There’s a wide variety of activities available for individuals, groups and families of all ages and abilities. Some of our activities take place within our 25 acres of land, whilst others take place in the surrounding countryside. See our list of activities below for more information.
Lea Green has a ‘challenge by choice’ ethos with an emphasis on children and young adults pushing their personal limits. Activities have varying options based on age, ability and confidence levels and can be adapted to suit the needs of your group.
Abseiling
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Black Rocks, Millersdale Bridge
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, gain confidence, independence & learn a new skill
Abseiling is an outdoor activity, which we deliver in the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire. Challenge yourself to descend a rock face or bridge, whilst learning how to confidently lower yourself. Equipment, including a harness and helmet, are provided.
Adventure Trail *
Age: Reception – Year 4
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, learn a new skill, problem solving & teamwork
Take a walk and explore the outskirts of our grounds, whilst completing a variety of activities along the way including a trim trail, bug hunt, scavenger hunt & night line.
Archery
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, independence, learn a new skill, problem solving & teamwork
Learn how to load and shoot bows in our safe indoor archery range, before challenging yourself to improve your score and compete with your friends. All equipment is provided, with full training and supervision from our Archery GB qualified staff.
Bell Boating
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Midland Canoe Club (changing facilities available)
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, gain confidence, learn a new skill, problem solving & teamwork
Enjoy a paddle on the river Derwent, whilst learning skills from our British Canoeing qualified instructors. Bell boats are twin hulled open canoes, which can seat up to 12 people alongside an instructor who will be in control of the craft. Equipment including buoyancy aids, helmets and paddles are provided.
Buggies & Accessible Bikes
Age: Year 2 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Independence & teamwork
Indoor and outdoor sessions enable you to practice your driving skills on our pedal go kart style buggies. We have a variety of different buggies including single seater 4-wheel buggies, double seater 3-wheel buggies and a variety of accessible buggies.
Bushcraft
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, learn a new skill, problem solving & teamwork
This activity teaches the basics of survival skills, which may include fire lighting, shelter building, water filtration, water irrigation and marshmallow toasting.
Canoeing
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Cromford Canal & Tapton Lock
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, gain confidence, learn a new skill, problem solving & teamwork
Enjoy a gentle paddle along a canal in our Canadian Canoes, either as a solo craft, or as a raft. A canoe is an open narrow boat that can seat up to 3 people. Basic skills of how to paddle are taught by our British Canoeing qualified instructors. Equipment including buoyancy aids, helmets and paddles are provided.
Caving
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Holme Bank Chert Mine, Mouldridge Mine, Ashford Black Marble Mine, Giant’s Hole Cavern & Carlswark Cavern
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users (only in Holme Bank Chert Mine)
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, gain confidence & learn a new skill
Come and challenge yourself underground in one of Derbyshire’s caves and mines. Our cave leaders are all British Caving Association qualified and can assist you in exploring mines or naturally formed caverns. Our instructors will provide you with historical information, explaining how mines were worked, the minerals extracted and how caves are formed. Equipment including a helmet, light, wellies and over suit are provided.
Climbing Tower
Age: Year 3 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
Put on your harness and helmet to access the 10m high climbing tower. Start off on our sloping side before progressing to the vertical side. Routes are also coloured coded for varying difficulty to add an extra challenge. Our climbing tower can also be used to run abseiling sessions. Equipment including a harness and helmet are provided.
Cooperative Games
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication & teamwork
Cooperative games will test your teamwork, coordination and physical prowess, in a series of fun games and challenges. Work together and defy gravity with the earth ball, race across the sports hall surfing mats and many more.
Equilibrium
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, problem solving & teamwork
Work in groups of different sizes to find and maintain the point of balance on our enormous seesaw. See if you can balance the equilibrium for 10 seconds.
Environmental Art *
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication & teamwork
Create beautiful images from natural materials. Have fun and work in teams to collect your chosen materials from the woods and grounds around Lea Green, before placing them together in a new and imaginative way.
Expeditions
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Derbyshire
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & problem solving
Explore stunning areas of Derbyshire such as: Nine Ladies, Robin Hood’s Stride, Black Rocks and Cromford on a day expedition. Additional activities such as orienteering, land art and rock scrambling could also be added to the expedition. Expeditions are led by Lea Green staff and can be modified to include curriculum areas if required.
