capability brown festival school and family resources

Image designed by Cosmic Carrot based on Portrait of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, c.1770-75, by Richard Cosway (1742-1821)

Part 3a: Schools and families activity bank

CAPABILITY BROWN FESTIVAL

SCHOOL AND FAMILY RESOURCES

This resource has been developed for sites ranging from those with absolutely no experience of working with schools or families through to those with lots of experience who may be looking for new ideas for activities. To try and meet such diverse needs, the resource has been broken down into the following sections:

Part 1aAdvice including:

• Initial things to think about

• Talking to teachers

• Planning what to do

• Practicalities to consider

Part 3aActivities for Key Stage 2 and families:

• Introductory activities

• Exploring the landscape

• Living things

• Mr Brown and his ‘capabilities’

Information on the curriculum offered for different ages and pupils and how this might affect what your site offers them.

Part 1bDocuments to edit and adapt as you need:

• Booking form

• Risk assessment form

• School information sheet

• Photo consent form

• Teacher feedback sheet

• Pupil feedback

Part 3bWorksheet pack documents which you can edit and adapt for your own needs:

• Example trails for schools or families

• Handouts to support some of the activities in the Activity Bank

Part 1: Getting started with schools

Part 2: Working with families

Part 3: Schools and families activity bank

Part 4: Working with other Key Stages

Advice including:

• Things to think about before starting

• Trails

• Backpacks

• Selecting and adapting ideas from the activity bank

• Bookable events

www.capabilitybrown.orgDevised by Neil Dymond-Green on behalf of the Capability Brown Festival

Schools and families activity bank p1

About these activities 2

Index of activities by curriculum area / subject 5

Using questions effectively 6

Including everyone 7

Introductory activities 8 Generally shorter activities which could be used at the start of a visit, after lunch or as a ‘wake up call’ if energy levels and engagement seem to be dropping.

Exploring the landscape 20 Activities designed to engage children with the landscapes that Capability Brown designed, including identifying features, seeing how they connect together to make a whole and the emotional impact they have on people.

Living things 32 Activities designed to fit with the Science curriculum in

school, whilst also connecting children with the trees, plants and animals living at your site.

Mr Brown and his capabilities 40 Exploring Mr Brown, the problem-solver. Also discussion and debate around the work he set in motion.

Part 3a: Activities for Key Stage 2 and families


The activities in this section have been designed to use as few materials as possible and to be as

straightforward to deliver as possible for those not experienced in leading educational visits.

Activities have also been rated with one to three trees.

See page 4 for an index of activities by tree rating and page 5 for an index by curriculum area.

Rather than provide set ‘lesson plans’, we encourage you to pick and mix between activities in

this section. You might choose them on curriculum links, what suits your site best or what you

feel most comfortable leading.

There are no wrong ways to put these activities together for a half-day or full-day visit.

Where appropriate, guidance is given on how to simplify these activities or develop them

further, depending on the age of the children who visit, but all the activities in this section

should be accessible to the majority of children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7-11).

About these activities (1)

Activities which are easy to lead and need little in the way of set up or Activities

which are fairly easy to lead but need a bit more in the way of set up or resources.

Activities which are more complex to lead and/or need more in the way of set up or resources.

Activities for Key Stage 2 and families


Where activities could be led by the teacher, this is indicated with this symbol:

There is also a brief indication of activities that could work for families. Some of the activities

could work for families visiting independently, while some would work better as part of a

session led by staff and volunteers from your site.

For more details of suitability for families, look out for this symbol:

Where the activity outline refers to a handout, please see the accompanying worksheet pack.

This is supplied in Microsoft Word format, so that you can adapt those resources to suit your

site.

About these activities (2)

Families

Could be led by the teacher



Activity Page

Silent walk 9

Remove a sense 10

Partner draw 11

Quick draw 12

Giant map 13

Colour matching 14

Scavenger hunt 15

Planning the park 16

Picture frames 21

Identifying elements in the landscape

22

Seasons in the landscape

23

Keeping nature natural

24

Maths in the landscape (1)

25

Art and craft using ‘found’ materials

28

Tree hunt 33

How a tree works 34

Capability Brown’s capabilities

41

How do you move a tree?

43

Changing what you see

44

How do you make the land useful?

45

Activities which are easy to lead and need little in the way of set up or resources.

Activities which are fairly easy to lead but need a bit more in the way of set up or resources.

Activities which are more complex to lead and/or need more in the way of set up or resources.

Activity Page

Treasure hunt 17

Orienteering 19


26

Theatre in the garden 27

Landscape poems 29

Minibeast hunt 36

Homes for creatures 37

Food chains 39

Water, water everywhere

42

Keeping the gardeners happy

46

Activity Page

Capability Brown’s punctuation marks

30

Investigating the landscape 31

Pond dipping 38

Not my home! 47

Who was Lancelot 48Brown?

Capability Brown—Visionary or Vandal?

49


Index of activities by complexity


Activity Page

Silent walk 9

Remove a sense 10

Partner draw 11

Colour matching 14

Scavenger hunt 15

Theatre in the garden 27

Landscape poems 29

Capability Brown’s 30 punctuation marks

Keeping the 46 gardeners happy

Not my home! 47

Who was Lancelot 48 Brown?

Capability Brown— 49 Visionary or Vandal?

English

Activity Page

Scavenger hunt 15


23

Keeping nature natural 24

Tree hunt 33

How a tree works 34

Minibeast hunt 36

Homes for creatures 37

Pond dipping 38

Food chains 39

Science

Activity Page

Quick draw 12


Picture frames 21


22


23


28

Changing what you 44

Art

Activity Page

Giant map 13


Treasure hunt 17

Orienteering 19


30


41


44

How do you make the land useful 45

Geography

Activity Page


44

How do you make the land useful 45

Who was Lancelot Brown? 48

History

Activity Page

Treasure hunt 17

Orienteering 19


25


26

Maths

Activity Page


42

How do you move a tree?

43

Design and Technology


Index of activities by curriculum area


Sometimes it’s better to give children the opportunity to come up with their own questions.

Try to ‘expect the unexpected’ - if you get an answer you don’t expect, avoid shutting things down with an immediate ‘no’, ask the pupil how they came up with that answer. Try to avoid the ‘read my mind’ type of question, where you are expecting a particular answer (maybe even a particular word) - there are almost always other valid answers.

Avoid closed questions

Questions which invite

a “yes/no” or very short

answer:

e.g.

What colour is this leaf?

Do you like the lake?

Try to use lots of open questions

Questions which encourage a longer or more detailed

answer:

e.g.

How does this view make you feel?

Why was this statue placed here?

Explain how you think Capability Brown built the dam.

Activities:pointers

Using questions effectively


‘Hands up’ can be one of the least inclusive ways of working with a group. Shy and quiet children often miss a chance to contribute.

