Bog Education and Worksheet Pack(pdf) - snh.org.uk · SCIENCE Living Things & The Processes of Life...

1A Teaching Pack for Peat Bog Projects

If you have old fashioned ideas about bogs

being drab and dreary, then prepare to have

your eyes opened! You are about to enter the

real bogworld - a special place of stunning

beauty, startling colours and spectacular

wildlife...........

2

1. Curricular Links1.1: 5-14 Curricular Links. 3

1.2: Secondary Curricular Links 8

1.3: Project Plan 9

2. Factsheets2.1: What is a Peat Bog? 10

2.2: Life in a Peat Bog 13

2.3: Why are Peat Bogs important 17

2.4: How can we save the Peat Bogs? 19

2.5: Webs and Chains 18

2.6: History Books 19

2.7: Glen Moss and the Kilmacolm Curlers 20

2.8: Flanders Moss and the Moss Lairds 22

3. Access3.1: Peat Bog code 24

3.2: Sites to visit 25

4. Activity Sheets4.1: Timeline 26

4.2: Bog Models 27

4.3: Natural Dyeing 29

4.4: Compost in the Classroom 30

4.5: Role Playing 31

4.6: The Web of Life 32

5. Resources5.1: Acknowledgements and Bibliography 33

5.2: Additional Resource Material 34

5.3: Conservation Organisations 35

Factsheet: All about Sphagnum and poster

Peat free products leaflet

SNH - Who we are and where we are and Country Code leaflets.

3

A Teaching Pack for Peat Bog Projects

1. CURRICULAR LINKS

4

CURRICULAR LINKS 1.1

This pack has been produced for use with upper primary/lower secondary.

The study of peat bogs has direct links to the Curriculum and assessment in Scotland NationalGuidelines for Environmental Studies 5-14. Whilst it would be wonderful to take a group of P1-P3pupils to experience a peat bog the greatest value of a project of this type is probably with P4-S2.

The topic gives scope for fulfilling most of the attainment targets for level C and D in Science andSocial Studies and some of those in Technology.

In particular this subject fits within Science : attainment outcome : Understanding living things andthe processes of life and Social Subjects : attainment outcome : Understanding people in the past.

OTHER CURRICULAR LINKSThere are also opportunities in a project of this type for Mathematics, English language andExpressive Arts as well as Gaelic studies.

TOPIC PLANNERSOn the next three pages you will find topic planners which list the attainment outcomes that will becovered by each topic development with space for you to indicate whether the topic is to be coveredas a class, group or individual project and space for your assessment comments.

The topic planners are set at level D. If your class is at a different level outcomes will be different,but the framework of the topic will be similar.

The curricular advice and topic planners have been adapted from the ‘Torra Peatlands Teachers’Pack’, written for Scottish Natural Heritage by Bob Black and based on a National Nature Reserveon Islay. Peat bog projects have been undertaken by many schools on Islay where peat is part ofthe landscape...and culture ! Schools undertaking a peat bog project may wish to contact schoolson Islay or in Caithness and Sutherland for more local knowledge and exchange of ideas.

5-14 Curricular Links

5

Topi

c: P

eat B

ogs

Leve

l CD

Out

com

e E

mph

ases

Peo

ple

and

Pla

ceS

cien

ce

SO

CIA

L S

UB

JEC

TS

Peo

ple

& P

lace

Mak

ing

& U

sing

Map

s•

exte

ndin

g th

e m

enta

l map

• ap

plyi

ng c

onve

ntio

nal m

ap r

eadi

ng s

kills

Asp

ects

of t

he P

hysi

cal &

Bui

lt E

nviro

nmen

t•

som

e th

eorie

s of

land

form

atio

n &

the

times

cale

s in

volv

edS

CIE

NC

E U

nder

stan

ding

Ear

th &

Spa

ceO

n P

lane

t Ear

th•

the

stru

ctur

e of

the

eart

h•

the

stru

ctur

e &

pro

pert

ies

of s

oils

SC

IEN

CE

Und

erst

andi

ng E

arth

& S

pace

On

Pla

net E

arth

• th

e st

ruct

ure

& p

rope

rtie

s of

soi

ls

SC

IEN

CE

Liv

ing

Thi

ngs

& T

he P

roce

sses

of L

ife V

arie

ty&

Cha

ract

eris

tics

of L

ivin

g T

hing

s•

the

mai

n di

stin

guis

hing

feat

ures

of f

low

erin

g &

non

- f

low

erin

g pl

ants

• si

mila

ritie

s/di

ffere

nces

with

in a

gro

up le

adin

g to

con

cept

of

spe

cies

• C

reat

ing

and

usin

g cl

assi

ficat

ion

keys

Inte

ract

ion

of L

ivin

g T

hing

s•

resp

onse

s of

pla

nts

to e

nviro

nmen

tal s

timul

i•

com

petit

ion

betw

een

thin

gs

SC

IEN

CE

Liv

ing

Thi

ngs

& T

he P

roce

sses

of L

ifeV

arie

ty &

Cha

ract

eris

tics

of L

ivin

g T

hing

s•

sim

ilarit

ies/

diffe

renc

es w

ithin

a g

roup

lead

ing

to th

e c

once

pt o

f spe

cies

• cr

eatin

g &

usi

ng c

lass

ifica

tion

keys

The

Pro

cess

es o

f Life

• st

ruct

ure

& fu

nctio

n of

maj

or b

ody

part

sIn

tera

ctio

n of

Liv

ing

Thi

ngs

• fo

od p

yram

ids

• co

mpe

titio

n be

twee

n liv

ing

thin

gs w

ith r

espe

ct to

food

& s

pace

• bi

rth

rate

, dea

th r

ate

& fa

ctor

s lim

iting

pop

ulat

ion

• re

spon

ses

of a

nim

als

to e

nviro

nmen

tal s

timul

i

Inve

stig

ate

how

Pea

t Bog

s ar

e fo

rmed

, the

influ

ence

of g

laci

atio

n an

d ch

angi

ng c

limat

e.R

esea

rch

FS

, loc

al g

eolo

gy g

uide

boo

ks

Det

erm

ine

the

phys

ical

pro

pert

ies

of p

eat

thro

ugh

expe

rimen

tsD

iscu

ss th

e pr

oces

ses

whe

reby

pea

t is

form

edR

esea

rch:

site

vis

it, F

S r

efer

ence

boo

ks

Iden

tify

com

mon

bog

pla

nts

and

rela

te e

ach

spec

ies

to it

s ni

che

on th

e bo

gC

onst

ruct

sim

ple

keys

Res

earc

h: s

ite v

isit

for

sim

ple

plan

t sur

vey,

Iden

tific

atio

n gu

ides

, FS

Iden

tify

com

mon

aqu

atic

& te

rres

tial i

nsec

ts,

spid

ers,

etc

.D

raw

a c

hose

n m

ini-b

east

and

writ

e a

stor

yab

out i

tS

ite v

isit

for

pond

dip

ping

and

exa

min

atio

n of

live

terr

estia

l min

i-bea

sts

Res

earc

h: Id

entif

icat

ion

guid

es, F

S

1. P

eat B

ogs

2. P

eat

3. P

eatla

nd

Pla

nts

4. P

eatla

nd m

ini-

b

east

s

1. F

S

FS

FS

FS

TO

PIC

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

PU

PIL

AC

TIV

ITIE

S/S

KIL

LS

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

C

G

IR

ES

OU

RC

ES

OU

TC

OM

EN

.B. O

utco

mes

are

at L

evel

D u

nles

s in

dica

ted

(C)

AS

SE

SS

ME

NT

CO

MM

EN

T

AB

BR

EV

IAT

ION

SC

cl

ass

FS

Fac

t She

ets

G

grou

pA

S A

ctiv

ity S

heet

I i

ndiv

idua

l

6

SC

IEN

CE

Liv

ing

Thi

ngs

& T

he P

roce

sses

of L

ifeV

arie

ty &

Cha

ract

eris

tics

of L

ivin

g T

hing

s•

sim

ilarit

ies/

diffe

renc

es w

ithin

a g

roup

lead

ing

to th

e c

once

pt o

f a s

peci

esT

he P

roce

ss o

f Life

• de

velo

pmen

t, bi

rth

& p

aren

tal c

are

Inte

ract

ion

of L

ivin

g T

hing

s•

food

web

s &

food

pyr

amid

s•

sim

ple

food

cha

ins

base

d on

ene

rgy

from

the

sun

(C)

