Plan A Visit
Educational Visits
Group Visits
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The Scottish Borders
Bowhill House & Gardens
The Buccleuch Collection
History
Bowhill House Gardens
House Tours
The Adventure Playground
Soft Play
Love & Respect Victorian Age Exhibition
The Victorian Kitchen
Our Sister Estates
Walking and Hiking
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Contact
The First School Visit
On a cold March morning 30 P1 to P3’s arrived for a winter themed nature walk. I always enjoy these types of visit, where there are opportunities to look beyond the typical style of activity.
Outdoor Learning
Starting out in the Sunken Garden, we counted birds by listening to their different calls and songs, then discussed the rather clever Holly tree (Ilex aquifolium). Holly leaves actually first grow with a smooth edge, but if browsed (nibbled by things like deer) the leaves will grow back with a spikey edge. This created a sense of awe amongst the children and their teachers, at just how clever plants can be!
Round the Loch
We moved on to walk around the Upper Loch, identifying trees by leaves on the ground and looking at the newly formed buds sprouting into new life. The swans are a popular resident of Bowhill and it was a great opportunity to talk about how the swans long neck allows them to eat vegetation from loch beds.
Photos supplied by Mrs Fresle of St Mary’s School.
Read more of Andy’s Spring Ranger Diaries.
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