And for each enthusiastic child in a class of 30 who answers, 29 don’t have to engage much or at all.

Try these ideas instead.

Think-pair-share

Children are asked to consider a problem or an issue individually. Children then tell their ideas to a partner.

The pair then join another pair to discuss the problem or issue. At this point, each small group may be asked to feedback one idea to the whole class.

Give one, get one

Children think up and write down as many ideas as they can (single words or short phrases) – this often works well if they can write them around a sketch.

They are then encouraged to visit other children in the group, briefly sharing one of their ideas, hearing one idea from their temporary partner, adding it to their collection (if they wish) and then quickly moving on to the next partner.

Snowballing

Children are organised in pairs to discuss or investigate an issue.

The pairs then join another pair to form a group and share their findings.

The small groups then join together to make a larger group.

Envoys

When a group has completed its initial discussion, one member of the group is sent out as an envoy to another group.

The envoys move round all the groups in turn.

The envoys explain and share the ideas they have gathered from other groups they have visited.

Activities:pointers

Including everyone


Introductory activities

Generally shorter activities which could be used at the start of a visit, after lunch or as a ‘wake up call’ if energy levels and engagement seem to be dropping.


Before you set off, encourage the children to ‘turn on’ their sense of

sight, hearing, smell and touch (with Year 3 and 4 children, they will

happily pretend to ‘turn the switches on’ for the appropriate organs if

you encourage them/demonstrate).

Explain that we will be going for a short walk and will not be talking at

all. This is because talking stops us using our senses as well. Encourage

them to try and remember everything they see, hear, smell and feel.

Simply lead them on a walk, possibly to or past a view.

When the silent section is over, ask them to tell a partner three things

that they saw, heard, smelt or touched.

The activity

English – vocabulary development

Curriculum links

More able / older pupils

Extend the walk. Give

children paper/pencil after.

Ask them to write what they

saw/heard.

Less able / younger pupils

Shorten the walk or do

sections of silent walk where

the children focus on just one

sense.

No adaptations needed. Families

Intro activities

Silent walkNothing

10-15 minutes

What you

need

Time


Pair children up. Ask one of the pair to be the guide and the other the

one to be guided.

The latter puts on a blindfold and is led around the space, using their

other senses (i.e. touch, hearing, smell). They could be taken to touch a

tree, for instance.

The pairs swap over. The new guided child could use ear plugs to lose

sound or, if resources are tight, blindfolds could be reused.

The activity

English – giving instructions

Curriculum links


Intro activities

Remove a senseBlindfolds Ear plugs (optional)

5-10 minutes

What you

need

Time


Pairs of children stand back to back. The partner facing away from the

view should have the drawing materials.

The partner facing the view describes what they

see through the viewfinder (or by making a

rectangular ‘frame’ with their thumbs and first

fingers). The other partner draws what is described,

asking questions at any time to help clarify.

Allow 2-3 minutes for this.

Once they have completed this, they can look together at the picture

before swapping places and doing the activity again.

The activity

English – giving and interpreting instructions

Curriculum links


Extend the time or use a larger frame.


Ask children to choose one

thing, perhaps a tree or the

river/lake and describe that.


Intro activities

Partner draw Paper

Pencils

Clipboards

Viewfinder (a card frame–optional)

5-10 minutes

What you

need

Time


Ask children to stand and look at the landscape. They will have just

one minute. Rather than try to look at the whole view, they should be

looking for individual bits.

They now have three minutes to sketch the most important things

they saw. Don’t worry about making mistakes or a perfect drawing –

just get it down.

Children could then compare their sketches with others to see if they

picked out the same features.

This might be the perfect time to (quickly) introduce the key basics of

a Brown landscape.

The activity

Curriculum links

Families


After one minute looking, ask the children to turn away from the view and do their drawing. When they turn back, they can see how well they remembered what they looked at.

Art – sketching and observational skills

No adaptations needed.

Intro activities

Quick draw Paper Pencils Clipboards

5-10 minutes

What you

need

Time


Select 4 to 6 children from the class to be the ‘leaders’. Give them a

map to the grounds.

Give each remaining child one of the colour or symbol sheet. Explain

quickly that Mr Brown had to think big and in a clever way to

plan his designs. The ‘leaders’ will instruct the rest of the children

where to place their sheet (or stand holding it if wet/muddy) to

recreate a bigger, rough version of the map.

Set them off!

The activity

Geography - maps

Curriculum links


Give the class chance to evaluate the differences between the map and their version and suggest changes.


Intro activities

Giant map A4 pieces of paper in different

colours or multiple sheets with

a symbol for one different park

element on each (e.g. water, grass)

10-15 minutes

What you

need

Time


Each child or group is given a colour chart. They are then given a time

limit to explore their area and try to find things which match each of

the colours on their chart. If it is a small object, they can bring it back

with them, if it is something impossible to bring (e.g. sky, tree trunk),

they can make a note on their colour chart of what they found.

The activity

English—vocabulary development

Curriculum links


Show them a chart with the names that paint companies use to describe them. Challenge the children to rename the colours with creative names connected with your site.


Intro activities

Colour matching Colour charts (make your own ones or use paint company ones).

Pencils

Clipboards

5-10 minutes

What you

need

Time


In advance, create a list of around 10-15 items you think children

should easily be able to find and collect (e.g. fallen leaf, twig). These

items could be themed (e.g. colour, season, weather). There is an

example in the worksheet pack (p4).

Give the list to each group or individual, along with something to

collect items in.

The first one back with all the items could win a prize (this can simply

be a sticker).

The activity

English – vocabulary development

Science – range of living things

Curriculum links


Set groups different lists of items to collect.

Assign one item at a time to the group. When they return with one item, reveal their next one.

Add items which would be more difficult to find.

Allow each group a ‘joker’ card, which they can play once to avoid collecting one item (and potentially help them finish earlier).


Reduce the number of items.

Replace words on the list with

pictures.

Family members could work together or compete with each other to find the objects.

Families

Intro activities

Scavenger hunt Scavenger hunt list (example in worksheet pack p4)

A container to collect things in

10-15 minutes

What you

need

Time


Select 4 to 6 children from the class to be the ‘planners’. Just like

Mr Brown was, they are the artists ‘composing’ their landscape.

The rest of the children will act as ‘trees’ for the artwork.

Explain that Mr Brown arranged trees on their own, in groups or

around the edge of the landscape.

The only commands that the planners can use are ‘left’, ‘right’, ‘nearer’

or ‘further’ (plus each child’s name). The planners need to stop and

step back to their starting viewpoint from time to time to review

whether they think the ‘park’ looks right.

If the teacher has a camera or smartphone, they could take a photo

of the final arrangement to show the children back in school.

The activity

Geography – maps

Art – landscape paintings / composition / perspective

Curriculum links


The planners could be given

different elements to add

to their landscape, such as

water, bridges, sheep.

