School holiday ideas: wildlife experts select 10 days out for kids in the UK

Take your kids on a dragon hunt this summer, no armour necessary. Dragonfly nymphs look like extras from Star Wars, with hinged projectile jaws for dispatching their prey. To catch these survivors from the age of the dinosaurs, all you need is a cheap shrimp net and an empty ice-cream tub. Take turns to sweep weedy areas, transferring your haul to the container, half-filled with pond water. Any healthy pond (even quite small ones) will do for your quest, or join one of the fantastic dragonfly safaris at Wicken Fen, near Ely in Cambridgeshire (adults ￡8.50, kids ￡2.50). Many nature reserves also have pond-dipping areas with boardwalks for safe, easy access –?try the Wildlife and Wetland Trust's nine centres around the UK.
Ben Hoare, features editor, BBC Wildlife Magazine

Nothing engages kids more with the wild world than a mission of discovery. Prepare a nature table (it can be a drawer if you don't want all the bits and bobs on public display) and populate it with things they find in the garden/park/local woodland/holiday venue. Search under logs for nuts that have been eaten by voles and mice; make plaster-cast moulds of footprints; collect feathers and mount them on card with the species name next to them. Go pond dipping. Climb a tree. Make a den in the woods. Eat outdoors.
Simon King, naturalist and broadcaster (see simonkingwildlife.com for info on identifying tracks and other signs)

Tiger at Isle of Wight Zoo Photograph: Alamy

The Isle of Wight Zoo (adults ￡10, kids 3-16 ￡7.50) is a wildlife gem and well worth crossing the Solent for. It's home to jaguars, tigers, lemurs, lions, wallabies, black spider monkeys and more. There's something about this zoo which really sets it apart: it's one of those special places which can offer a truly transformational experience. For example, the kids can learn to talk to tigers or help to give the wallabies lunch.

The Hawk Conservancy Trust (adults ￡12.75, kids ￡8.30) in Hampshire is a top-notch destination for families. Set in 22 acres of woodland and wildflower meadows, it offers sensational bird of prey flying displays, and the conservation-based ethos of the park is beyond compare.

The Wildfowl and Wetland Centre (adults ￡11.65, kids 4-16 ￡6.50) in Barnes, west London, is also a favourite of mine. It has several habitats – lakes, gardens, marshes and ponds; six hides; and the chance to spot frogs, birds, bats and slow worms.
Chris Packham, nature TV presenter

OK, the horses aren't actually wild, but lots of riding schools run pony weeks or own-a-pony days when kids can fall in love with a new best friend; find one near you through the British Horse Society, or Association of British Riding Schools. Many horse, pony and donkey rescue centres are free to visit and have open days and special events. Try the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon; Horseworld near Bristol; Redwings in Norfolk, Essex and Warwickshire; World Horse Welfare in Aberdeenshire, Somerset, Norfolk and Lancashire; Horse and Pony Protection Association in Burnley; and Bransby Horses in Lincolnshire.
Janet Rising, editor of Pony Magazine and author of The Pony Whisperer series of books

Basking shark and divers at Porth Chapel, Cornwall. Photograph: Alamy

I'm always flattered that basking sharks, the world's second-largest fish, choose to spend their summers in our coastal waters. Despite growing up to 12m long and weighing around seven tonnes, these beautiful behemoths won't give your kids nightmares. From May to October these creatures spend long summer days hoovering up plankton in their millions. There is no need to take to the water. The majority of basking sharks sightings are from land. Though England's south-west (from Land's End for example), the Isle of Man, Wales and the west coast of Scotland are noted hotspots, there really is a chance of them emerging from the deep anywhere along the UK's western shore. You can do your bit for conservation by lodging a report of your sighting at sharktrust.org.
Gordon Buchanan, wildlife film-maker

Get an eyeful of our beautiful birds of prey at one of the RSPB's raptor viewpoints. You can spot white-tailed eagles on Mull or Skye, ospreys in Snowdonia and goshawks in the New Forest. There's even a viewpoint at Tate Modern in London, where you?might see a peregrine falcon dive at 200mph on an unsuspecting?pigeon!?From sparrow hawks in Edinburgh's botanic gardens to barn owls in Coombe Valley, Staffordshire, each?viewpoint is staffed by experts; telescopes or live webcams offer wonderful close-ups, and there are sometimes extra activities for kids, such as dissecting owl pellets.
William Gray, travel writer and?zoologist

