where the light was
less, and trees crouched nearer and nearer, and holes made ugly mouths at him on either side.
Everything was very still now. The dusk advanced on him steadily, rapidly, and the light seemed
to be draining away like floodwater.
Then the faces began.
It was over his shoulder, that he first thought he saw a face; a little evil wedge-shaped face,
looking out at him from a hole. When he turned and confronted it, the thing had vanished.
He quickened his pace, telling himself cheerfully not to begin imagining things, or there would be
simply no end to it. He passed another hole, and another, and another; and then - yes! - no! yes! certainly a little narrow face, with hard eyes, had flashed up for an instant from a hole, and
was gone. Then suddenly, every hole, far and near, seemed to possess its face, all hard-eyed and
evil and sharp.
Then the pattering began.
He thought it was only falling leaves at first, so slight and delicate was the sound of it. Then as it
grew it took a regular rhythm, and he knew it for nothing else but the pat-pat-pat of little feet
still a very long way off. As he listened anxiously, leaning this way and that, it seemed to be closing in on him.
The whole wood seemed running now, running hard, hunting, chasing, closing in round
something or - somebody? In panic, he began to run and ran into things, he fell over things and
into things, he darted under things and dodged round things. At last he took refuge in the deep
dark hollow of an old beech tree.
And as he lay there panting and trembling, and listened to the whistlings and the patterings
outside, he knew it at last, that thing which the Rat had tried to shield him from - the Terror of
the Wild Wood!