Additional commands could

be used such as ‘move

diagonally’, ‘two steps to

your…’ etc

This activity might work if you were organising a led event with multiple families taking part (the children could be planners and the adults could be the park elements).

Families

Intro activities

Planning the parknothing

10-15 minutes

What you

need

Time


Create a map with symbols to stand for e.g. trees, river/lake,

benches, grass, roads and other features in your chosen area. Also

mark on a few locations where your treasure boxes will be.

Make sure the treasure boxes contain enough ‘treasure’ for each

child or group.

Send the children off in groups with their assigned adult helpers to

collect their treasures.

The activity

Geography – map reading

Maths (if you add grid lines/co-ordinates)

Curriculum links


Use more symbols (or more

abstract ones – maybe take

examples from OS maps).

Instead of treasure, each

container could include one

item they need to make a

model or a part of a picture.

This could work well for families with no adaptations. Families


Reduce the number of

places or size of area.

Use fewer symbols.

Intro activities

Treasure hunt Map of the grounds with symbols drawn on – see example on following page

Boxes with ‘treasure’ items in

10-30 minutes depending on size of ‘course’

What you

need

Time


Example treasure hunt map.

With thanks to Claire Cumming, Education Manager, Weston Park.


Create a map with symbols to stand for e.g. trees, river/lake,

benches, grass, roads and other features in your chosen area.

Also mark on a few locations where your orienteering points will be.

At each orienteering point, tie up a letter to a branch, bench etc.

The letters could spell out a word connected with your site.

Send the children off in groups with their assigned adult helpers to

follow the map and collect the letters.

The activity

Geography – map reading

Maths (if you add grid lines/co-ordinates)

Curriculum links


Use more symbols.

When children return the

challenge could be to see

how many words they can

make from the letters or to

find the longest word they

can make.

This could work well for families with no adaptations. Families


Reduce the number of

places or size of area.

Use fewer symbols.

Intro activities

Orienteering Map of the grounds with symbols drawn on (see previous page) Large printed letters laminated or sealed in plastic wallets String

10-30 minutes depending on size of ‘course’

What you

need

Time


Activities: exploring the landscape

Activities designed to engage children with the landscapes that Capability Brown designed, including identifying features, seeing how they connect together to make a whole and the emotional impact they have on people.


Take the class to a ‘view’ as created by Mr Brown, noting as they

approach how the views are relatively restricted and then the

dramatic moment the view opens up.

Ask children to use their forefingers and

thumbs to create a ‘picture frame’.

Encourage them to look at different parts of the

view and explore which part they think is the

most interesting.

Pair children up – each child in the pair can then share their ‘picture

frame’ and explain why they like this particular part of the view.

Ask the children to draw their part of the view on half of their folded

paper and complete the sentence ‘This Capability Brown view is great

because____________’.

From here, you could:

• repeat this with the whole class at a different view, or

• ask the class to break into smaller groups with an adult and

explore an area on their own, identifying possible views or part

views (these might not be ‘official’ Brown views, but this is not a

problem)

The activity

Art – observational skills

Curriculum links

Time


Provide or ask the teacher to

bring colouring pencils so the

children can colour in their

drawing.

Talk to children about how much

trees can grow in the time since

Brown created this landscape.

Encourage them to imagine and

draw what the view might have

looked like not long after Brown

had finished his work.

What is special about Brown’s views?

The question

The handout sheet (worksheet pack p5) could be given to families with a map showing where Brown ‘views’ are around the landscape.

Families


Provide or ask the teacher to

bring simple card viewfinders (a

rectangular piece of card with a

smaller rectangle cut out)

Omit the writing or ask adults to

support smaller groups to write

a joint statement


Picture frames Paper or handout (p5 in worksheet pack) Pencils clipboards

15-30 minutes (depending on age and size of area to survey)

What you

need

Time


This activity is probably best suited to the class splitting into groups

and exploring the landscape themselves. If this is the case, you might

want to brief the adults first about where they might go.

Alternatively, if there are parts of the site where you can see two

or more of the different Brownian landscape features fairly close

together, you could take the class on a guided tour and ask them to

listen and look out for the features as you go.

The features included on the handout sheet are:

• A ‘forest’ of trees on or near the horizon

• Individual trees

• Small groups of trees

• Grassland/park

• Water which looks like a river

• An ‘eye catcher’

You could edit the handout to create your own ‘spotters’ sheet, including

photos or drawings of parts of your landscape (some of the images could be

of just part of something).

The activity

Art – observational skills, elements of a landscape painting

Curriculum links

Time


Children could mark on a map

of the landscape where they

found the elements, perhaps

producing a simple key.

What were the key features of a Brown landscape?

The question

The handout sheet (worksheet pack p6) could be given to families as a self-led activity.

Families


Ask children to identify fewer

features or split into groups and

give each group one feature to

look out for.




Handout (p6 in worksheet pack) Pencils clipboards

15-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take the class to a point in the landscape where there is a good view across the site, especially one with views of both near and distant trees.

Ask children to look and see how many different types of things they can see.

Get them to pair up and share what they’ve seen.

Ask the children to use one side (or one half) of their paper to sketch what they see across the landscape.

Ask children to watch again and look for any birds or animals before adding them to their sketches.

Now mention to the children that the landscape can look quite different in the winter. (Show them a picture of the site if you have one, although this isn’t essential). Indicate trees which do or don’t lose their leaves. Do they think there any buildings, statues or other features ‘hiding’ which they can’t see because of the leaves?

Ask them to again think on their own and then pair up to share ideas.

Repeat the sketch of the view, this time imagining how different it will look in winter.

The activity

Art – observational skills

Science – seasonal changes

Curriculum links

Time


Use the terms ‘deciduous’ and

‘evergreen’ to differentiate the

trees.

On both sketches, children

could label the different

elements.

How does the landscape look different in different seasons?

The question

This could be a self-led activity, using the handout on p7 of the worksheet pack.

Families

Could be lead by the teacher Could be led by the teacher



Paper (or handout—worksheet pack p7) Pencils possibly pencil crayons, Clipboards

15-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take the children to a spot with a view of parkland and trees (ideally).

Explain to them that although Capability Brown designed this parkland to look natural, nature doesn’t always want to obey his rules!

Explain that these are some of the jobs that needed doing in Mr Brown’s time to keep the site looking natural:

• Cutting long grass with a scythe

• Pulling out weeds

• Chopping down dead trees

(add any which are appropriate for your site)

Divide the class into groups – one group per activity. Ask each group to decide together what action they could do to demonstrate the job. After a minute or two, ask each group to share their action with the whole class. Ask for possible improvements. Allow each group to practice again and then assemble them together so each group can see the others. Ask them to repeat their actions – in silence. The teacher may want to take a photo or video.

