Designed to Go

Friday 18th June 2010 from 9.30am - 3pm

This is an event using Design as a process to raise self confidence, social and presentation skills along with the ability to work to a very tight timetable to achieve an end result.  The sessions for 12 - 13 year olds are delivered by Scott Hurd, an external teacher and presenter whi is recognised nationally for his expertise in this area (for more information on Scott Hurd visit www.scott-hurd.co.uk).   The sessions 

• Deliver various sections of the National Curriculum
  a)   Design
  b)   Social
  c)   Art
  d)  Communications  
• Provide the opportunity for the students to interact with fellow students from other schools developing their interaction skills, team working, presentation skills (in various forms from 2D – paper drawing, 3D – Model making to a concise sales pitch). 
• Provide groups of no more than 5 with the maximum benefit from the sessions. 
• Build self-confidence. 
• Make the pupils more receptive as they are part of the wider Wicksteed experience. 
• Ensure complete access for people with disabilities at all times.
• Encourage hard work, and deadline setting, through to a finished article.

This programme is specifically designed for Key Stage 3 and costs £10 per pupil to participate.

Designed for Leisure

Thursday 17th June 2010 from 9.30am - 3pm

This is a smaller session than the ‘Design to Go’ sessions but do provide the same disciplines and benefits to the participants including 

• Delivery of various parts of the National Curriculum 
  a)  Design 
  b)  Social 
  c)  Art
  d)  Communications 
• Builds self-confidence. 
• Provides the opportunity for the students to interact with fellow students from other schools developing their interaction skills, team working and presentation skills. 
• Prepares the students for the change of schools into secondary level  Provide small groups with the maximum benefit from the sessions. 
• Make the pupils more receptive as they are part of the wider Wicksteed experience. 
• Ensure complete access for people with disabilities at all times.

This programme is specifically designed for Key Stage 2 and costs £7per pupil to participate.

Story in the Park

Monday 21st June 2010 from 10am - 2pm

The session gets the children out of the normal school environment for a positive educational experience and along with the excitement of visiting Wicksteed Park, it increases the child’s willingness to learn and the school to give something back as an end of term treat.   The session: 

• Follows various parts of the National Curriculum 
  a)  English 
  b)  Listening Skills 
  c)  Social Skills 
  d)  Communications 
• Provides small groups with the maximum benefit from the session
• Makes the pupils more receptive as they are part of the wider Wicksteed experience
• Ensures complete access for people with disabilities at all times. 

The day starts as soon as the schools arrive at Wicksteed Park with each group full of trepid excitement.  Story Tellers that are nationally recognised with them presenting an hour’s story telling in the morning which interweaves the location of the session and the many aspects of the park with the story itself.  All the children are given booklets in which they can record their feelings and the stories they have heard.  These are then used back at school to bring back memories and stimulate them to write their own stories.   KS1 children record their stories with drawings while KS2 use notes and drawings.  For an additional fee, the particpants are then given free time from finish of morning session until 1.00pm, when they use the many rides and attractions on site.  The afternoon session then follows with a different story teller and backdrop, before returning back to school.

This programme is specifically designed for Key Stage 1,2 & 3 and costs £6 per pupil to participate. 

Victorian Days

Monday 28th June, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th June 2010 from 10am - 2.15pm

This session originated when our Education Officer watched a local Primary School organising their own session in the Park.  The sessions are specifically aimed at Key Stages of work within the National Curriculum.  The sessions

• Linked directly to National Curriculum 
  a)  History 
  b)  Geography 
  c)  Art 
  d)  Design 
• Use the Parks facilities as a back drop to a Victorian Seaside and entertainment centre (KS1 / 2 themes are for the children to research a Victorian seaside, a family planning a trip to the seaside, children living in Victorian times). 
• Allow the school children to dress up into Victorian dress and partially experience life in those bygone years 
• Makes the pupils more receptive as they are part of the wider Wicksteed experience 
• Using the day in a very practical memorable way to finish their programme study complete with a 'Victorian Experience' - a day they will remember forever.
• Ensures complete access for people with disabilities at all times.

The day consists of 

• Dressing in period clothing.
• An individual child making out that he/she lives in Victorian times and has to plan a trip to the sea side.
• Begin a train journey at 'Wicksteed Station' and after one lap of the track arrives at 'Wicksteed on Sea'.
• Then down to the beach (Sand Pit) with buckets and spades, head through the old fashioned Victorian photograph board.  Sailing boats on the model boating lake and flying kites  Watching a Punch and Judy.
• Seeing and taking part in Victorian games. 
• Riding the Carousal, visiting the Hall of Mirrors, singing Victorian songs and listening to a street barrel organ. 
• Creating sand shapes to take home with them.
  

This programme is specifically designed for Key Stage 1 & 2 and costs £3.50 per pupil to participate. 

Please click on the following link for a record of the Victorian Day Experience for Tiffield School

Bastille Day

Friday 9th July 2010 (Northamptonshire schools only) - from 10am through to 3pm

With the world getting smaller the Government sees that it is essential for everyone to speak a foreign language.  In 2010 every primary school will have to find the time to place a MFL into their curriculum.  To help stimulate an interest in a foreign language Wicksteed has been working with both senior NIAS inspectors and secondary school MFL teachers to develop The Bastille Day. Together we will be creating a French Leisure park, a place where a slice of French culture will pervade across Wicksteed's parklands, rides and facilities.  A day which will be the culmination of a years study benefiting both primary and secondary schools. Initially the day will belong to the senior schools with students coming into the park to translate every sign in the park into French so that they can be changed into French and used on the Bastille Day.  The secondary students will also be the interface between the users of the park and the food/drink/ice cream/ride outlets.  The younger pupils will have to use their knowledge of French to purchase whatever. Schools will have a year to produce a play, a singing group etc (all obviously in French).  A 'passport' will be needed to enter the park and once through the gates there will be a central core of activities which as many of the children as possible will experience -a French market, joining the French Foreign Legion, a Jigsaw race, Mime workshops, Food tasting, the Procession, cultural activities etc etc. 

But that is not all, in the work leading up to the final day there will be the opportunity for small groups of Secondary students to help design and plan the days web site, the layout of the park, involvement in the local evening paper and Radio station by completing work for them either in articles like for instance a weekly English to French dictionary or trailing a senior management worker to get an insight into different work patterns.

This programme was specifically designed for various Key Stages and costs £5.00 per pupil to participate.

To find a report on the day written and produced by the students from Latimer Arts College please click here

If you would like to test your knowledge of the French Language and prepare yourself for our next Bastille Day Celebrations, why not take part in our Bastille Day Quiz. 

Please click here to enter our quiz pages