DISCOVERING GREEN LANES

THE LOST LANE

Worksheets for surveying green lane

THEME SHEET WITH SOME IDEAS TO INTRODUCE CHILDREN TO GREEN LANES.

1. What is a Green Lane?

The semi-official definition is: "a routeway without a tarmac surface, bounded on either side by hedges which was once well used for a variety of practical purposes but is now often only used for leisure activities."

2. Show the children a 2 and a half inch map or 6 inch map of their area and ask them to say which lanes they think are green ones.

3. Find out what they know about footpaths and bridleways.

4. Ask about hedgerows and see if they can determine what purpose they serve. Do they know what they are made of and what materials they are made of in other parts of the country?

5. Find out if they have a knowledge of the flowers they will find there. Here is a simple list to work from:
Bluebell Foxglove Red Campion Buttercup
Cornflower Honeysuckle Harebell Wild Garlic
Oxeye Daisy Dandelion Lords and Ladies Primrose etc.
Trees:
Oak Ash Elm Holly Beech
Hawthorn Hazel etc.

6. The same goes for animal and bird life:
Mice Voles Rabbits Hedgehog
Fox Badger Stoat Bluetit
Magpie Chaffinch Blackbird Tawny Owl.

7. What might it mean if any of these features were found along a lane?
A mill A quarry A pump
A pond A barn A wood.

8. A green lane has an unmade surface and is often narrow so if cars and tractors found it difficult to use who and what might once have used the lane?

9. Work out how long it would take the children to walk from one village to another, from one market town to another.

10. Finally, alert the children to the fact that these ancient routeways need to be identified and preserved just as much as castles and great houses. Someone in their family may be involved in hedging, ditching stone-walling road work - this is a good starting point.



WORKSHEET ONE OUR GREEN LANE

DATE: NAME: SCHOOL:

1. How wide is the lane near the tarmac road?

(How many steps across?).

2. How high is the bank? Taller than me............
As tall as me................
I am taller.....................

3. If I take 30 steps along the lane how many different trees will I see on one side?

4. Can I name any of these trees?

a) b) c)

plus..................

5. My answer to number three will tell me how old the lane is - each different tree equals a hundred years. Our lane is..................years old.

6. If I stand still and face the hedgerow, how many different plants can I touch?

1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9
10. 11. 12.

7. Can I see any of these creatures?

Spider...................... Ant................Beetle.............Butterfly.............Bee

Ladybird...................Caterpillar..............Moth..................Worm

Woodlouse..............Bluebottle...............Wasp...................Snail............

Different birds.............................

8. Can I find any evidence to show which animals have used this lane?

Horse Cow Badger Fox

Sheep Fieldmouse Squirrel Rabbit

Something else



WORKSHEET TWO
(USE WITH HISTORICAL FIGURE COLOURING SHEET) OUR GREEN LANE

1. Name three types of people who may still use this green lane today.

a) b) c)

2. After walking along the lane would you say that any section you walked along marked a boundary? Yes/No.

3. Can you name three types of people who might have used the green lane in the past?
a) b) c)

4. What is the lane surface made of?

5. What kind of traffic might have used it in the past?

6. If there are stone walls make a sketch of what they look like here.





7. If there is any hedging make a sketch of what it looks like here.




8. Write or make sketches of who lives where in this lane profile.