• co

mpe

titio

n be

twee

n liv

ing

thin

gs•

birt

h ra

te, d

eath

rat

e &

fact

ors

limiti

ng p

opul

atio

n•

resp

onse

s of

ani

mal

s to

env

ironm

enta

l stim

uli

• th

e va

rious

way

s in

whi

ch h

uman

s ca

n ac

t on

thei

r e

nviro

nmen

t•

adap

tion

to th

e en

viro

nmen

t ove

r a

perio

d of

tim

eS

OC

IAL

SU

BJE

CT

S P

eopl

e &

Pla

ceM

akin

g &

Usi

ng M

aps

• ex

tend

ing

the

men

tal m

ap•

mak

ing

own

sket

ch m

aps

SC

IEN

CE

Liv

ing

Thi

ngs

& T

he P

roce

sses

of L

ifeIn

tera

ctio

n of

Liv

ing

Thi

ngs

• th

e va

rious

way

s in

whi

ch h

uman

s ca

n ac

t on

thei

r e

nviro

nmen

tS

OC

IAL

SU

BJE

CT

S P

eopl

e &

Pla

ceW

ays

in w

hich

Peo

ple

affe

ct p

lace

• la

ndsc

ape

feat

ures

as

boun

darie

s &

bar

riers

• ho

w to

day’

s la

ndsc

apes

are

the

prod

uct o

f the

inte

ract

ion

of p

eopl

e &

pla

ces

Mak

ing

& U

sing

Map

s•

exte

ndin

g th

e m

enta

l map

• ap

plyi

ng c

onve

ntio

nal m

ap r

eadi

ng s

kills

carr

ied

forw

ard

to n

ext p

age

Stu

dy th

e lif

e cy

cle

of s

elec

ted

bird

spe

cies

foun

d on

Pea

t Bog

sV

isit

RS

PB

res

erve

Res

earc

h F

S, i

dent

ifica

tion

guid

es,

refe

renc

e bo

oks,

vid

eos

Res

earc

h th

e lif

e cy

cle

of a

n an

imal

and

writ

e a

stor

y or

poe

m a

bout

itR

esea

rch:

FS

, ref

eren

ce b

ooks

,

Imag

ine

wha

t liv

ing

on a

Pea

t Bog

7,0

00ye

ars

ago

was

like

& il

lust

rate

Inve

stig

ate

trad

ition

al u

ses

of p

eat &

peat

land

pla

nts

Pea

t Bog

site

vis

itC

ompa

re h

ow m

an u

ses

peat

land

in d

iffer

ent

part

s of

Sco

tland

or

othe

r co

untr

ies

Inve

stig

ate

the

cons

erva

tion

valu

e of

peat

land

and

rol

e-pl

ay a

con

flict

situ

atio

nR

esea

rch:

FS

, AS

, ref

eren

ce b

ooks

5a. P

eatla

nd

B

irds

5b. A

mph

ibia

ns

Rep

tiles

and

M

amm

als

6. P

eat a

nd M

an

FS

FS

FS

AS

TO

PIC

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

PU

PIL

AC

TIV

ITIE

S/S

KIL

LS

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

C

G

IR

ES

OU

RC

ES

OU

TC

OM

EN

.B. O

utco

mes

are

at L

evel

D u

nles

s in

dica

ted

(C)

AS

SE

SS

ME

NT

CO

MM

EN

T

Topi

c: P

eat B

ogs

Leve

l CD

Out

com

e E

mph

ases

Peo

ple

and

Pla

ceS

cien

ce

AB

BR

EV

IAT

ION

SC

cl

ass

FS

Fac

t She

ets

G

grou

pA

S A

ctiv

ity S

heet

I i

ndiv

idua

l

7

Car

ried

over

from

pre

viou

s pa

geS

OC

IAL

SU

BJE

CT

S P

eopl

e in

the

Pas

t•

the

valu

es &

atti

tude

s w

hich

hav

e sh

aped

soc

ietie

s•

the

circ

umst

ance

s w

hich

gov

ern

the

mot

ives

& a

ctio

ns o

f peo

ple

in p

artic

ular

circ

umst

ance

sT

ime

& H

isto

rical

Seq

uenc

e•

exte

nsio

n of

pup

ils’ c

hron

olog

ical

fram

ewor

kT

he N

atur

e of

His

toric

al E

vide

nce

• th

e va

lue

of h

isto

rical

evi

denc

eC

onsi

dere

ing

the

Mea

ning

of H

erita

ge•

the

back

grou

nd a

nd is

sues

in p

rese

rvin

g an

asp

ect o

f loc

al o

r na

tiona

l her

itage

Und

erst

andi

ng P

eopl

e in

Soc

iety

Soc

ial r

ules

, rig

hts

& r

espo

nsib

ilite

s•

how

rep

rese

ntat

ives

are

cho

sen

& th

eir

role

in d

esci

sion

mak

ing

Con

flict

& P

artic

ipat

ion

• se

lect

ed n

atio

nal &

inte

rnat

iona

l dis

pute

s &

way

s of

res

olvi

ng th

em•

the

influ

ence

s of

cam

paig

ns, m

edia

& p

ress

ure

grou

p a

ctiv

ities

on

publ

ic o

pini

onT

EC

HN

OLO

GY

Und

erst

andi

ng T

echn

olog

yTe

chno

logy

& th

e D

eman

d fo

r R

esou

rces

• th

e te

nsio

n be

twee

n pr

oduc

tion

& th

e ca

re o

f the

env

ironm

ent

Car

ried

over

from

pre

viou

s pa

ge6.

Pea

t & M

anF

S

TO

PIC

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

PU

PIL

AC

TIV

ITIE

S/S

KIL

LS

DE

VE

LOP

ME

NT

C

G

IR

ES

OU

RC

ES

OU

TC

OM

EN

.B. O

utco

mes

are

at L

evel

D u

nles

s in

dica

ted

(C)

AS

SE

SS

ME

NT

CO

MM

EN

T

Topi

c: P

eat B

ogs

Leve

l CD

Out

com

e E

mph

ases

Peo

ple

and

Pla

ceS

cien

ce

AB

BR

EV

IAT

ION

SC

cl

ass

FS

Fac

t She

ets

G

grou

pA

S A

ctiv

ity S

heet

I i

ndiv

idua

l

8

Sci

ence

Li

ving

Thi

ngs

and

the

Pro

cess

es o

f Life

E

nger

gy a

nd F

orce

s

E

arth

and

Spa

ce

Soc

ial S

ubje

cts

P

eopl

e an

d P

lace

P

eopl

e in

the

Pas

t

P

eopl

e in

Soc

iety

Tec

hnol

ogy

Te

chno

logy

in S

ocie

ty

T

he D

esig

n P

roce

ss

Pla

nnin

gC

olle

ctin

g E

vide

nce

P7

S2

Con

text

s an

d C

onte

ntat

Thr

ee B

road

Sta

ges

Atta

inm

ent O

utco

mes

P1

P3

P4

P6

Kno

wle

dge

and

Und

erst

andi

ngIn

terp

retin

g an

dE

valu

atin

gD

evel

opin

g In

form

edA

ttitu

des

Rec

ordi

ng a

ndP

rese

ntin

g

Str

ands

Hea

lth E

duca

tion

H

ealth

and

Saf

e Li

ving

Info

rmat

ion

Tec

hnol

ogy

U

nder

stan

ding

and

Usi

ng In

form

atio

n Te

chno

logy

App

lyin

g S

kills

and

Pre

sent

ing

Sol

utio

ns

Taki

ng A

ctio

non

Hea

lth

Usi

ng In

form

atio

nTe

chno

logy

Kno

wle

dge

and

Und

erst

andi

ng

Wild

, Wet

and

Won

derf

ul5-

14 E

nviro

nmen

tal S

tudi

esS

ymbo

ls d

emon

stra

te s

uppo

rt fo

rO

utco

mes

and

Str

ands

e.g

.

= s

ome;

= c

onsi

dera

ble/

maj

or

9

The 5-14 curricular links outlined on sheet 1.1 apply also to S1 and S2.


Secondary Curricular Links

STANDARD GRADEThe Study of peat bogs is most relevant toScience, Biology and Geography atStandard Grade, particularly in relation tothe formation, preservation andconservation of these precious habitats.