When I was growing up it was just me and my dad, and we lived in a tiny bedsit in central London. I loved animals, but we didn't have room for a pet and we couldn't afford to go to London Zoo. So instead, my dad took me on "urban safaris", introducing me to all the wildlife that was right on our doorstep. I fed the sparrows on the window ledge, made friends with the squirrels in the parks, and spotted enormous stag beetles pottering along the pavements. Charities such as Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust and London Wildlife Trust manage lots of wonderful urban nature reserves, that are free to visit.
Serena Cowdy, wildlife presenter and writer (serenacowdy.com)

Coasteering on the Pembrokeshire coast. Photograph: Alamy

A great way to immerse kids in the diversity of wildlife on our craggy coastline is by coasteering, a mix of cliff jumping, scrambling and swimming. Curiosity may find them (and you!) delving into rock pools, gazing up at razorbill nests perched on cliffs or meandering through hidden coves, hoping to spot a seal. Centres providing wildlife-themed coasteering include TYF Adventure in Pembrokeshire, the eco-coasteering tour with Coasteering-Wales on Anglesey, and Eco-Coasteering with The Coast with the Most in Dorset.
Octavia Hopwood, environmental scientist and TV presenter (octaviahopwood.co.uk)

Just a short boat ride from Edinburgh or the neighbouring seaside resort of North Berwick, lie the Firth of Forth islands, a cluster of 12, surrounded by smaller estuarine islets and rocky outcrops. All but Inchcolm are now uninhabited, and they have been reclaimed as sea-bird cities. Wildlife highlights include the hordes of puffins nesting on Craigleith, or the army of gannets that have conquered the crags of Bass Rock. The journey out to the islands (try forthtours.com, or seafari.co.uk) offers the tantalising possibility of spotting seals, dolphins and even minke whales. If the sea conditions conspire against you, it is possible to enjoy the spectacle from the comfort of the brilliant Scottish Seabird Centre (seabird.org) at North Berwick harbour.
Matt Havercroft, editor, Wild Travel magazine

Geosafari plankton net

Many of us have enjoyed crabbing but have you tried plankton netting? Children's plankton nets are available on the internet (try learningresources.co.uk or auravita.com), and are best used on any estuary or seaside wall in places such as Salcombe estuary or Aberdovey. Throw the net into the sea (holding on to the end of the string) and tow the net through the water, then wash the contents of tiny creatures into a dish for inspection.

I also run competitions with kids on my local beach to discover the highest number of crab species on one seashore safari – can you beat seven? Have a copy of the RSPB Handbook of the Seashore at hand to discover the difference between our edible, shore and velvet swimming crabs.
Our British coastal waters are full of vibrant hues thanks to our glorious seaweeds. Storms break seaweed from the sea bed and deposit them on the beach. Collect one or two specimens of bright red, pink and green thin seaweeds. Simply place a thick piece of paper in a tray of water, spread the detail of the seaweed out and lift the card out on to some newspaper; place a j-cloth or muslin on top of the seaweed followed by some more newspaper and a couple of heavy books. Change the damp newspaper every day until bone dry then peel the muslin away and you are left with a stunning seaweed print.Maya Plass, marine and coastal ecologist

THREE MORE UK MAMMALS TO SEE A deer in Richmond Park, London. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Not just for Christmas … kids can meet the free-ranging herd in the Cairngorms, both roaming in the mountains and on the Glenlivet Estate. Several deer species live in the UK, ranging from muntjac, fallow and sika to red deer. See the British Deer Society website for a list of places to spot them, including estates such as Dyrham Park in Wiltshire and Dunham Massey in Cheshire, to deer parks like Abergavenny Priory and the Highland Wildlife park in Inverness-shire.

Bats make up a quarter of all the UK's land mammal species (there are 18, including tiny pipistrelles, brown long-eared and natterer's bats), and they are most active on warm dry nights. The Bat Conservation Trust is running several events this summer, including Bats, Owls and Spooky Tales, a myth-busting, storytelling walk from the Cobleman Campsite in Gartmore, Stirlingshire (nixinnature.co.uk, ￡5pp, non-campers welcome, regular dates through summer). The trust also has links to more than 90 local bat groups who will take visitors out spotting, and a "big bat map" of the UK for you to add your own sightings.

Download a PDF of 34 places in Britain that are good for spotting otters from the Wildlife Trust. These include Aughton Woods in Lancashire, Portrack Marsh in the Tees Valley, and Glenarm nature reserve in Antrim.