Frisbee Golf *
Age: Year 3 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
Learn a new sport in a single session. Frisbee golf combines the skills of frisbee throwing with those of golf to develop accuracy in throwing and precision. Participate in a challenge to be the team with the winning score, hold a distance competition or try for the greatest accuracy.
GPS Navigation *
Age: Year 2 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & problem solving
Learn how to use a handheld Global Positioning Satellite device to navigate your way around the Lea Green grounds and find clues to help you solve the Lea Green mystery.
High Ropes
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
Put on your harness and helmet and be prepared to push your personal limits and test your comfort zones. The high ropes course includes a variety of different elements that can be tackled as an individual or as a part of a team. Elements and activities can be tailored to a group’s needs determined by how adventurous you are feeling. Equipment including a harness and helmet are provided.
High Ropes Swing
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Only suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, gain confidence & independence
Put on your specialist PPE equipment and be hoisted 10 metres into the air and enjoy a gentle swing whilst looking over our 25 acres of grounds at Lea Green. Enjoy a gentle descent back down towards the ground where spinning and swinging may be enjoyed.
Jungle
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Ravensnest Woods
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence, problem solving & teamwork
Put on your Lea Green coat and take a trip to Ravensnest Woods, where you will be challenged to crawl, belly slide and climb through the undergrowth of Rhododendron bushes. So, if you’re up for getting a little muddy, grab your old clothes and explore the countryside in a different way.
Low Ropes
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, problem solving & teamwork
At Lea Green we have 3 linear low ropes courses, which can be tackled individually or as part of a progressive and challenging session.
The HEX is a six-sided course that has a variety of elements from a balance beam to a wobbly bridge. Groups work together to assist everyone safely around the course. The challenges are varied from going around with your team, or on your own, wearing a blindfold, or even taking a wooden cannon around with you.
The CHALLENGE COURSE is by name the most challenging course to complete, taking group problem solving to a new level. The elements require teamwork, planning and communication to complete the course.
The OBSTACLE COURSE can be tackled in small sections or all together. This course includes elements from climbing over A frames to crawling through tyres and completing the over and under hurdles.
The ZIPLINE is available for groups up to year 6.
Navigation
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Derbyshire
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & problem solving
Learn new map reading skills whilst exploring the stunning areas of Derbyshire. The session’s difficulty can be adapted to fit your group’s needs from navigating around Lea Green site, in our nearby Swine Park woods, or further afield. This can be an A to B trip, a circular route, or even a navigation to the centre. Equipment, including a map and if necessary, a compass is provided.
Night Line *
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, problem solving & teamwork
A team challenge for groups to successfully make their way around a course. Groups are split into pairs, one individual is blindfolded, whilst their partner guides them on their route through tunnels and undergrowth.
Night Walk *
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Offsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & problem solving
Enjoy an evening 2-mile circular walk from Lea Green, through Swine Park Woods, towards Dethick and back. Take a break at Dethick Church and explore inside the church, or if you still have day light look North-West towards Riber Castle. This lovely walk takes you through woods, open fields and quiet little villages and is the perfect way to spend your evening before you are welcomed back indoors by a hot chocolate.
Orienteering *
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite, or offsite at Swine Park Woods, Black Rocks & Burbage
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & problem solving
Learn new map reading skills and explore our 25 acres of beautiful grounds. Work in small groups to find our orienteering markers hidden around site. We have different courses on site to accommodate different groups including a full site day course, full site night course with reflective strips, a small course perfect for younger groups enabling you to always have eyes on your students and an accessible course. Orienteering can be run as a one-off fun session or can be used as part of a series of activities to develop map reading skills.
Paddle Boarding
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Whatstandwell & Midland Canoe Club (changing facilities available)
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, gain confidence, learn a new skill, problem solving & teamwork
Enjoy a paddle on the river Derwent whilst learning skills from our British Canoeing qualified instructors. Stand up paddle boards are inflatable long buoyant boards and are propelled using paddles. During this session you may progress from kneeling on the board to standing up. Equipment including a buoyancy aid, paddle and helmet are provided.