For Standard Grade Geography there is afully worked out exemplar of material onland-use conflicts in relation to “ Forestry inthe Flow Country of Caithness andSutherland” which has been published bythe Scottish Consultative Council on theCurriculum.

HIGHER GRADE AND

CERTIFICATE OF SIXTH YEAR

STUDIES (CSYS)Higher Grade Biology and Geography alsoprovide scope for the study of peat bogs...particularly where there is an opportunity toanalyse data, communicate facts and ideasand discuss their significance in context.

10

This is a sample project plan to assist teachers

in organising their project.

FIRST THOUGHTSWhat do the class know about peat and peatbogs? Make a poster with the comments theclass make at this stage and ask them whatthey may wish to find out over the course of theproject. You can continue to return to this posteras the project progresses. Similarly you maywish to ask the class to ‘draw’ their idea of whata peat bog means to them...revisit this activitythroughout the project.

HOW PEAT BOGS ARE FORMEDUse the factsheets and any resources to assistthe class in illustrating how a peat bog isformed. Compare and contrast the two types ofbog - raised and blanket bog. Use local maps toindicate where local bogs are. Begin thetimeline (Activity sheet 4.1). Make peat bogmodels (Activity sheet 4.2).

PEATLAND PLANTSUse books (and theinternet!) to discover whatyou can about specificpeat bog plants and howthey survive in this lownutrient, high moistureenvironment. Construct asimple identification key.Use the ‘all aboutSphagnum’ fact sheet andthe Sphagnum poster. Dosome ‘natural dyeing’ orsimply use the poster andgreen, yellow and red

paints for some boggy ‘pointillism’ (spotty!)posters.

PEATLAND MINIBEASTSUse the factsheet and resources to identify thevariety of minibeasts present on a peat bog, indrier hummocks, heath and in pools. Draw andwrite the life cycle...or a day in the life of...achosen minibeast.

PEATLAND BIRDS, MAMMALS AND

REPTILESWhat are these, what are their life cycles, howdo they interact with and adapt to the bog/eachother? Use stories and poetry (See resourcelist) to stimulate discussion and write some ofyour own.

INTERDEPENDENCEUse the information gathered about peat bogwildlife, factsheet 2.5: Webs and Chains and theactivity sheet 4.6 to develop understanding offood webs, food chains and the importance ofecological balance. Construct a basic food webdiagram and continue to add information to it.Make food chain mobiles.

PEAT AND MANUse resources and factsheets 2.3, 2.6 and 2.7to study the history of man’s association withand use of the peat bog. Contact schools inIslay or Caithness and Sutherland to assist inunderstanding the importance of peat in theseparts of Scotland. Discuss life around the bog7,000 years ago. Construct models of bogvillages. Make your own compost andexperiment with the variety of peat freealternatives (Activity sheet 4.4).Explain thevalue of peat as a source of information aboutclimate/ vegetation change : radiocarbon datingand pollen analysis. Look at pollen through abinocular microscope if possible! Add moreinformation to the timeline.


Project Plan

11


2. FACTSHEETS

12

Teaching points

Peat bogs occur where waterlogged conditionsslow down the decomposition process, leadingto a gradual build up of dead organic material.Under these conditions a plant calledSphagnum grows.

Sphagnum grows continuously from a bud atthe tip of its stem leaving layers of dead plantmaterial below the surface. This forms an acidicenvironment, almost devoid of nutrients andwithout air, where the normal organisms whichbreak down dead plant material cannot survive.Thus dead Sphagnum accumulates slowly intolayers - often less than 1mm/year - forming anew soil which we know as peat.

There are two main types of peat bog inScotland, blanket bog and raised bog .Together they cover more than one millionhectares...or two thirds of the total bogland inBritain!

BLANKET BOGSIn some places the entire original landscape ishidden beneath a blanket of up to 7 metres ofpeat bog. These bogs are known as blanketbogs and form the major part of Scotland’sboglands. A significant proportion of the blanketbog in Britain and Europe is found in Caithnessand Sutherland. The area of the ‘Flow Country’in Caithness and Sutherland has beenrecognised by international specialists asunique and of global importance. A place to visita superb example of this is the RSPB reserve atForsinard.

RAISED BOGSIn the lowlands a different sort of bog hasformed. Small lochs, left after the last ice age onimpermeable clays, gradually became filled withvegetation such as dead reeds. This swampyenvironment, combined with a loss of incomingnutrients to fringe vegetation, created just the

right conditions for Sphagnum to flourish,eventually fed only by nutrient poor rainwater.The peat deposit accumulated and slowlybecame raised above the surroundingvegetation - instead of drying out this formed aliving mound - or raised bog!

Other Sphagnum facts : Sphagnum is thebotanical equivalent of a sponge, absorbingwater and nutrients through the surfaces of itsleaves. The leaves are arranged along branchesthat occur in bunches along a simple stem. Witha microscope it is possible to see that much ofthe leaf consists of cells like water storageflasks while the chlorophyll is squeezed intocells like thin strands. For such a plant tosurvive, conditions must be suitably dampthroughout the year for these cells to be kepttopped up.

Sphagnum can hold up to twenty times itsweight in water. This, together with its unique‘sterile’ properties made it useful as a wounddressing in the first world war. It has also beenused for nappies and cot bedding.

Use a map of Scotland to indicate highland and lowland areas and to indicate the distribution of raised and blanket

bogs in Scotland. Use a local OS map to identify any areas described as ‘bog’. How much peat has formed in the

lifetime of one pupil? Peat in raised bogs may be up to 10 metres deep... how long has this taken to form? Illustrate

this on the wall showing the layers of peat from bare ground to living Sphagnum next to a timeline. Build on this as

the project and the childrens’ knowledge develops. Can you connect the timeline to other projects the children have

done? (eg dinosaurs/ world war). Draw a cartoon time sequence to show the development of each type of bog and

re-enact this story in the gym hall! Activity sheets: Timeline. Resources section: all about Sphagnum.

What is a Peat Bog?

FACTSHEET 2.1

d. Continues to grow, rain forms bog pools

c. Low mound of wet Sphagnum

b. Waterlogged, low nutrient swamp

a. Lochan filling with vegetation

Raised Bog Formation

13

Peat bogs are not lifeless places...look closelyand listen and you will become aware of a richand vibrant environment, full of life and colour,textures, smells and tastes!

GREEN CARNIVORESAmongst the Sphagnum there are a variety ofinteresting plants which have adapted to life inextreme conditions. Several species of planthave developed the ability to trap and eatinsects as a means of supplementing theirmeagre diet. The sundews (Droseraspecies)and butterworts (Pinguicula species)have sticky leaves which they use to trapunsuspecting insects which then slowlydecompose...releasing much needed nutrientsfor the plant.

A CARPET OF COLOUR AND SCENTThrough the soft carpet of Sphagnum you willfind bright splashes of colour from heaths andheathers (Erica and Calluna), fuschia pinks andruby reds of the cranberry (Vacciniumoxycoccos) flowers and berries, the delicatewhite and pink frothy flowers of the bog bean(Menyanthes trifoliata), or the white rose-likeflower of the cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus)with its scarlet or orange fruit. The bogasphodel (Narthecium ossifragum) addssplashes of bright yellow, its scientific name:ossifragum means bonebreaker and this arosefrom the belief that the

MAMMALS...Red deer, the largest landmamal in Britain today, canbe found wallowing in peat baths to ridthemselves of flies and parasites. They will grazeon a variety of bog plants and will eat frogs asthey need the calcium for bone and antlergrowth! Otters and badgers occasionally ventureout into the bogs in search of the eggs andchicks of ground nesting birds, water voles andfrogs. You may also see pine martens, hares,stoats and weasels, and even (in highlandareas) the very occasional wildcat. Bats will fly infrom their roost sites in the evening, travelling asmuch as a mile to the peat bogs to feed on anyflying insects....including midges!

BIRDS...The songs of skylarks and meadow pipitsprovide constant background noise on theboglands. These birds thrive on a varietyof insects and seeds.

You may also hear the sad ‘wheep’ of the goldenplover, the drumming of snipe, the trill of adunlin or the mournful cry of a red throated divercaterwauling in the evening sunset...this eerieflight call gives it the local name of ‘rain goose’since people associate it with wet weather.Divers are also known as loons - based on theScandinavian word for clumsy - due to theirawkwardness on land. They arrive at theirbreeding grounds in April/May after spendingthe winter at sea. Their preferred breeding sitesare in the North West of Scotland and alwayswithin reach of the sea or a large loch forfishing.

