In the first of a series of regular features about the work of the Northmoor Trust, staff member CHARLOTTE COOKSON highlights its important educational role

Wittenham Clumps, near Wallingford, attracts many weekend visitors - hikers, dog walkers, kite flyers - to its 101 hectares of woodland and grassland spread over two hills, with spectacular views over the Thames Valley.

At this time of year, the woods are a mosaic of russet, purple and orange, red kites skim the treetops as they hunt for food and pheasants search for cover in the long grass.

The Clumps have been the site of human activity since the Bronze Age and there is a wealth of things to see and do. You can spend time deciphering the carvings on the mysterious poem tree or seek out the woodland birds.

The Northmoor Trust, which looks after the site's nature reserve, believes that it can be enjoyed any day of the week. The trust feels so passionately about the Clumps and its important place in the Oxfordshire landscape that it has a dedicated education team committed to teaching children and teenagers about their local environment.

Claire Poulton, Director of Education and Training at the Northmoor Trust, heads the team.

"I think it's really valuable for children to see what's out there in the countryside," said Claire. "Because if we help them to develop a passion for their environment, they will want to take care of it in the future. How can we expect them to take care of the landscape if they don't understand what it's all about?"

Claire started out as a secondary school teacher, but soon discovered that the indoor life was not for her.

"I looked out of my classroom one frosty morning at the sheep grazing the fields, and I decided that I wanted to be out there," she said.

She has been teaching about the natural environment ever since and joined the trust in June 2005. Her unit of nine staff, based at the renovated Hill Farm overlooking the estate, help children learn about conservation and the impact of human activity on the environment in a fun way.

The Eco-action team goes out and about in the local area promoting recycling and energy reduction. A particular hit with the children is the Wild Waste Show, a bright purple bus that visits schools and community groups to raise awareness of the problems caused by waste.

One of the greatest strengths of the education unit is that it brings primary and secondary schoolchildren from all over the county on to their mixed estate of farm, forest and nature reserve to learn about the wildlife and plants that can be seen. Up to 300 young people visit every week and teachers often tell the team how much their pupils enjoyed their day.

School groups take part in activities that extend learning beyond the classroom. For instance, the reserve boasts an Iron Age hill fort - a perfect setting for an engaging history lesson. Children dig in archaeological buckets and find artefacts from the past, play the games Roman children played, and build a Saxon house to find out what food people from the past ate.

"We also use the reserve to teach children art, science, geology and even maths, and all within the national curriculum," said Claire. "We run habitat days, chronology days, literacy days, Roman days, Saxon days - the list is endless. Within these interactive days, children are asked to answer a number of questions. What is a habitat, for example? Who lives in the pond, meadow and woodland? How have they adapted to live in that habitat?"

Using the creatures they find, children can develop ideas on food chains and act out the relationship between predators and prey.

Comparing man-made and natural materials, children have fun solving problems using the materials found on the reserve, like building a house for a mouse or creating something that will float. These activities help children work out ideas and work as a team.

Claire and her team are particularly delighted with the arrival of Project Timescape, a permanent, interactive exhibit which opened in January and enables visitors to experience life in the past and foresee the future.

"Children can handle ancient bones and animal skeletons but they can also see the impact that their day-to-day activities have on the environment. We have an exhibit where you can see your personal footprint'. The landscape changes before your eyes as a consequence of your actions, like do you think about the wrappings you use when you pack your lunch or do you leave the tap running when you clean your teeth?"

Claire and her colleagues hope that by engaging children in the work of the trust they are helping to safeguard the future of this precious and fragile landscape for generations to come.

For more information about Wittenham Clumps, the family events and the work of the Northmoor Trust, visit www.northmoortrust.co.uk.