Stop them after a minute or two. Ask them how it would feel to be doing that for eight or ten hours every day. Not easy keeping this ‘natural’ landscape looking ‘natural’, is it?

The activity

PSHE – empathy skills

Science – cycles of nature

Curriculum links

Time


More activities (e.g. sheep

shearing) could be added.

Children could also, after the

demonstration in silence, repeat

with appropriate sounds (or a

word/short phrase repeated over

and over) to bring the scene more

to life.

How natural are Brown’s natural-looking landscapes?

The question

This might work as part of a led activity with multiple families (perhaps as part of a trail or tour), although adults may be reluctant to join in.

Families


The whole class could decide

on an action for the first activity

and do the same action at the

same time. Then repeat with the

next action and so on.


Keeping nature natural nothing

10-15 minutes

What you

need

Time


Different options are possible. Pick and choose in discussion with the school.

Odds and evens

Ask the children to count the number of trees in different clumps within an area of the landscape and report back. Are they generally odd numbers or even? Are there any patterns they spot? Why do they think this is?

It’s likely to be odd, as gardeners of all levels tend to plant in groups of 3, 5 etc.

Non-standard measures

Ask the children to measure the distance between a pair of trees by putting one foot in front of the other. Repeat this with them pacing. Why do they come up with different answers? (different size feet and pace).

Try again with a different pair of trees and see if they can come up with ways to make their answers more similar.

The activity

Time


Ask children to come up with

their own ideas for items to use

for non-standard measurements

e.g. ‘it’s 45 leaves’ lengths

between these two trees’.

How can we measure this landscape?

The question

This could work as part of a led activity with multiple families.

Families


Non-standard measures is

especially suitable for younger

Key Stage 2 pupils.

Could be lead by the teacher

Maths – counting, measuring

Curriculum links




Paper Pencils Clipboards String/rope or long strips of material

15 – 30 minutes depending on the combination of activities

What you

need

Time


Different options are possible. Pick and choose in discussion with the school.

Measure a distance using different measuring devices

Give different groups different ways to measure, e.g.:

• A trundle wheel (when the children have wheeled it forward a metre, it clicks so they can count the clicks for how many metres).

• Meter sticks. • Measuring tapes (such as tailors use – they won’t be long enough to

do the whole distance). • Retractable tape measures . • Different lengths of rope or string.

Ask the school to bring any measuring tools you don’t have.

Ask groups to measure the distance between a pair of trees (for example). The groups with measuring devices too short for the whole distance will have to do some adding up to get the full distance.

Ask the children to feedback their answers. How similar are they? What was easiest to measure with?

Measuring a tree trunk

Take the children to a place with several trees nearby. Show the children the selection of measuring materials – including the string/rope and pieces of material. Ask each group to select a way of measuring and then try to measure the trunk of the trees you specify.

Some of the children may even attempt to jointly hug the trees to work out the distance.

Ask the children to feedback their answers. How similar are they? What waseasiest to measure with?

The activity

Maths – measuring

Curriculum links

Time


Ask children to measure to the

nearest millimetre.

How can we measure this landscape?

The question

This could work as part of a led activity with multiple families.

Families


Ask children to measure to the

nearest centimetre.




Paper Pencils Clipboards String/rope or long strips of material

15 – 30 minutes depending on the combination of activities

What you

need

Time


Take the class to one of the points where a view opens up, explaining

on the way the change from a relatively restricted view to a sudden

‘picture frame’.

How does suddenly seeing this view make you feel?

Ask the children to think on their own, then share with a partner and

then for those pairs to group into fours to share what they think.

Explain that some people have described suddenly arriving in a spot

like this in one of Brown’s landscapes as walking onto a stage in a play.

Ask the class to stand as the audience (i.e. with their back to the view).

Invite children (or any of the adults) to make a dramatic entrance (from

where you arrived as a group). They might make a dramatic movement,

a dramatic face or shout a dramatic word. Once they’ve done so, they

must freeze as a statue.

For each ‘statue’, encourage the children to discuss and share ideas

about what has happened before this dramatic entrance and what will

happen next on the ‘stage’.

Choose one of the dramatic entrances and ask groups of four to work

together to discuss and then act out together what might happen in

the next half minute or so after the entrance.

Ask the groups to present their sketches. If time is limited, pairs or

groups can present at different sides of the ‘stage’.

The activity

English – speaking and listening, expressing feelings, creating dialogue, devising playscripts

Curriculum links

Time


As an extra step during the

‘dramatic entrance’ stage, pairs

of children could make the

dramatic entrance. How do

they agree on what they will

say/do?

Why and how are Brown’s viewpoints so dramatic?

The question

Probably not an activity to offer to families, unless you have a very engaged group and a confident facilitator.

Families


Miss out the last two steps.


Theatre in the garden nothing

20 – 30 minutes

What you

need

Time


This may need some preparation and negotiation in terms of working with gardeners/landscape managers to ensure in one area that materials such as fallen leaves, twigs etc are left.

There are several different possible ideas for arts and crafts using ‘found’ materials:

• Creating a picture of the landscape (or of a ‘view’).

• Creating a map of the landscape (using different items to represent different landscape elements).

• Different teams could produce different scenes/views or different seasons.

If there is sufficient larger found material, children could create dens (which could be followed up with storytelling).

The activity

Art – developing art techniques, including control and use of materials with creativity and experimentation

Curriculum links

How can we use materials we find in the landscape to create new images?

The question

An easy to organise activity for drop-in or led groups of families.

Families



Materials found in the landscape (although these may need supplementing with additional twigs, cones etc)

20 – 30 minutes

What you

need

Time


A very easy way to encourage simple poetry in response to the landscape is to use list poems. A list poem is quite simply a list of words or very short phrases, such as:

Views Country Trees shaking Water sparkling

Start by asking the children in silence to sit or stand and look at the view. Ask them to write down any words that describe what they see, hear or smell, randomly on the page. Then ask them to focus on part of the landscape, e.g. the water or a group of trees, again in silence. Ask them to add any additional words to their page. Finally, ask them to look again at the whole view or part of it and think about how it makes them feel. Again, they should add words to their page. Then do an activity which involves movement – ‘give one, take one’. Each individual meets one other person, asks for one of their words and gives one of their own in return. They decide whether to write this new word down. They immediately move on to a new person – this is a quickfire sharing activity. There are different ways in which children could now create their list poem. • Children could work alone to select words from their page and decide the order to write them in • Groups could gather together and choose words to add to a list poem. • A group could add a word from their page to the list poem in turn, saying it before writing it.

If there is time, children will enjoy performing their poems in the setting, even if only to a partner.

The activity

English – creating poems, vocabulary selection and development

Curriculum links

What words and feelings describe this landscape?