Life in a Peat Bog

plant caused the bones of grazing sheep to gobrittle, but in fact all bog plants are low in

calcium (see ‘frog eating deer’ below!).

The heather plants play host to a fungus whichbreaks down decaying plant material into thevital nutrients which allow it to thrive. As theygrow in exposed places their leaves are inrolledat the edges to reduce the surface area andprevent water loss.

Bog myrtle (Myrica gale)...a sweet scentedshrub....forms a partnership with bacteria in itsroots to obtain extra nitrogen. It has been usedto ward off midges and to make beer!

Common Bog Cotton (Eriophorumangustifolium) uses a snorkel technique, relyingon air filled cells in its roots and leaf bases tosurvive the oxygen poor environment below thelayers of Sphagnum. A family of tiny, brilliantlycoloured ‘jewel’ beetles (Donacia species) usethese air spaces as living quarters!

(Many of the plants mentioned have interestinginterdependencies and folklore. For goodplaces to find further information see theresources section).

Even in winter the bog is alive with colour, lookclosely at the lichens and mosses and you willfind greens, reds and greys of every shade.

FACTSHEET 2.2

14

Teaching points

AMPHIBIANS...Newts spend part of their year on land butmany return, with frogs and toads, to bog poolsin the summer to breed. The male commonnewt develops a speckled orange belly whenhe is ready to mate which warns predators thatthe newt tastes horrible. Newts, frogs andtoads all thrive on the abundant insect life...

REPTILES...Adders and lizards love peat bogs. You wouldbe unlikely to see an adder but you may findshed skins in the heather. They prefer thedrier parts of the bog and feed on smallmammals, lizards and frogs, often eating asmuch as they can and then spending longperiods inactive. Lizards can most often befound sunning themselves on a stone or mossyhummock. Like the adders they are coldblooded and depend upon the sun to maintaintheir body heat. They both hibernate in winter.

A MULTITUDE OF INVERTEBRATES...Invertebrates (e.g insects, mites and spiders)are the most numerous creatures in anyhabitat. They help to break down plantmaterial, pollinate the flowering plants and arean important link in the food web... often eatingother insects and being eaten by birds,mammals, reptiles and amphibians!

Some of the most beautiful insects on theboglands are the dragonflies, damselflies andbutterflies which live there. Dragonflies havetwo pairs of wings which move separately, likehelicopter blades so it can hover, fly backwardsand change direction at up to 18mph (30kph).Using this and their excellent eyesight they cancapture other bogland insects in mid-air.Damselflies will also capture insects on thewing and the aquatic larvae of these twocolourful flies are ferocious underwater

carnivores. Dragons and damsels relyon the shallow pools and poolsidevegetation for the early part of their life cycle.

Large Heath butterflies lay their eggs on cottongrass...the food source for their caterpillars, andthe adult butterflies feed on cross leaved heath.There are many different caterpillars on a bog -usually hairy and often large, growing for up to twoyears before becoming moths and butterflies.

Bog pools are thriving with invertebrate lifeincluding pond skaters, diving beetles, waterspiders, whirligig beetles, water scorpions and anumber of tiny water mites and water fleas.

There are over 150 species of biting midges!Thirty seven species occur in Scotland. Thefemales suck the blood of various animals (mainlyinsects such as caterpillars and crane flies)because they need a meal of blood before theycan develop their eggs. Only sixteen of thesespecies attack humans, though it is sometimeshard to believe this out on a bog! However, variousbirds, amphibians, other insects and reptiles willmake a tasty meal out of them.

INTERDEPENDENCEPeat bogs support a variety of unusual plants andanimals that have adapted to and are dependentupon this unique environment. In other words,some of these plants, spiders and invertebratesare not found anywhere else; and many of thebirds and mammals do not occur in the samenumbers elsewhere. Some examples of

interdependence can be illustrated as food chains:

Heather -> grouse -> fox

Dead plant and animal material -> ant -> groundbeetle -> skylark -> kestrel

Plankton -> frog tadpole -> dragonfly nymph

Plant debris -> midge larvae -> water boatman-> frog -> adder

Use the food web and cards to illustrate a bog food web. Collect some objects such as a tin of sardines, a toy ‘frog’, a

bone or deer horn, helicopter and insect toys and some tartan etc. and play ‘kims game’. The children must then

connect the object to the bog story. Enact a web with string or wool and build a food pyramid with the plants and

multitudinous insects on the bottom...what happens when one of the links is destroyed? Build a food chain mobile

using a coathanger and some thread, you could suspend the prey inside the predator. Discuss, illustrate and enact a

variety of life cycles such as the dragonfly. Activity Sheet: Web of Life 4.6

15

Why are Peat Bogs important?

Peatlands are a unique habitat in which manyrare and endangered species of plants may befound. However, they are also a seriouslyendangered habitat in European andglobal terms.

In environmental terms they are as precious tothe European heritage as the tropicalrainforests are to world heritage. They play animportant role in both the carbon cycle and thewater cycle. They act as carbon ‘sinks’ (theplants ‘mop up’ carbon dioxide which isproduced by our burning of fossil fuels like coaland oil) and by this they can purify both air andwater. Drainage and destruction of peat bogsresult in the stored carbon being releasedrapidly into the atmosphere in the form ofgreenhouse gases as the peat decomposes.Most of Scotland’s drinking water comes fromcatchments which are dominated by peatland.

The blanket bogs of Caithnessand Sutherland are important‘reservoirs’ of water whichfeed many small streams andlochans. In addition peat-purified water forms a vitalingredient in Scottish Whisky !

As a result of damage andexploitation only 5.5% of the original raisedbogs in Scotland remain in their natural state.

PEOPLE’S USE OF PEATSince at least Roman times there has been asteady but small scale cutting of peat for fuel, apractice which continues today. Stacks of peat,cut by hand using a special spade, are builtduring the summer and left at the peat face todry and are then collected for use during thewinter months.

Large areas of peat bogs have been regardedas wasteland to be drained and used for

FACTSHEET 2.3

agriculture or forestry. Draining and cutting ofpeat bogs destroys the balance that allows thepeat to continue to slowly form and it is verydifficult for us to recreate these conditions.

Peat was regarded as poor agricultural land but- once drained - was ideal for forestry. Followingthe first world war, Britain’s timber resource wasgreatly depleted giving rise to a programme ofplanting conifer forests on peat. Since then veryconsiderable areas of both raised and blanketbog have been planted, lost forever as peatbog habitat. Fortunately the rate of planting hasdeclined significantly in recent years andforestry policies now take more account of thesignificance of these areas.

The water retaining properties and low nutrientcontent of peat make it an ideal growingmedium. As a result many boglands have beensubjected to commercial peat extraction. Thehorticultural industry uses large machinery tostrip the layers of peat from the bog to be soldas compost or for use in potted plants sold atgarden centres. With only a limited number ofpeatland areas left, the industry will have tomove to peat-free growing materials in future.

In Ireland, Finland, Russia, America and othercountries peat has been and continues to beused to fuel power stations. For example, mostof Finland’s inland cities are heated by peat-fired power stations and Russia opened its firstpeat burning power station as long agoas 1914.

Considerable areas of blanket bog are eroding,especially bogs lying at 300 metres or higher.The deep gullying and hagging may be, in part,natural, but it is clear that the process is beingaccelerated by practices such as burning andover grazing by both red deer and sheep.

16

More Peat facts:

• Peat is made of partially decayed plant material and water.

• Water accounts for most of the weight of wet peat.

• Peat in the bog remains cool all year. The water in the peat is slow to heat up and thepeatland is insulated by its skin of plants.

• All the water in a peat bog comes from rainfall which is naturally slightly acidic.

• Peat is very acidic because the remains of Sphagnum moss, the main species that forms thepeat, are very acid. The peat has little or no contact with the rock or mineral soil below thatthe peat is really thick the plant roots don’t make contact with the mineral soil and so areunable to benefit from their nutrients and lower acidity.

• When you dry peat, it shrinks and hardens. Often it cracks as well.

• When you burn dried peat, there is very little ash left. Virtually everything in a peat block isorganic material and burnable.

• Peat bogs have vast amounts of carbon locked up in them. Through their plants, bogsabsorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It is reckoned that Scotland’s bogs store atotal of 22 billion tonnes of carbon which would otherwise be in the atmospherecontributing to global warming.

