National Fieldwork Week Ideas #25: Simple ideas - Weathering Safari

Throughout May I shall share ideas for National Fieldwork Week - one per day...

Find out more about National Fieldwork Week here. 

I have been putting together some simple ideas for exploring the local area and getting the students working outside. 

Weathering processes affect all buildings over time, and this activity is a safari to spot the evidence that the school building is falling to pieces. Some of these issues can be solved by maintenance, so there could also be a number of recommendations to the school leadership team on how to protect the fabric of the building from some of these processes.

Along the way you may also note some rock types as well - we have slate as a mulch around the base of one of the buildings, granite setts in the road and flint cobbles around a roundabout to encourage pedestrians to use the crossing points.

Here's a recording sheet that I will be using, along with a set of photo cards showing what some of the damage looks like..

Here's a few examples:

Brick spalling - the result of moisture penetration and frost damage

Steps near Hereward Hall - an old entrance which has seen many tens of thousands of footsteps. Once an indentation is created, water will flow along it and exaggerate it as well.

There is a link here to one of the ideas that we have provided for Primary geographers (although also suitable for secondary geographers) looking for rocks in the local area around the school.

The week has the theme of CHANGE.

If you do use this, or any other of the ideas I share, please let us know about what you do. We will be asking people to share their outcomes in various ways. Remember that the theme is CHANGE.

Use the hashtag: #nationalfieldworkweek

Images: Alan Parkinson, shared under CC license.