Play Park *
Age: Reception +
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for weight bearing wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, independence & teamwork
Our onsite play park is the perfect space to be used as part of a session or during recreation time. The park consists of swings, slide and playframe, bucket swing & seesaw.
Pond Dipping
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Cromford Canal & Swine Park Woods
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Independence & learn a new skill
We have the facilities available for groups to connect to nature and trawl the shallows of ponds and streams to capture the creatures that are found within our local countryside. Learn the names of new creatures and their natural habitat.
Problem Solving *
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, problem solving & teamwork
We have a range of different team building challenges, requiring high levels of group work and communication. Some activities can be tackled in small groups, whilst others are more suited to larger groups. Each activity has a briefing card, which the group must read and discuss before completing the challenge.
Rock Climbing
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Black Rocks & Harborough Rocks
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
Rock climbing is an outdoor activity based in the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire. Individuals are challenged to navigate a route up a rock face before abseiling back down, learn how to belay as a team and progress to more difficult routes with the supervision of our qualified instructors. Equipment including harnesses and helmets are provided.
Rock Scrambling
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Black Rocks
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
Rock scrambling is an outdoor activity based in the beautiful countryside of Derbyshire. Climbers are demonstrated how to tackle routes, whether that is traversing along a rock face, climbing over a rock, or crawling through small spaces. This session does not require any harnesses or ropes, as all climbs are never far from the ground. Equipment including a helmet is provided.
Skyline
Age: Year 3 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
Skyline is our hexagonal structure, which has two levels and a zipline. Starting on our lower course, individuals make their way around the challenges with partners by their side to offer support, before progressing on to the high level, which requires harness and ropes. Some elements of the course require high levels of skill and can be attempted multiple times to build confidence. Once the course has been tackled you can make your way down our zipline. This activity is also accessible for wheelchair users who have access to the outer elements and our zipline.
Stream Walk
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Robin Hood (2 miles from Lea Green)
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Gain confidence, independence & problem solving
The stream walk takes place in the nearby Coddington Brook, where groups make their way up the stream encountering several obstacles along the way, including crawling under low logs, and forming human dams. Equipment including helmets, wellies, and coats are provided.
Team Swing
Age: Year 4 – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, gain confidence, independence, learn a new skill & teamwork
This activity is high adrenaline, teamwork based and is great for individuals to push their comfort zones. After being attached to the GIANT swing, the pair are hoisted up to a maximum of 10 metres by the rest of the group who are working as a team to pull the swing up. Once the pair are at their chosen height, they release the mechanism to encounter the thrilling swing. Equipment including a harness and helmet are provided.
The Cave (Indoor Bouldering)
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Not suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, communication, independence, problem solving & teamwork
The cave is our small indoor bouldering room, which is used to learn or improve your climbing skills. Traverse, climb up, play climbing games, or even participate in a dangling competition. This activity is low level and doesn’t require a harness, rope, or helmet.
Wheelchair Abseil
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Build trust, gain confidence & independence
Wheelchair abseiling is an outdoor activity based in the grounds of Lea Green, using our purpose-built wheelchair abseil facility. Wheelchair users can experience the thrill and challenge of an abseil without leaving their chair. Equipment including a harness and helmet are provided.
Wide Games *
Age: Reception – Adults
Location: Onsite
Accessibility: Suitable for wheelchair users
Learning Outcomes: Communication, problem solving & teamwork
Madness and joyfulness within our 25 acres of grounds. Challenge your group to smuggle goods around Lea Green, whilst staff are doing anything they can to stop the group from winning, whether that is giving individuals forfeits to keep their goods or taking the goods away. This massive staff vs young people game is the perfect opportunity to form connections between both peers and teachers.
Please Note:
Some activities are instructor led and a select few can be teacher led. Once you have booked your activities you will receive a bespoke programme, which will have this information attached. Teacher led activities are run by school staff, without the immediate presence of an instructor. A briefing will be provided to teaching staff prior to these activities taking place. Activities with a ‘*’ may be teacher led on your programme.
The ages shown above are recommended by our experienced team, considering average heights and abilities. If you are wishing to include an activity in your programme with an age group outside our recommended suggestions, please discuss this with our programme leaders during the planning process.