Balloch Community Woodland
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Downloadable Activity Sheets

Activity sheets have been provided here for the younger explorer to accompany the three walks through Balloch Wood.  Designed as smuggling adventures, the activities have been split into three categories and colour codes (the conservationist, the explorer, the artist) to appeal to children of all interests.  The trails can either be done together to create one long trail, or completed individually, and the younger explorer can either complete all roles or choose to focus on their area of interest.

The Balloch Wood Smuggler’s Adventure

Ahoy there, this is Dirk Hatteraick, smuggler extraordinaire, calling all young Balloch Wood smugglers! 

BECAUSE I NEED YOUR HELP!

Here I am busy smuggling goods to your shores but I have nowhere to take them!  Even the tourists know about my cave these days L…but I’ve heard of this place called Balloch Wood which sounds like an awesome place to hide my smuggled goods!  The only thing is, I’ve never actually been there, and I don’t really know what it’s like.  Have you been there before?  Planning a little visit?  Do you think you can help?  I need three things: 

  • Explorers to discover all of the hazards of the wood and find the best place for my bounty
  • Artists to tell me all about Balloch Wood
  • Conservationists to make sure there are enough creatures in the wood to guard my treasure

Do any of these sound like you?  All three?  Well, now we’re talking, my able smuggler.  Welcome aboard my lugger and let me tell you what you have to do…

Here is a map which an old Creetonian witch gave me of the different trails through Balloch Wood.

She also gave me a set of puzzles and tasks to solve to help me learn more about the woodland and ideas for three possible locations for my looty before she just disappeared, back into the mist.  But how will I know where to hide my treasure from that?  It’s all just squiggles on a piece of paper and cryptic nonsense to me.  That’s where you come in.  I need you to work through the puzzle trails and:

  • find the three looty locations
  • solve the puzzles so that i know more about the wood

You don’t have to do it all at once.  You might like to do one part of it one day and come back and do more another day.  Or you might like to do it all at aonce but just focus on one role – explorer, conservationist or artist.  Any help you can provide is magic!

Just remember to go with an adult or tell an adult where you are going and wear suitable clothes and footwear which will keep you dry and warm and which you don’t mind getting dirty.

Smuggler adventurers will only need a few basic tools and a copy of our downloadable map but most importantly bags of adventure and a bundle of imagination!

The Pond Trail Smugglers Adventure
Tool kit : pen or pencil, pad of paper, a coin, a 50cm long length of string
(can be shorter so long as you know how long it is)

The Burnside Trail Smugglers Adventure
Tool kit : pen or pencil, pad of paper, camera / camera phone (optional),
calculator (later at home), ruler / measuring tape (later at home)

The Wildlife Ponds Smugglers Adventure
Tool kit : pen or pencil, pad of paper

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Creetown Walks » Activity Sheets