The question

Digital learning


Landscape poems

Paper Pencil Clipboards

15-30 minutes

What you

need

Time

Children could work together to create list poems on the tablet using Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

An additional option is to use the app CamFind (ask the school to install it before the visit). Using the app, children take a picture of something in the landscape. The app is designed to ‘recognise’ things from this photo (with varying results). CamFind generates words to describe the item in the photo. It may be fun for the children to write down some or all of these words, as these become a list.


Take the class to a point where a walk will give them a variety of things to see and directions to go.

Explain that you are going to ask them a question which seems to have nothing to do with where you are, but you will explain in a moment why you’ve asked it. The question is “What sorts of punctuation can you think of?”

Answers could include: full stop, capital letter (for a start of a new sentence), comma, question mark, exclamation mark, speech marks, colon, semi-colon, bracket (also known as a parenthesis) – they may say ‘open bracket’ and ‘close bracket’, dash / hyphen, apostrophes.

If they need help to think of them (or to sum up and make sure the class have got them all), you could show the punctuation mark sheet.

Why do we use punctuation marks? Ask the children to think, then discuss their ideas in small groups.

Answers may include: to help us breathe when reading, to help us understand sentences better.

Show and/or read this Capability Brown quote to the class:

“‘Now there’ said he, pointing his finger, ‘I make a comma, and there’ pointing to another spot, ‘where a more decided turn is proper, I make a colon; at another part, where an interruption is desirable to break the view, a parenthesis; now a full stop, and then I begin another subject’”

What do we think this might mean?

Start to walk with the children. When you reach a feature, such as a tree, a path, a view etc ask them what punctuation mark this feature could be.

Once they have identified a couple of punctuation marks in the landscape, ask them to take a walk in a defined area and create a ‘punctuation mark’ map on their paper.

The activity

English – punctuation Geography - maps

Curriculum links

Time


Additional punctuation could be

introduced:

/ slash

… ellipsis

{ } curly brackets or braces

[ ] square brackets

The interrobang ‽ (a combined

question and exclamation

mark) was invented to use for

something which is a surprising

or exciting question. Where could

we use the interrobang on our

maps?

Children could be encouraged to

write sentences which include

the punctuation they find as they

travel.

Why did Mr Brown compare some of his tree planting to punctuation?

The question

Probably challenging to lead as a family activity.

Families


Limit the punctuation to full

stop, comma, question mark,

exclamation mark and brackets.

Create group punctuation mark

maps.



Quote and punctuation examples (optional p8/9 of worksheet pack) Paper Pencils Clipboards

15 – 20 minutes

What you

need

Time


This activity is more suited to Years 5 and 6. It is also dependent on your site having copies of old maps/plans or old pictures of the site (ideally both before and after).

There are two possible approaches to this activity:

1. Give children a copy of the current landscape map and a copy of the Brown plan. Assign different groups (with their adults) to different sectors of the landscape.

Ask the children to investigate their sector carefully to see how different the Brown plan is to what is actually there.

When the groups reconvene, ask them to feedback what they’ve discovered. Why do they think the two are different?

The three key reasons are, of course:

• 250 or so years have passed, so trees have matured. • Later owners of the site changed things from Brown’s work. • Brown’s plans were generally indicative rather than precise.

2. Assign children (in groups with an adult) to different sectors within the landscape with pictures/maps/plans which show how the site looked before Mr Brown’s arrival. Ask them to look closely for any clues of how the grounds may previously have been laid out (e.g. bumps in the ground, trees which are still in the same place) and mark them on the current map.

When the groups have returned and shared their findings, explain that landscape archaeologists do just this sort of investigation about how landscapes looked in the past.

The activity

Geography - maps

Curriculum links

How can we find out more about the landscape?

The question

This could work as a led workshop for families with children aged 7+.

Families


Investigating the landscape

Paper Pencils Clipboards Copies of old maps or plans

30-40 minutes

What you

need

Time


Activities: livingthings

Activities designed to fit with the Science curriculum in school, whilst also connecting children with the trees, plants and animals living at your site.


There are two easy methods for conducting a tree hunt. For each

method, it’s a good idea to break the class up into smaller groups (each

with an adult) and send them to work in different areas.

1. Leaf shape drawing

Ask the children to draw the shape (including the veins) of a leaf from

each type of tree they find.

2. Tree identification survey

Give the children the tree identification sheet, which includes some

example leaf shapes and other relevant information. Ask the children

to attempt to identify and count each type of tree.

The activity

Science – variety of life / adaptation

Curriculum links


Use the tree identification

flowchart on page 1 of the

Opal Explore Nature sheet

(see downloads below).

What types of tree are in this Brown landscape?

The question

This could be a self-led family activity.

Families


Identification sheets

Free identification sheet downloads from

tinyurl.com/CBF300EducationSheets:


Activities: living things

Tree hunt Paper Pencil Clipboards Tree identification sheet

15-30 minutes (depending on age and size of area to survey)

What you

need

Time

http://tinyurl.com/CBF300EducationSheets



Explain that just like humans are made of lots of these parts, trees have parts that help them live. We are going to create a model, with our bodies, of how this works. The next page explains the roles of the different parts of the tree. This model is based on 30 children, so adjust the phloem and outer bark numbers as needed. 1. The child acting as the heartwood holds their arms up to show muscles and stand in the centre of the space, chanting “I support, I support.”

2. The child playing the taproot sits down at the foot of the heartwood child, hands planted firmly on the ground, making slurping noises.

3. The 2 lateral roots lie down on their backs spreading out from the taproot with their feet toward the heartwood. They also make slurping sounds.

4. The 2 xylem children join hands to make a ring around the heartwood. They stand between the lateral roots facing in toward the heartwood. They pretend they are drawing water up from the roots by lowering their joined hands, then raising them above their heads, saying “whoosh, whoosh”.

5. The 4 cambium children join hands around the sapwood, chanting “We make new cells, we make new cells.”

6. Next, the 8 phloem children join hands around the cambium. They pretend they are transporting food down from the leaves by first holding their hands above their heads, lowering them, then raising them again. They will chant “Food to the tree, food to the tree.”

7. Finally, the 12 outer bark children will form a circle around the entire tree, facing outward and holding hands. They should growl and pose like football players to defend the tree.

Once everyone is in position, ask the children to go through their motions: The roots taking up water from the soil, the sapwood transporting water up the trunk to the branches and leaves, the phloem carrying food down from the leaves to the trunk and roots, the cambium chanting, “We make new cells”, and the bark growling.

The activity

Science – how living things live and grow

Curriculum links


Discuss with the children

what would happen to the

tree if the bark (or worse

still, the bark and the

phloem) were damaged

by people (the tree would

probably die).


You could omit some of the

technical language and just

explain what those parts of

the tree do.

How do the different parts of a tree work?

The question

Difficult to do with families unless you have a large multi -family group who are all willing to join in (and the children are not too young).

Families


How a tree works

Nothing.