• Peat bogs can preserve wood, pollen, even bodies for thousands of years. For this reason,they have been called ‘Living History Books’.

Information from ‘Torra Peatland’s Pack written by Bob Black for SNH see resources section

croak

croak

17

Teaching points

PEAT PROTECTIONPublic awareness and campaigns run by conservation organisations - such as International BogDay in July - as well as habitat management and site designations have resulted in the preservationof many important sites. For example lowland raised bogs are now regarded as rare andendangered wherever they are found . They have been identified as a conservation priority in therecent European Community Habitats Directive and also have their own Habitat Action Plan.Blanket bogs are similarly protected. Many bogs are also legally protected as Sites of SpecialScientific Interest and landowners are given support to manage them for the benefit of wildlife.

You can make a differenceThere is a variety of high quality peat free garden composts available. If everyone, particularly thehorticultural industry, switched to using these rather than peat based products many of ourthreatened bogs would be saved. Peatlands are areas of immense natural beauty and as suchcontribute much to the Scottish landscape. They are an important part of our cultural heritage tooand deserve to be treated with respect.

FACTSHEET 2.4

How can we save the Peat Bogs?

Discuss the roles of the horticulturist, bog scientist, nature lover and landowner and act out a debate. Draw

posters to promote each person’s point of view. Find out about alternatives to peat and do trial planting in the

classroom. Make posters and leaflets advocating peat free products and contact conservation organisations in

Scotland for advice. Use the Internet to contact schools in Islay or Caithness to discuss the cultural and

landscape impact of peat on their lives. Activity sheets:Role Playing. Compost in the classroom. Resources sheet.

18

Distribution of Blanket Bogs in Scotland

19

Distribution of Raised Bogs in Scotland

20

Song Birds

Teaching points

FACTSHEET 2.5

Fox

Frogs

Lizards

Adders

Voles

Grouse

Bog Plants

Pond Life

Sundew

Moth/Larvae

Damselflies/Dragonfliesand Larvae

Bats Deer

Diving BeetleMidges

Short Eared Owl

Use this information and the activity sheet to develop understanding of the food web. The sun provides a

source of energy for the plants...and therefore is the source of all energy! When one factor in the food chain is

tampered with all other things are affected. Man is the only predator of foxes and deer now that we have no

wolves. Should we reintroduce the wolf? Add other peat bog items to the food web as you develop the project.

Hen Harriers

This is an example of a peat bog food web. There are many variations. The arrows indicate the flowof energy.

Hare

Webs and Chains

Sun

Lizards & Adders also relyon the sun. As coldblooded reptiles theyrequire the warmth of thesun to give them energy.

21

Teaching points

Peat is a wonderful preservative. Acidic, butwithout the damaging effects of oxygen in anacidic environment, it acts like pickling vinegaron many of the seeds, plants and humanartefacts and remains which rest there.

Palaeoecologists, interested in the history ofplants and animals, have studied cores frompeat bogs, discovering the history of climateand vegetation in and around the bogs. Pollen,preserved in the bog for thousands of years,indicates change in the local vegetation whichmay be brought about by climate change or bythe arrival of people who cleared the forests andplanted more ‘domesticated’ crops. Snapshotsfrom a range of bogs have enabled us to piecetogether the small scale changes in climatewhich have occurred during the last 10,000years.

In addition we can reconstruct the history of theScottish landscape far back before written

FACTSHEET 2.6

History Books

records, almost to the end of the last Ice Age.We know from this record that the boglandshave always been largely open areas in thelandscape while around them a succession offorests have come and gone.

Human artefacts are often wonderfullypreserved by the peat such as the magnificentbronze cauldron found buried in Flanders Moss,thought to be a votive offering. There are buriedtrackways, coins, whole villages, jewellery andeven bog butter - a kind of soft cheesepreserved by the acids in the peat.

Several bog bodies have been found in Scottishbogs, though none has been subsequentlypreserved. The best preserved are the bogbodies from Denmark, where Tollund man, skinblackened by the acids and tannins from thebog, appears to be asleep, even though he wassacrificed and buried in the bog almost2,000 years ago.

What do the class think people in the past needed for survival? How did they build their houses? What foods did

they eat? What threats did they have to defend themselves from? Design and build a 3D village. Draw pictures

illustrating the changes in the Scottish landscape around the site of a peat bog such as Flanders Moss or Glen

Moss, from Glaciation to the present day. If you have access to the internet visit the Natural History Museum’s

website and find out about remains from peat bogs in the UK. Use water, air, soil and vinegar in sealed and

unsealed containers to preserve plant remains for 10 days then check the results. Demonstrate acidity by tasting a

variety of foods and testing them using pH paper. How acid are fizzy drinks?!

Activity sheets: Natural dyeing, Timeline.

22

Glen Moss is situated to the North East of Kilmalcolm in the ‘Renfrewshire Heights’. It is a valuablewildlife site and has an interesting local history. The site covers an area of 19.45 hectares andstraddles the border between Renfrew and Inverclyde.

SKATING ON THE MOSS -ACCIDENTS AND IMMERSIONSThe keen frosty weather so long delayed camewith the closing days of the old year and thefirst day of ‘95 saw the water at Glen Mossfrozen over with a thick covering of ice. Froman early hour in the forenoon skaters arrived inlarge numbers until there were several hundredpeople on the ice. Most of them - the number isestimated at between three and four hundred -hailed from Greenock while not a few camefrom Glasgow.

This is followed by a list of casualties!

The visitors to the area would have beenmaking good use of the Glasgow andSouthwest Railway line from Paisley toGreenock opened in 1869 which called atKilmacolm.

After the first world war the water levelmanagement seems to have been abandonedand the area slowly reverted to the marshlandfound today, however the brick clubhouse andthe sluice at the edge of the moss can still beseen.

Glen Moss

FACTSHEET 2.7

FORMATIONGlen Moss is a ‘mixed basin and valleymire’(mire is simply another term for an areawhere peat is forming) which began to formthousands of years ago when the glaciersgouged out soft rocks to form a shallowlochan. Retreating glaciers deposited boulderclays to the North of this loch and these, andother glacial features, can still be seen today.The shallow lochan, based on impermeablebasaltic rock, gradually silted up and thus thepeatland was formed . This particular type ofpeat ( fen peat) depends upon a steadysupply of groundwater to keep it waterloggedand thus it differs from the raised or blanketbogs described in factsheet 2.1 (page10)which are largely rainwater fed.

LOCAL HISTORYPrior to the 1800’s there are very fewaccurate records of this area. Maps drawn upinthe 1700’s do indicate an area of water NEof Kilmalcolm but subsequent maps do notshow this loch and it seems likely that it wasdrained, probably for arable use, sometimebetween 1787 and 1796.

The first edition Ordnance Survey mapsproduced in 1857 indicate that the site was‘rough heathy pasture’ and ‘moss’ with noopen water. By the second edition OS mapsof 1896 the Moss is shown to be flooded toan extent of 40 acres by the introduction of asluice.

The Kilmacolm Curling Club would seem tohave been responsible for re-flooding theGlen Moss site by constructing the sluicegate and using the ‘pond’ for winter sports(skating and curling). It may then have beendrained each Spring to allow for summergrazing. People came from all over the districtto skate on the Moss. The GreenockTelegraph, 2nd January 1895, reports:

23

Teaching pointsLook at a map of the Glasgow area and identify the names of places associated with bogs. Indicate how large

an area may have been covered with bogs and compare this with what has been left untouched. Compare the

wildlife associated with a wet area and a dry area. Write a natural history column for the Kilmacolm News based

in the 1700’s, 1800’s, 1900’s, 2000’s and 2100’s! Imagine that the Glen Moss is to have houses built upon it for

Glasgow commuters...mount a campaign to save the bog! Make a collage of the skating and curling there in

1895...dont forget the wildlife! use the information about Glen Moss species and the food web on factsheet 2.5

to draw a Glen Moss web. Make a leaflet encouraging these visitors to watch out for the wildlife.

AN IMPORTANT WILDLIFE SITEGlen Moss now includes an area of shallowopen water surrounded by sedge bedswhich provide nesting sites for a range ofbreeding ducks including shoveller and teal.Other birds found at the moss include greyheron, mute swans (one pair), water rail,snipe, cuckoo, tawny owl, skylark, meadowpipit, sedge warbler, spotted flycatcher andreed bunting. Sparrowhawks and kestrelshave occasionally been seen hunting overthe area.

