What to do? 1) Watch a quirky film about how people have shaped the landscape Watch the short film ‘Our Living Landscape’ (3 mins) available on You Tube,

What to do? 1) Watch a quirky film about how people have shaped the landscapeWatch the short film ‘Our Living Landscape’ (3 mins) available on You Tube, which is an entertaining look at how people have shaped the landscape in time in the Lake District. It takes you on a journey from volcanoes right to present day.

2) Local place namesWe can find so much about the history of a place from place names and maps. Names such as Græs mere, can tell us that the settlement was located near a ‘grassy lake’ and was first inhabited by the Saxons.Hand out the worksheet ‘Local Place Names’ and a 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps of the area to each pair or group. The pupils should use the map and the key to match each of the place names with the name the original settlers used and find out what the name means. Discuss with the children which settlers have made a mark on our landscape.

• Windermere 'Vinandr's lake' from Old Norse personal name 'Vinandr' and Old English 'mere‘ for lake

• Brathay 'broad river' from Old Norse ‘breiðr á’• Rothay 'trout river' from Old Norse ‘rauði á’• Elter Water 'swan lake' from Old Norse ‘eltr vatn’• Grasmere 'lake in pasture' or 'grassy lake' from Old English ‘græs mere’• Langdale 'long valley' from Old Norse ‘lang dalr’• Ambleside ‘pastures by the river’ from Old Norse ‘ay-melt-saetr’ • Belle Isle, Windermere’s 'beautiful isle' from the French ‘belle’. Originally named Langholme,

Old Norse for 'long island', it was renamed in 1781 by its new owner Isabella Curwen.• Ladyholme, Windermere 'island of Our Lady'. Middle English, using Old Norse holmr. St Mary's

hermitage was here, mentioned 1272

3) Historical photosImages speak a thousand words and can bring our rich heritage to life. They help the children to see that the towns, villages, lakes and landscapes have looked very different in the past, with different kinds of jobs, transport and clothing. These are a collection of historical and more contemporary photos for use as teaching aids. The images of Grassholme Island taken 30 years apart show how the reed beds have disappeared. The images of the blue-green algae show what algae looks like under a microscope. Others show changes in employment and the rise of tourism.

Learning Objectives•To consider the historical development of Windermere catchment•To examine how, when and why environmental issues developed •To suggest solutions to environmental problems

Living landscapes – Through the ages77

3) TimelineHand out the pack of photos to each group. For each card the children should discuss who is in the picture and what impact they had on the landscape. Share the answers as a class and then ask the children to try and put them into chronological order.

500 million ybp Volcanic eruptions formed the mountains surrounding Windermere12,000 ybp. End of the last glacial period - Glaciers carve out Lake Windermere 120 Romans (41 to 406) - Start of deforestation900 Viking Farmers – Woodlands were cleared for the introduction of sheep farming. The sheep stop the trees from regrowing as they nibble

saplings. 1760 Charcoal burners - Trees were used to make charcoal, which was used in the industrial revolution to smelt iron1839 Victorian plant collectors introduced non-native plants to the UK,

including John Royle who introduced Himalayan Balsam1840 Romantic poets and writers such as Wordsworth changed the

perception of the Lake District from an industrial landscape to a beautiful one. Tourists arrive in greater numbers. This saw the beginning of

problems of footpath erosion as more people walked in the fells1919 Forestry Act – After WWI lots of conifers were planted to ensure there were resources to use if we had to prepare for another war. 1970 Farmer using fertiliser - Incentives to increase food production meant more fertiliser was added to soils to increase crops.1980 B&B/ Hotel Owner - Due to increased tourist numbers there was an increased use of detergent containing phosphates 2000 Balsam Basher, Native Tree Planter - The conservation movement began the removal of invasive plant species and planting of native deciduous trees to combat soil erosion.

This activity also works very effectively in a large open space. Place a line of string with knots marking each century across the length of the room or outdoors. Hand out the pictures to pairs of children and ask them discuss who is in each picture and what impact they had on the environment. Then ask them one by on to place their picture on the time line where they think it should go. This is a really visual way to demonstrate how little time humans have had on the planet and yet how much impact we have made. All the pictures will be clustered within a very short piece of the string.

How does it link to the curriculum?

History - Significant historical events, people and places in their locality (KS1 POS)- A local history study (KS 2 POS)

Geography -Describe and understand key aspects of: -Physical geography, including: rivers, mountains and the water cycle (KS2 POS)-Human geography, including: land use (KS2 POS)

The materials for the timeline activity are available from CDEC

As an extension, consider what the catchment might look like in 2050 if we solve the problems and what it might look like if we don’t.

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