As this activity needs dry ground, it may be best done inside or on a visit to school.

10-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


heartwood

Dead wood at the centre of the tree.

taproot

The main roots that anchor the tree and take up water.

lateral roots

The roots which take water from the ground to the taproot.

xylem

Pronounced ‘zy-lum’

A pipeline taking water and minerals to the rest of the tree.

cambium

New growth which makes the trunk , branches and roots grow thicker.

phloem

Pronounced ‘flow-um’,

Takes food (in sap) from the leaves to the rest of the tree.

outer bark

Protects the rest of the tree.

The parts of a tree


*’Minibeasts’ is the school collective term for spiders, insects and other bugs.

There are different ways to conduct a minibeast hunt. The main differences will relate to where you choose to conduct the hunt.

1. Mark out 1m x 1m squares. Each group of 4-6 children has a square and at least one or two pooters. Show children how to use the pooter. Pooters work by a child placing one tube over the minibeast and gently sucking on the tube which has a filter/grid at the end. The minibeast will end up in the container for closer examination. Remind the children to undo the lid and release the minibeast once they have looked at it and before catching another one.

Each group could identify the minibeast (see example identification sheet) and count how many of each type they find. If the minibeast is not on the sheet, they could draw it and research at school later what it was.

2. An alternative is to conduct the minibeast hunt in different locations within your landscape, e.g. in grassland, under trees, near water, limiting the time in each location to 5-10 minutes and comparing the quantity and type of minibeasts found in the different locations.

3. Similarly, it may be possible to compare and contrast minibeast findings in a more Brownian part of the site and one which was not developed by him or was later changed. This could lead into discussion of whether Brown’s ‘natural’ landscapes are minibeast-friendly.

The activity

Science - minibeasts

Curriculum links


Get the children to measure

out their own 1m x 1m

squares. Using metres ticks

or tape measures.


This could work well as a led activity with multiple families, each family conducting a hunt in its own square and comparing what they find.

Children could just draw or

photograph the minibeasts

without identifying them.

What types of minibeasts can we find in this environment?

The question

Tallies of the different types of minibeasts could be created on a tablet using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Each minibeast could be photographed, meaning that unidentified ones can be researched at school.

Children could use an app like CamFind (ask the school to install before the visit). Children take a picture of the minibeast and the app may identify it.

Digital learning

Families


Minibeast hunt

Pooters (or bug catchers) – thesecost around £2-3 each. TTS(www.tts-group.co.uk) sells 5 for£9.99. Get 10-15 for a class of 30. Identification sheet, pencils

15-30 minutes

What you

need

Time








The exact content of this activity will depend on what lives at your site.

In general, the activity needs to consist of four parts:

1. Asking the children to think about their own homes. What do they do

there? What problems would they have if they didn’t have a home (e.g. no

protection from the weather, nowhere to sleep)? Which of the things they’ve

discussed do they think apply to other living things?

2. Investigating where wildlife lives at your site. e.g. rabbit warrens, birds’

nests, looking under logs and branches to see what minibeasts are there.

3. Discussing with the group why the creature(s) need shelter and why this

specific sort of shelter. You could, for instance, ask the children to draw

what they’ve seen and write around it what its key features are and why the

creature needs this sort of shelter.

4. Creating mini-shelters for creatures*, perhaps with found materials.

The easiest (and best for checking at another point how successful they’ve

been) is to create a ‘bug hotel’.

Typical bug hotels will consist of several sections, some with twigs or straw

or short lengths of bamboo.

*This could link with making dens for the children themselves.

The activity

Science – basic needs of living things

Curriculum links

What sort of homes do creatures in this landscape need?

The question

This could work as a led or drop-in activity for families.

Families

Internet links

Free bug and bee hotel downloads from tinyurl.com/CBF300EducationSheets

Plus:

National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org/kids/family-fun/crafts/bug-hotel.aspx

Red Ted Art: http://www.redtedart.com/2013/06/26/simple-bug-hotel-for-kids



Homes for creatures

Materials for creating shelters / bug hotels (see internet links for what you need)

20-30 minutes

What you

need

Time



http://www.nwf.org/kids/family-fun/crafts/bug-hotel.aspx



http://www.redtedart.com/2013/06/26/simple-bug-hotel-for-kids




While this is an excellent activity to engage children’s interest in the wildlife living in your lake/river, please thoroughly assess risks before offering this activity. Some things to think about: • How stable and reasonably level is the access to the water at the spot

you’re choosing? What is the access like for wheelchair users or other children with mobility issues?

• What size groups will take part (it’s easier to monitor groups of up to six or eight)? What will other groups do while this activity happens?

• How will you get a child out if they do fall in? How will you dry and re-clothe a child if they fall in?

As children pond dip, they can collect what they find in their tray (with a little pond water in it) as long as they return everything at the end of the session (or sooner if it’s a particularly warm day).

Key things for children to do when they pond dip are:

• to identify what they find • to count and tally both the total number of creatures found and

individual types If the school is committed enough to visit on multiple occasions, you and they may be able to build up an indicative view of what creatures live in the water at different points in the year.

The activity

Science – variety of life / adaptation

Curriculum links


Get the children to measure

out their own 1m x 1m

squares. Using metres ticks

or tape measures.


This could work as a led or drop-in activity with multiple families.

Children could just draw or

photograph the minibeasts

without identifying them.

Which creatures live in this body of water?

The question

Tallies of the different types of creatures could be created on a tablet using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Each creature could be photographed, meaning that unidentified ones can be researched at school.

Children could use an app like CamFind (ask the school to install before the visit). Children take a picture of their find and the app may identify it.

Digital learning Families


Pond dipping

Nets Trays Identification sheet Pencils

15-30 minutes

What you

need

Time







The exact content of this activity will depend on your knowledge of what lives at your site (including which part of your site you are relating this activity to). The activity may also link well with the minibeast hunt. A food chain is quite simply the connections between who eats who in an environment. Food chains always start with a plant and then builds up through animals that eat it or each other. Terminology the children can use (and will learn in school) includes: • producer – typically the bottom of the food chain. • consumer – anything that eats something else. • predator - anything that hunts and eats something else

(generally higher up or at the top of the food chain). • prey – anything that is hunted and eaten. Example simple food chains could be:

Grass —> sheep Berry —> mouse —> owl

A typical activity looking at food chains: 1. A discussion about children’s favourite food. Where does it come from (animal? plant? both?) How did it get to their plate? 2. Investigation of an area for food types – grass, nuts, minibeasts etc, and evidence of animals (droppings? paw prints? feathers?). Children would write or draw these on paper ready for part 3. 3. The leader works with the class to devise a food chain, asking for suggestions from the clues they gathered. Then, working together in groups, to come up with food chains from the clues they found. Sharing and comparing their ideas.