There are two particularly valuable plantspresent at the site - mud sedge Carexlimosa and greater Bladderwort Utricularianeglecta. Bladderwort is an insectivorousplant which catches its prey in tinyunderwater bladders. Other interestingplants found at the site include GreaterButterfly Orchid Platanthera chlorantha (pollinated by night flying moths!), Coralrootorchid Corallorhiza trifida (has thick coral likeroots which derive the nutrition the plantneeds by association with a fungus whichlives in the soil), Golden rod Solidagovirgaurea and Common reedmace Typhalatifolia.

Many mammals are also found at the Moss:Common Shrew Sorex araneus, HedgehogErinaceus europaeus, Fox Vulpes vulpes,Stoat Mustela erminea, Brown hare Lepuscapensis , Field vole Microtus agrestis, Fieldmouse Apodemus sylvaticus and Roe deerCapreolus capreolus.

There are also many moths, butterflies,damselflies and dragonflies present and on awarm summers day the Moss is teeming withlife from muddy pools to clear blue skies. Thebirdsong and buzzing insects coupled with thebogland scents and colours offer the visitor aunique experience of the natural biodiversitythat makes Glen Moss an important wildlifesite.

CONSERVATIONThe site has been designated a ‘Site ofSpecial Scientific Interest’ and the right totreat part of the Moss as a Nature Reservewas agreed between the Scottish Wildlife Trust(SWT) and Elderslie estates in 1991. The siteis managed to maintain the variety of wildlifepresent (biodiversity) in partnership with thelandowners by Scottish Natural Heritage andthe SWT .

‘DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES’In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuriespeople believed that God had indicated theuse of a plant in the treatment of ailments bygiving it a shape similar to a body organ oreven the symptoms of a disease. The word‘wort’ in a plants name usually means that itwas put to some medicinal use. Bladderwortwould thus have been used in the treatment ofbladder disorders as a result of the tinybladders found on its feathery aquatic leaves.Unfortunately there is little evidence to supportwhether this theory held any water!

24

Flanders Moss and the Moss Lairds

Flanders Moss is a raised peat bog whichlies on the Carse of Stirling betweenKippen and Thornhill. Intact raised peatbogs are rare and Flanders is the largestremaining in Britain, covering eight squarekilometres.

FACTSHEET 2.8

3000 YEARS AGOPeople were living in the Flanders Moss arealong before the time of the ‘Moss Lairds’ andthey also used the resources which the peatprovided. A number of finds were made duringthe clearing away of the peat that formedFlanders Moss and Blair Drummond Moss - inparticular a situla,or bronze bucket, and cartwheel of between 2000 and 3000 years oldwere found. These may have been depositedas a result of the religious beliefs which wereheld by people at this time. People may alsohave been exploiting the wildlife of the bogs.

More recently, the bog has been furtherdisturbed by drainage ditches being dug andtrees being planted. This leads to a reduction inthe water level within the bog and effectivelythe bog will begin to dry out.

AND BEFORE THIS...The remains of a 120ft stranded blue whalefound in the sediments at Causewayhead inStirling (its bones can be seen in the NationalMuseum in Edinburgh) had human artefacts -antler bones and flints - lying alongside. Thisindicates that there were people living in thisarea 7,000 years ago...before the peat bogsformed.

HUMAN IMPACTS: THE MOSS LAIRDSAround 200 years ago, the landowner of anearby peat bog - Kincardine Moss, onKincardine Estate - Lord Kames, wanted tocreate more productive farmlands. He leasedsections of the Moss, rent free, to highlandersmade homeless during the Clearances. Eachtenant was given 1 acre of bog, rent-free forseven years and, during that time they had toclear their area and plant crops. This was thestart of the destruction of peat bogs in this area.

These ‘Moss Lairds’ cut houses out of the peat,stripped the thick layer of peat off their land byhand and threw it into specially cut channels (ittook about one year to clear one acre). The peatthen floated down the River Forth to the sea,and can still be detected in the sediments of theestuary. A similar pattern of events occurred inthe area around Flanders Moss resulting in itspresent, unnatural shape.

By the 1790s there were over 100 familiesemployed , a mill wheel was constructed to liftwater from the river Teith and reservoirs,brickworks, new houses and churches were alsobuilt. In 40 years almost the entire area ofKincardine Moss which lay between the Forthand the Teith, c.2000 acres in total, wasstripped. The remaining area has now beendesignated a Site of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI).

The River Forth was polluted by the amount ofsediment in the water, and fishing, upon whichthe people of Stirling depended, collapsed. Thisis known as the first environmental disaster inthe world. Future use of rivers in this way wasprohibited.

It is believed that only 300 years ago the wholearea from Stirling to Aberfoyle was peat bog. For7- 8,000 years layer upon layer of Sphagnummoss had grown and died, building up the surfaceof the bog by nearly 1mm each year. In places thebog is over 7metres deep.

25

CONSERVATIONNow Flanders Moss is being protected topreserve what is left. By undertaking reservemanagement work, such as blocking theunnatural drainage ditches and cutting downsome of the woodland, the peat bog plants andassociated wildlife can continue to thrive in

their wet environment.

The management and protection of FlandersMoss is being undertaken in partnership withits owners by Scottish Natural Heritage and theScottish Wildlife Trust with the help ofconservation volunteers and others.

Teaching points

Look at a map of the Stirling area and identify the names of places associated with bogs. Indicate how

large an area may have been covered by bogs and see if there are farm/settlement patterns that may

indicate where the ‘moss lairds’ were prevalent. Imagine life in these difficult times. What did people

need to survive? Imagine coming across a huge beached whale...write,draw and discuss your

reactions. How would you preserve the meat for future use? What natural predators would you have to

protect yourself from?

Imagine you are the owner of the last raised peat bog in Britain. How would you protect it? Where

might you get advice and support from? Would you need money? Design a leaflet introducing visitors

to your reserve.

26


3. ACCESS SHEETS

27

Peat Bog Code

Please take the following precautions whenvisiting a peat bog:

Access : Please ensure that you take expertadvice about the best place for your class tovisit. (see access sheet 3.2)

Ensure children are dressed appropriately.Wellies are essential and bring a spare pair ofsocks! Bogs are always wet places. Warm andwaterproof clothing is always a good idea andplastic bags to sit upon are very useful.

Keep the children in groups. Do not let themwander away alone. Some bogs have deeppools hidden under vegetation.

Remember a first aid kit. Know where it is andwho can use it.

You may wish to advise children/parents tobring their own midge repellant in summer.You may not need to use it!

Watch out for old drainage ditches. There arevery few bogs which have not been interferedwith by man. These may be overgrown withvegetation and hard to see. Look out for lines ofvegetation which look different from thesurrounding bog - these often mark the line ofan old ditch.

ACCESS SHEET 3.1

You may be lucky enough to see an adder!Your local contact will be able to tell youwhether you are likely to come across adders atthe site. Adder bites are very rarely fatal but canset up a serious allergic reaction in somepeople, especially children. Children should beon the look out for adders from spring timeonwards, particularly in the drier areas. Adderswill only bite if cornered or threatened so thebest protection is to avoid them. In the unlikelyevent of a child being bitten keep the child calmand warm and take straight away to a doctor orthe nearest hospital.

Follow the Country Code: See

resource section for Code leaflet.

Country Code teaching materials are

available free from: Scottish Natural

Heritage, Publications Section, Battleby,

Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW.

28

FOR INFORMATION ON LOCAL BOG SITES SUITABLE FOR YOUR

CLASS TO VISIT CONTACT:

Your local Scottish Natural Heritage office.(See enclosed ‘Who we are and where we are’ leaflet)

Your local Countryside Ranger Service.Contact your local authority, usually Leisure and Recreation, Planning or Education section.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust:71 Houldsworth St., Finniestown, Glasgow. Tel : 0141 248 4647

The Royal Society for the Protection of BirdsDunedin House, 25 Ravelston Terrace, Edinburgh, EH4 3TP. Tel : 0131 311 6500

IN THE GLASGOW AREA:For access and information about Glen Moss:SWT Reserves Manager : Dean Howard 01387 248419

Kilmacolm Golf Course Manager : Ronnie Bunting 01505 872139

Glasgow City Ranger Servive : 0141 632 9299

Kelvin Valley Countryside Project : Provan Hall House, Auchinlee Road, Easterhouse,Glasgow, G34 9QN. Tel : 0141 771 4399

North Lanarkshire Council Conservation & Greening Unit : 01236 780636

Central Scotland Countryside Trust, Shotts : 01501 822015

Calderglen Country Park Ranger Service : 01355 236644

ACCESS SHEET 3.2

Sites to visit

29


4. ACTIVITY SHEETS

30

ACTIVITY SHEET 4.1

Timeline

Teaching points

metres

Use this information, plus any additional information which the children may know from previousprojects, or by research to illustrate a time line on your classroom wall. Make the line vertical, ifpossible, to emphasise the depth of the peat. Ask the children to draw a timeline in the playgroundusing chalk ...or using rope in the school gym. Older children may wish to experiment using avariety of scales.