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Curriculum experts say Gove's plans could lower standards

'Battle of Balaclava, 25th October 1854', painted circa 1920 by John Charlton. The draft art curriculum is criticised as being too focused on white European artists. Illustration: The Print Collector/Corbis

A member of the group that has been advising the government on how to implement the new "national" curriculum for English state schools offers a scathing verdict: "The whole process has had a very chaotic feel. It's typical of government policy at the moment: they don't think things through very carefully, they don't listen to anyone and then just go ahead and rush into major changes."

Since January, Education Guardian can reveal, groups of experts in 11 subjects – many of them working teachers – have been meeting to try to help the government provide support to schools for the launch of the new curriculum for five- to 14-year-olds from September next year.

These "expert groups" have been advising the Department for Education on the training implications for student teachers, who must be taught from September this year how to teach it, and also on any new resources that might be needed.

But the progress of the groups, set up by the Teaching Agency – now the National College for Teaching and Leadership, which is part of the DfE – has been problematic. Documents submitted to the DfE in late May and now passed to this newspaper show that several groups have raised fundamental concerns about key aspects of the new curriculum, which is still in draft form, with only three months to go.

A consultation was held on the draft curriculum from February to April. Ministers are expected to react next month to the thousands of responses before the documents get the final government sign-off in mid-September.

For primary history, the group, chaired by Hilary Morris, of Brighton University, says: "We are unanimous … that this syllabus must receive significant changes if it is to meet the objective of raising the standard of history teaching in schools."

The DfE group's submission says: "The degree of prescription in the draft is lacking in consistency and academic rigour. Whereas some periods have extensive structure, others do not. There are no clear guidelines on how schools improve the teaching of history."

As the Guardian revealed over the weekend, the government is now circulating a revised history draft – although it has yet to be published – which may be more positively received by history teachers and will allow schools more freedom over teaching. However, teachers from several other subjects also raised serious concerns.

In English, the expert group criticises the draft, saying "an over-emphasis on synthetic phonics in the early years excludes other strategies and is likely to lower standards of reading". The group, chaired by the former Cambridge University academic Eve Bearne, adds that there is an over-emphasis on technical aspects of writing, at the expense of creativity.

In art and design, the draft is criticised for having "substantially weakened content" and for lacking "breadth, depth or cohesion". It has a "regrettably narrow" view of the subject, with a focus only on the history of western art produced by "white European men", "thereby ignoring the realities of the contemporary world".

In music, the group mentions a shift towards a focus on "acquiring knowledge of music rather than learning through doing", worries about an over-emphasis on "the western classical tradition" and the new primary curriculum not mentioning use of technology, while warning of "concern that class teachers will feel even less able to teach music" as a result of the new curriculum.

In the new subject of computing, there is an "over-emphasis on computer science", says the expert group, and "a danger in primary schools that most teachers will not feel capable" of teaching it.

The languages group – languages will be compulsory in primary schools for the first time – says some trainee primary teachers may not be exposed to any language teaching during 2013-14, while "many primaries" will find the new curriculum "challenging". Group reports on maths, geography and PE are more neutral. Education Guardian has not seen the responses on science or design and technology.

The development of the new curriculum, which will apply to most English primary schools and up to 40% of secondaries, with the remainder – academies – not having to follow it, has been dogged by widespread claims of secrecy. The government's "terms of reference" for the groups project say that "all discussion and documentation" supplied by the DfE will "remain confidential unless otherwise stated"; and that minutes of meetings between chairs of the subject groups will also be confidential.

Education publishers' representatives, including a member of an assessment company – GL Assessment – have attended the group chairs' meetings, as have the charities the Teacher Development Trust and the Cambridge Primary Review Trust.

The government is expected to go public on the groups' recommendations on training resources by the time of the final curriculum publication in September.

At a recent appearance at the Commons select committee, Michael Gove, the education secretary, said the history and design and technology draft curricula would be revised, but gave no indications about other subjects.

Minutes of the latest meeting at the DfE of the chairs group say: "Until the curriculum is finalised, it is impossible for the groups to clearly establish any next steps."

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, says: "These reports are the end result of massive hubris by the secretary of state, in his belief that curriculum reform is easy, and that it can be redesigned according to Tory principles without too many problems. Michael Gove is finding out to his cost that it's not like that. These curriculum reforms are a mess."

A DfE spokesman says: "These expert groups were not set up to advise on the curriculum. They are looking at how best to support new entrants to teacher training who will be teaching the new curriculum when they finish their courses. They do not work for the department.

"We have consulted on the draft curriculum and will be publishing revised versions in due course."

However, the groups have also been working on resources for schools, rather than only supporting teacher education, and were described as "national curriculum Expert Subject Advisory Groups" in a document drafted by the chair of the group last week.

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