The activity

Science – food chains / living processes

Curriculum links


Challenge the children to

come up with longer food

chains.


Limit the food chains to two

components.

Who eats who in our landscape?

The question

This could work as a led activity with multiple families with children aged 7+

Families



Food chains

Paper Pencils Clipboards Example food chain (p10 of worksheet pack)

20-30 minutes

What you

need

Time


Activities: Mr Brown and his capabilities

Exploring Mr Brown, the man and the problem solver. Also included are discussion and debate activities around the work he set in motion.


Take the class to a point with a good view over the landscape, ideally

near to the house.

Introduce the idea that Mr Brown visited a site and had a good look

around before he even thought of making plans. If he thought the site

could work well for his approach, he would say it has ‘great capabilities’

– what do we think that means?

Ask the children to think quietly, then share with a partner before

asking them to feedback.

Mr Brown had his own view about what a landscape should look like.

He had strong opinions about how to make it look natural and not

created by people. Sometimes he moved roads, buildings or even

whole villages to get the view he wanted – so he definitely liked to

think big.

What are the children’s idea of the ‘capabilities’ of what they can see?

Should things be added? Or taken away? Ask the children to fold their

paper in half. In the top half, they should list the top five changes they

would make. In the lower section, they should sketch what they think

the new view would look like.

The activity

Geography – changes in the environment

Curriculum links

What vision did Mr Brown have when he viewed a site?

The question

The handout on p11 of the worksheet pack could be used as an independent family activity.

Families



Paper Pencils clipboards

15 minutes

What you

need

Time


Divide the class into groups of 4. Each group is given the challenge

to create a mini-lake which will hold water. It should be an interesting

shape (not square or rectangular). The lake which holds the biggest

amount of water will win.

Give the children up to 5 minutes to create their mini-lake.

Gather the class and, one lake at a time, pour water in until it can’t

hold any more. Then use the jug to measure how much water the lake

contained. Ask one of the adults to record the amount for each group.

Once a winner has been discovered, ask the children how difficult it

was to design and build. Now introduce the idea that Mr Brown had to

design huge lakes for properties (if you know the capacity of you lakes,

this might be an opportunity to compare the amounts they’ve put in

their lakes with the site’s lake).

This could be an opportunity to then take the class to the lake,

possibly pointing out any features (like dams and bridges) constructed

as part of the construction process.

The activity

Design and Technology – design, make, evaluate

Curriculum links

Time


If you have enough jugs to

allow one for each group,

the challenge could build up

(on a ‘knockout’ basis when

any group can’t achieve the

amount), starting with 50ml

of water for the first lake and

increasing the amount by

10ml or 20ml each time, giving

groups a chance to alter their

lakes for each increase.

How easy is it to create a lake?

The question

This could work as a led activity with multiple families taking part.

Families



Bucket(s) of water Mouldable waterproof material such as plasticine or tinfoil Jug (ideally a kitchen one with measuring markings on it) Paper, clipboard and pencil or pen

15-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take children to a spot in the landscape with a reasonably mature tree (but

not a really huge one).

Explain that Mr Brown not only arranged for lots of young trees to be

planted in his landscapes, he also sometimes wanted to move older, bigger

trees to give an immediate impact. Moving trees is a huge job – not only do

they weigh a lot, but their roots stretch out a long way. When moving a tree,

you also need to keep earth around the roots (adding to the weight) and

make sure the roots are not out of the ground for very long.

Mr Brown didn’t have any power tools, diggers or tractors. What he had

available was labourers (sorry girls, usually men), a few horses, wood, metal

and wheels. If you were Mr Brown, how would you move a tree? There are

no wrong answers – it’s the children’s own ideas which count here.

It’s a good idea to allow children to think individually (and possibly write or

sketch ideas) before comparing notes with other pupils.

Groups of children could be encouraged to produce a sketch drawing

(labelled for older pupils) or use mime (i.e. acting without talking – chatter

tends to get in the way of them producing a good piece of work) to

demonstrate how they would move the tree.

The worksheet pack includes a picture of Brown’s tree moving device (p12)

which you are welcome to use. The labourers would cut the roots the year

before the move, then let the tree recover from this before moving it in

year 2.

The activity

Design and technology – solving problems

Curriculum links

How did Mr Brown make sure there were older/more mature trees in the places he wanted them?

The question

This may work as part of a led family workshop.

Families


How do you move a tree? Paper, clipboards and pencil

(optional)

15-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take the class to a point in the landscape with a view that includes

something like a church, local village or even a folly or statue.

Talk to the children about how Mr Brown created views across the

landscape. Sometimes he ‘borrowed’ things which weren’t onto

the owner’s land at all, but which added to the idea of a natural

countryside view. Sometimes he needed to hide a view, perhaps

because it was too close or didn’t fit his ideas of how the view should

look. (If your site has a story relating to this, such as a road or village

being moved/changed, it would be great to include it here.)

Introduce the idea that this view could be changed again, so that

we don’t see something currently in the view. If you were advising

Mr Brown on how to change this view, what ideas would you come up

with? Emphasise that there are no wrong answers – it’s the children’s

own ideas which count here.

It’s a good idea to allow children to think individually (and possibly

write or sketch ideas) before comparing notes with other pupils.

Children could then produce sketches or a group poster of instructions

on how to block the view.

The activity

History/Geography – how land use changes over time Art – observational skills

Curriculum links

How do you block a view you don’t want?

The question

This could work as part of a ‘family walk’ activity.

Families



Paper (possibly also A3) Pencils Clipboards

15-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take the class to a spot where they can see the land being worked

(e.g. grazed by sheep).

Tell the children that Mr Brown had a difficult balancing act to do

when designing landscapes for landowners. His designs didn’t just

have to look good (and natural), they also had to be practical, as

landowners made their living from this land.

Explain that Mr Brown has a problem with a landscape he is designing.

He wants to make sure that sheep can still graze the land just outside

the garden area, but he doesn’t want the sheep wandering too near

the house. He wants to know what ideas the children come up with.

Emphasise that there are no wrong answers – it’s the children’s own

ideas which count here.

Outcomes could include:

• ‘how to sort this problem’ writing

• individual sketch diagrams (labelled for older children)

• group posters

• group presentations

After the children have shared their ideas across the two groups,

show them a ha ha (if one exists on the site) and explain how it works

to keep animals out but not block the view) and take them to the

lake/river and explain (if appropriate for your site) that it helps keep

surrounding land drier and more productive.

The activity

History/Geography – how land use changes over time

Curriculum links

How did landowners and Capability Brown balance land looking good and being productive?

The question

This could work as part of a ‘family walk’ activity.

Families


When explaining Mr Brown’s

problem. add that he also

doesn’t want anything to block

the view.


How do you make the land useful?