Depth/Date

0..............2000 - Millenium celebrations!- 1914-1918 First World War. 1770: Clearances- Battle of Hastings (1066)

1..............1000 - 122/127 AD Hadrians wall built A.D. - Roman Empire (10-400)

2..............0 B.C. - Tollund man - Period of Iron Age bog sacrifices (c.400)

3...............1000- Stonehenge completed (1600)

4...............2000

5...............3000 - Callanish built (3000BC)- beginning of Neolithic period (3750)

6...............4000

7...............5000 - Britain becomes an island as North and Irish Seas form (5000-6000)

8...............6000 - Extensive blanket bogs begin to form (6000)

9...............7000 - Whales beached by Forth estuary (7000)

10.............8000 - Lowland raised bogs begin to form (8000)

Can you add more details to this? Ask the children what they may predict further into the future and draw

their futuristic pictures for placing along the timeline. Will we lose all our peat bogs? Will they become over

protected places which no-one may visit? Will they became places that are so unique people will pay to

have a ‘bogland experience’?

31

LOOFAH BOGMake your own loofah bog to demonstrate the way raised bogs are formed.

ACTIVITY SHEET 4.2

Bog Models

You will need :

A foil tray

A dried loofah - available from chemists’ shops

Water

A piece of kitchen roll or paper tissue

Some cress, mustard or grass seeds

1. Use the foil tray to act as the hollowwithin which the raised bog is formed.

2. The hollows fill with water to form apond, so fill your tray with water. Thepond gradually fills up with vegetationwhich builds up as peat and eventuallyfills the hollow. To make your peat, takea new, flat, dry loofah and cut it to fitinside your tray. Float it on top of thewater and see what happens. As theloofah soaks up water, it will expand andrise above the top of the tray.

3. Layer upon layer ofSphagnum grows onthe bog surface to form a raised dome.Lay a piece of kitchen paper on top ofthe loofah to represent the growingsurface of your bog.

4. With theSphagnum mosses, heather andother bog species will grow on the bog.Sprinkle cress, mustard or grass seedson top and leave the tray in a warmplace to germinate. In a few days timeyou should have a mini bog, with theadded bonus of something to add toyour sandwiches!

5. Like a real bog, your bog will need ashower of rain from time to time to keepit wet and healthy!

(Loofah bog activity from ‘Raised PeatBog’ Activity Pack by the ScottishWildlife Trust, see resources section)

SIMPLE 3D BOGUsing plasticene, papier mache, or naturalmaterials gathered from the school garden, theclass (or groups) may wish to design and buildtheir own 3D model of a bog including thewildlife they may encounter on a visit. A biscuittin lid makes an ideal base.

32

Bog in a Bottle!

At last, a use for those wonderful large plastic fizzy drinks bottles!

RAISED BOG MODEL You will need:

• Used 1 or 2 litre colourless mineral bottles

• crushed white chalk

• 2 Mugs of dark wet soil to represent the‘fen’ peat

• 4 mugs of lighter soil (could mix the darksoil with sand)

• a few twigs to represent old bog logs

• some greenery such as moss for the top

• labels

• imitation bronze age artefact !

WHAT TO DO:The diagram is based on a 1m long profile.The depth of each layer will depend upon thesize of the bottle used. Maths geniuses canuse this as a maths lesson !

10% should be crushed white chalkrepresenting the clays upon which raisedbogs develop; 20% should be really dark soilrepresenting the first ‘fen’ peat that developsin the lochan; 10% twiggy soil to represent thewoodland stage; 50% lighter soil to representthe main peat of the raised bog and finallyabout 10% greenery to represent theSphagnum surface.

Carefully cut off the top of the bottle. Mark onthe outside approximately where each layershould be filled to.

Partially fill the bottle with crushed chalk,followed by the dark, wet, soil , and the twiggysoil in the proportions shown in the diagram.

Fill in one quarter of the lighter soil and burythe bronze age artefact so that part of it canbe seen from the outside.

Fill in the remainder of the soil and the‘Sphagnum’ .

Seal the top with the lid taped back on, labeleach layer clearly....store upright!

A similar model illustrating a blanket bog couldbe made, replace the white chalk with sand andinclude a line of crushed brown chalk toillustrate the impermeable iron ‘pan’ found in themineral soil beneath blanket bog. Theproportions should be as follows : 10% sand,5% wet,dark, soil, 10% twiggy soil, 70% lightersoil and 5% green layer.

From : Peatlands and the Primary SchoolCurriculum, Catherine O’Connell, IrishPeatland Conservation Council (Seebibliography).

Fresh Sphagnum

Moss Peat

Pine Wood4,000 Y.Ago

Black Peat7,000 Y. A

Clay Marl10,000 Y.A

33

Many varieties of bog plants were used in thepast as natural dyes to colour fabric such aswool. Any plant parts - including vegetables canbe experimented with.

Heather (in flower), butterwort and bog myrtlewill produce yellows and blaeberries - pink,lichens will produce reddish brown. Ask yourclass to bring in some natural plant materialsfrom their gardens...particularly heath/bog typeplants if possible. Try to guess beforehand whatcolours they may make.

YOU WILL NEED:• mordants : a mordant is a vegetable or a

metallic substance which will fix the dyes.Some plants do not need mordants...seebelow. Alum (Aluminium Sulphate) willbrighten the colour and Iron will tend todarken it, turning yellow dyes green;

• cream of tartar can be added to mordants tofurther brighten the colours;

• water;

• a suitably old pan! (enamel, stainless steelor ovenproof containers will not affect thecolour of the finished wool);

• old wooden spoons;

• weighing scales;

• a cooker;

• rubber gloves.

method:

ALUMUse 1oz alum to 4oz of wool plus a teaspoonof cream of tartar.

Stir this into just enough water to cover thewool. (Make sure that you don’t put too muchwool in the pan).

Mix in the plant material.

Heat the saucepan and bring it to simmeringpoint. (This can take about an hour).

Simmer for a further hour stirring occasionally.

Leave the water to cool then gently squeeze outthe wool.

FACTSHEET 4.3

Natural Dyeing

IRONUse 1 teaspoon iron to 4oz wool and add 1teaspoon cream of tartar.

Simmer the plant material with the wool and alittle water(as above) for about 30 minutes.

Remove the wool.

Add the iron and stir well before replacing thewool.

Simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Fir club moss from peat bogs can also act as amordant and was probably used as such.

Teaching points

The following plant materials do not needmordants:

Blaeberries

Onion Skins

Beetroot

Sloe berries

Elderberries

Turmeric

Golden rod

Ragwort

Walnut hulls

Avocado pear skins

You could use the dye water to create ‘watercolour’

pictures, or do tye dye tee shirts instead of wool.

Make ‘friendship bracelets’ using cotton embroidery

thread. What colours make up the clan tartans of your

class. Find out what natural materials first made

these colours. Find out about the history of tartans.

Dye rough strips of sugar paper and weave them

into unique or clan tartans. Plan this first using

squared paper and coloured pencils, design

outfits...and create a display of peat fashion!

method:

Wet the wool.

Put it in the saucepan and add the plant material.

Bring it slowly to simmering point.

Simmer until you achieve the desired colour(anything from 20 minutes to three hours).

Allow water to cool.

Squeeze out wool.

Rinse in clean warm water.

Dry in shady place.

34

This activity aims to demonstrate that there are alternatives to peat for growing plants....and thatgardeners need not add to the destruction of peat bogs either in the UK or abroad.

You will need some or all of the following materials:

• leaf mould (rotted leaves)

• garden soil

• well rotted garden compost

• sand (horticultural grade)

• grit(horticultural grade)

• cotton wool

• coir (peat free compost)

• other peat free composts from your local garden centre

• radish, lettuce, cress,mustard (seeds which will grow reasonably quickly)

• pots or seed trays

method:

1. Fill each of the pots with one of the materials mentioned above and sow the seeds evenlyaccording to the manufacturers instructions.

