For information about the Environmental Education service we provide, visits to our countryside sites or to your school or group, please read the Environmental Education page. 

Resources created by the Discovery Project

NEW Project Ponds, Project Minibeasts and Project Rivers

Our new resources are now available and were distributed to Mid Suffolk Schools during Autumn Term 2009.

Written to aid outdoor studies and classroom learning, with input from local teachers, we hope you find these bright and lively resources beneficial.  

The 'Project' series packs contain worksheets, which can be photocopied, creature feature leaflets and habitat illustrations, along with information about the chosen subject, safety and How To sections, life cycles and food chains, history, conservation, cross curricular ideas for teachers and, in Project Rivers, a table of stopping points to enable a full study of the River Gipping from source to mouth. A CD of the resources is also included. 

In addition to the packs themselves, we have also produced magnetic habitat boards for ponds and minibeasts for use outdoors and in the classroom.     


X Traction. Produced as part of the Aggregates Trail in 2008, this education pack contains background information about the aggregates industry, geology and archaeology of the Gipping Valley, amongst other subjects; work sheets and activity ideas for various sites, a word bank, web links, curriculum links and hints on safety and risk assessing visits. There are suggestions for using the pack in your own local area, town or village and creative ideas to prompt you in school.
X Traction is for use by teachers or group leaders on self-led visits, but we are more than happy to talk to you about the subject and advise on visits and help wherever possible.

In addition to this, the pack includes a fold out laminated trail guide ‘Welcome to the Aggregates Trail’, for use by pupils on a site visit or in the classroom. One full side is an illustrated map of the Gipping Valley between Needham Market and Barham, with information points and areas of interest identified on it. The reverse of the guide provides facts and questions to encourage discussion, debate and understanding about the subject of aggregate extraction and highlights the importance of the Countryside Code and staying safe. Web links are provided to encourage further investigation.

All resources are designed using local photographs, old and new, as well as illustrations to bring the subject alive.

Available for loan

We have created four new aggregates pop-up banners that can be borrowed by schools or groups as an additional resource in school, for an event or on a site visit. These are easy to transport and are suitable for outdoor use, except in very windy weather!

We have guides to rocks, minerals and fossils and have also been donated a selection of aggregates by Lafarge Aggregates, Barham, which are available to borrow to complement X Traction.

Please contact the Discovery Project Officer for further information, including an informational leaflet, about X Traction or the Aggregates Trail. Please note: All schools in Mid Suffolk have been sent an education pack. if your school has not received a copy or you cannot locate a copy please let us know.

Related Links

Find out about another innovative project The Aggregates Educational Project run by Suffolk County Council's Archaeology Service, relating archaeology to the minerals extraction industry through practical activities.

From this project the Archaeological Service has developed a comprehensive collection of teaching resources. These resources are designed to develop a knowledge, interest and enthusiasm for the archaeology of Suffolk's river valleys.


Is your school signed up to Breathing Places Schools?

It is quick and easy to sign up and provides great ideas to turn your school into a wildlife haven.