Paper (possibly also A3) Pencils Clipboards Pencil crayons (optional) Felt tips (optional)

15-20 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take the class to a spot where the formal gardens used to be. Explain that gardens change over time. Before

Mr Brown started work here there were formal gardens at this spot. If you have any pictures of how the formal

gardens used to look, show them now. If not, you could use the graphic from p13/14 of the worksheet pack which

most closely relates to the former gardens.

Mention some of the sorts of work that would be needed to keep a garden like this looking good – such as digging,

planting, weeding, trimming, pruning. Ask the children if they can think of any others.

Split the class into groups of 4. Ask each group to imagine they are the gardeners of the old formal gardens. Each

member of the group should choose one action from those identified. Ask the groups to create a ‘living statue’ of the

gardeners at work – each group member doing their action but ‘stuck to the spot’. When you say ‘statue’, the group

statues stop moving, when you say ‘action’, they come to life on the spot again. You may need to do this a few times,

encouraging them to exaggerate the movements.

After a ‘statue’ moment, ask them to hold their pose but to imagine there is a thought bubble over their heads with

the words ‘I feel…’ in it. How would they finish that sentence as the gardener? Give them time to think in silence.

Then move around the class doing ‘touch and tell’ – when you touch a child on the shoulder, only their mouth

unfreezes, so they can tell you what is in their thought bubble. If they say it quietly, repeat it for the class to hear.

Allow the children to relax, but stay in their groups. Tell them that they have heard that Mr Brown will be getting rid

of the formal gardens. Ask them to discuss what they feel about this and what they’d like to say to Mr Brown.

The results of this discussion could be presented:

• As posters or placards (e.g. “Hands off our gardens, Mr Vandal!”).

• By simple role play – you or one of the adults pretends to be Mr Brown visiting the gardeners (wearing a hat

or scarf to indicate this role helps children focus). Each group takes a turn to tell Mr Brown what they think

about getting rid of ‘their’ gardens.

The activity

English – persuasive writing, presenting ideas, role play

Curriculum links

How did gardeners who tended the previous formal gardens feel as their work was swept away?

The question


Keeping the gardeners happy

Paper Pencils Clipboards Pencil crayons (optional)

30 minutes

What you

need

Time


Take the class to a spot close to the house and with a good view out over the

landscape. Tell the children that the view wasn’t always like this. Mr Brown

made changes to make the view look like this. Some places that Mr Brown

worked needed a village to be moved to open this view up.

Tell the children their village is going to be knocked down to give the

landowner a better view. Ask them, in silence, to think of what to say to

Mr Brown – what their feelings are, why he shouldn’t do it or suggesting a

different way to make the view better without destroying the village.

Now ask them to write down as many ideas for responses as they can.

Do the activity ‘Give one, get one’ . Each individual meets another person,

asks for one of their ideas and gives one of their own in return. They

immediately move on to a new person – this is a quickfire sharing activity.

Ask them to review all the ideas they have already and circle the three best

ones. They will use these to persuade Mr Brown to leave their village alone.

The next part of the activity includes pretending to be Mr Brown. When you

are wearing the hat or scarf, you will be pretending to be Mr Brown.

As Mr Brown, ask the villagers to gather, explain that you understand they

have some concerns and ask them to step forward one at a time to tell their

concerns.

Once you have heard at least half a dozen responses from children,

(as Mr Brown) weigh up what you have heard and inform the children

whether you have been persuaded by them or not. Don’t forget to remove

the hat or scarf, so the children know you are you again!

The activity

English – persuasive or balanced argument writing, presenting ideas

Curriculum links

Time


Ask the children to devise a

campaign – do they attempt

to get their message out to

newspapers (no TV or internet

in those days)? Do they

produce posters? Do they

organise demonstrations or

meetings with the landowner?

How else do they get the

message across?

(You could suggest this as a

follow-on activity to do in

school.)

How would you feel if your home was knocked down for Mr Brown’s plans to make the view from the lord of the manor’s house look better?

The question


Not my home! Paper Pencils Clipboards Hat/scarf to mark the role of Mr Brown

20-30 minutes

What you

need

Time


This is an activity which could also be lead in school by a teacher.

It is better suited to older children (Year 5 and 6).

Explain that while we have amazing landscapes that Capability Brown designed, we don’t know a lot

about what sort of person he was.

We are going to be Capability Brown detectives. We will look at some parts of letters that he wrote and

some that people wrote to or about him and look for clues. Sometimes the language or spelling may be a

little difficult to work out, but we’ll do our best.

Split the class into groups. Give each child a copy of the recording sheet.. Give each group some of the

example letters (you might go with one information sheet or just one letter per group).

Ask the group to read the letter(s) together and decide what clues they give us about Mr Brown. They

can write their ideas on their recording sheet.

Then ask each group to send a member to each of the other groups to share what they have discovered

and see if they can learn anything new. They then return to their original groups to share what they

learned from the other groups.

This could then lead into a short piece of writing about what sort of person they think Capability Brown

was.

English – reading different texts

History—interpreting source material

Curriculum links

What do we actually know about Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown?

The question

The activity


Who was Lancelot Brown?

Paper Pencils Clipboards Recording sheet and information sheets (p15-21 of worksheet pack)

20-30 minutes

What you

need

Time


This is an activity which could also be lead in school by a teacher. It is better suited to older children (Year 5 and 6).

Take the class to a spot in the landscape which has a good overview of the landscape, or a spot where

you know a lot of work was done.

Tell the class that, although this landscape was made to look as ‘natural’ and ‘English’ as possible, it took

a lot of work to make it look like this. Brown was a genius at solving problems. He planned how lakes

or rivers would be built. He also moved trees so that at different spots you could see individual trees

or groups of trees. He also arranged how the trees were planted to produce ‘views’ at different places.

He sometimes had to be quite destructive (vary this according to your site), knocking down churches,

buildings or whole villages and moving roads.

Split the class into groups of 3 or 4 and give each group one of the four sets of information cards (they

are biased towards the ‘visionary’ or’ vandal’ positions). Ask them to read through the statements, decide

which are the most important and what they could add to these arguments. How can they persuade

people who disagree with this point of view? Ask the children to make notes on their ideas and what

they’ve read, as you will be taking in the information cards before the next step.

When they have had time to prepare, introduce them to a ‘polarisation game’. All the children supporting

Brown as visionary line up on one side of the space and those supporting the view of him as a vandal

line up opposite them. One child at a time from each side takes it in turns to attempt to persuade

children from the other side that their point of view is better. If anyone is persuaded, they can change

sides. Continue until both sides have aired a good range of opinions and worked hard to persuade the

other side to join them.

The activity

English – persuasive and balanced argument writing, presenting a point of view

Curriculum links

Did Capability Brown do more good or harm with the works he did?

The question


Capability Brown – Visionary or Vandal?

Information cards (p22-25 of worksheet pack) Paper Pencils Clipboard

30 minutes

What you

need

Time