2. Cover the seed trays with cling film or put into a propagator.

3. Keep the seeds warm and well watered until they germinate.

4. Put them on a windowsill or in a greenhouse to grow.

5. Water the seeds twice a week.

Compare the results as scientifically as possible...perhaps by weighing the crops.

ACTIVITY SHEET 4.4

Compost in the Classroom

Teaching pointsYou may wish to further vary the experiment by feeding some of the crops with fertiliser (liquid seaweed) , or

by keeping some in the dark, or not watering them...be sure all other conditions are equal, use the same ‘soil’

for example.

Ask the children to ask relatives and neighbours for compost...every community has gardeners! Colleagues in

the staffroom may also have good compost heaps! You may also wish to make compost in a bottle using a

variety of ingredients to see which works best...or build a wormery to show natural composting at work. Bottle

composts are a good way to demonstrate the biodegradability of playtime waste such as apple cores v crisp

packets. Good bottles can be scrounged from sweetie shops.

35

Peat bog development and conservation hasbeen a source of conflict in Scotland for manyyears. Newspaper reports sourced from yourlocal library may help pupils to understand thestrength of feeling in communities who havelived in association with boglands forgenerations.

Role playing is a popular way to dramatise howinevitable conflicts of interest over thedevelopment of natural resources can beresolved.

An imaginary conflict situation is proposed andthe children are asked to take on the role of thevarious parties -

a. the developer

b. local business people

c. politicians

d. the man or woman on the street

e. conservationists.

ACTIVITY SHEET 4.5

Role Playing

Each role player is given a position to adopt,e.g. the developer wants to make a living fromthe development, the business people seethings in terms of jobs and productive potential,the conservationists want to protect a rarebutterfly.

The book ‘Fish farming, Tourism and Boglands’,mentioned on page 32 develops the idea ofdevelopment, conflict and role playing in a veryclear way.

You may wish to ensure that a sensible debateensues by following the usual format of :

a. Main speakers for each point of view.

b. Supporter speaks for each point of view.

c. Comments and questions from the audience.

d. Move to a vote.

Teaching pointsProduce your own ‘local’ newspaper with interviews with all the relevant parties. Have an opinion poll around the

class. Produce campaign leaflets and posters. Ask your local environmental campaigners along to contribute!

Use the Internet to contact schools ( e.g in Islay where many schools have undertaken ‘peaty’ projects) who

have experience of peat bog ‘campaigns’.


36

ACTIVITY SHEET 4.6

Large Plants

We get our energy

from the sun.

Carnivorous Plants

Some of our energy comes

from insects.

Sun

I give energy to al l

green plants.

Damselflies

We get our energy from

m i n i b e a s t s .

VolesAdders Deer

We get energy

from plants.

We get our energy

from voles, caterpi l lars,

plants, hares and

occasional ly birds.


flying insects.


insects such as caterpi l lars

and even other ants.


minibeasts and plants.We get our energy

from minibeasts.

Hen Harriers


voles and other small

m a m m a l s .

I eat other f ly ing

i n s e c t s .

Caterpillars Foxes Bats Ants

Short EaredOwl


small birds and mammals.

LizardsSong Birds


frogs, voles and other

small mammals.


plants . . . . . .and the

occasional frog!


minibeasts and plants.

Frogs

The Web of Life on a Scottish Peat Bog

WEBS AND CHAINSUse this page to produce a set of cards. Sort theminto mammals, birds, plants and minibeasts, drawand write about other peat bog dwellers. Sort theminto carnivores, herbivores and omnivores...whichare you? Create an identification key. Ask eachstudent to choose an animal, plant or minibeast.Ask someone to be the sun, stand in a circle and

join the web together using string to indicate pathwaysof energy. What happens when one item in the web isdestroyed (drop the string)...who is affected? Draw avariety of food webs. Can you include yourself in afoodweb? Can you draw a peat bog foodweb includingthe humans that lived there 5,000 years ago? Use thecards to encourage the students to find out more abouteach plant or animal.

37


5. RESOURCES

38

RESOURCES 5.1

Acknowledgements

This pack was produced in support of the Wild, Wet and Wonderful Exhibition which touredScotland during 1998-2000.

Many people contributed information and support. In particular: Lorraine Corbett - Scottish WildlifeTrust; June Waley - Kippen Environment Centre; Neil Harrison; Tim Jacobs, Ashleigh Tooth, AndrewCoupar, John Walters, Rae Mackenzie and Lorna Brown - Scottish Natural Heritage; MikeMcGuinness - Smith Museum and Art Gallery, Stirling; Catherine O’Connell - Irish PeatlandConservation Council; Pat Thompson - RSPB; Sheila Winstone - SEEC.

BibliographyBoglands , Scotlands Living landscapes - SNH (1995).

Wild, Wet and Wonderful, report on scoping exercise by Jemima W Fraser for SNH.

Raised Peat Bogs, activity pack - Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Peatlands Forever? an education resource pack - Geraldine Macartney, Department of theEnvironment, Northern Ireland.

Peatlands and the Primary School Curriculum - Catherine O’Connell - Irish Peatland ConservationCouncil.

Torra Peatland Teachers’ pack - Bob Black, for SNH, Islay.

Energy forever? geothermal and bio-energy - Ian Graham.

Sharing Nature with Children - Joseph Cornell 1979.

The Peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland and their Inhabitants - a Teachers Pack for PrimarySchools by Meg Telfer and Trisha Matthews.

A box of peatland resources, which includes many of the packs mentioned above, can be borrowedby schools in the Stirling area from June Waley at Kippen Environment centre : 01786 870247.

This pack was prepared by Susan Webster, Gee Whizz ( Tel. 01738 710625) for SNH,November 1999.

39

POEMS:Don’t step on that earwig - Rowena Somerville -Red Fox

Minibeasts - Robert Fisher - Faber and Faber

Single poems:

Bogland, the Tollund Man and Punishment by Seamus Heaney

Save the Peat Bog by Ian Lamont

BOOKS:Spiders, Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Beetles - Dorling Kindersley

Caterpillar, Caterpillar -Vivian French - Walker Books

Eyewitness and Eye Openers series by Doring Kindersley

Scotlands first settlers - C.R. Wickam Jones - Historic Scotland

Highland Folk Ways - I.F. Grant

Nature trail series by Usborne

TAPES:Jamie and the Puddock - Moira Miller - Whigmaleerie

The Big Green Planet - The Singing Kettle - Kettle Tapes

RSPB - various videos and teachers guides

PACKS:Fish farming, Tourism and Boglands : Community and Developmentin Sparsely Populated Areas - CADISPA - project pack by WWF,Jordanhill

Western Isles Discovery Book - Alison Johnson and Bill Neill - SWT

The Central Scotland Discovery Book - David Wilson - SWT

RESOURCES 5.2

Additional Resource Materials

40

RESOURCES 5.3

The Royal Society for the Protection of BirdsDunedin House25 Ravelston TerraceEdinburghEH4 3TP

The World Wide Fund for Nature (Scotland)1 Crieff RoadAberfeldyPerthshirePH15 2BJ

Irish Peatland Conservation CouncilCapel Chambers119 Capel StreetDublin 1Ireland

Project OfficerGrounds for LearningUniversity of StirlingStirlingFK9 4LA

These organisations may be able to send you and your class additional information. They allproduce priced publications suitable for peat bog projects.

DOE Environment ServiceCalvert House23 Castle PlaceBelfastBT1 1FY

Friends of the Earth ScotlandBonnington Mill72 Newhaven RoadEdinburghEH6 5QG

The Scottish Wildlife TrustCramond HouseCramond Glebe RoadEdinburghEH4 6NS

Scottish Natural HeritageBattlebyRedgortonPerthPH1 3EW

Conservation Organisations

TEACHERS MAY ALSO WISH TO CONTACT THE FOLLOWING ORGANISATIONS

FOR ADVICE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS:

John Muir Trust41 Commercial StreetEdinburghEH6 6JD

Bog Education and Worksheet Pack(pdf) - snh.org.uk · SCIENCE Living Things & The Processes of Life...

Documents

Transcript of Bog Education and Worksheet Pack(pdf) - snh.org.uk · SCIENCE Living Things & The Processes of Life...