A FIELD trip in my school days usually meant a day out pond-dipping after spending a couple of hours sat in a crammed minibus.

The most you were likely to see was a colourful dragonfly, a plethora of larvae and maybe a frog, if you were lucky.

Then there were the trips to museums. My favourite was seeing the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, and once we went to the Three Counties Show.

Children in Worcestershire don't know how lucky they are that they've got an excellent educational centre right on their doorsteps.

But guessing by the noise coming from pupils leaving Bishops Wood Environmental Education Centre it seems they know that field trips don't have to be boring to be educational.

The centre, based just off the A449 near Stourport-on-Severn, has been running since 1989.

As well as visits from Worcestershire schools it also caters for schoolchildren from Sheffield and Oxfordshire, as well as running adult training courses.

It's not just primary schools that benefit either middle schools and high schools, as well as A-level students also visit the centre to find out about nature and the environment in general.

When you arrive it feels as if you're in the middle of the country, despite a main road running close by.

The main building has a spacious reception area with many different displays for inquisitive children. Even the dcor is natural looking.

In one large room there are many different displays with bits of wood, shells, rocks and even stuffed animals.

It's very hands-on, said John Rhymer, head of the educational centre.

There are lots of things for get kids of all ages, it's to try and engage them in the natural world as the starting point before going on to the main programme.

There are a lot of sensory activities, children can understand how things work because they can look at them.

In one activity they become part of a food chain. Because they're experiencing it they're learning.

The centre has a bird-watching room with one-way glass where woodpeckers have been known to get close to the window.

Adults are just as fascinated as the children, said Mr Rhymer.

We decided to put a one-way window in because when we used to be in a temporary building the children would all look out the window at the birds but, because they could see so many faces, they flew away.

There is also a nestbox, home to a nuthatch. A camera has been placed in the box so children can even see it when it's inside.

The centre runs around 35 different educational programmes, ranging from the Earth Rangers programme to learning about Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings.

It's mainly to help children to make decisions about their own lifestyles and how they affect the environment, explained Mr Rhymer.

We introduce them to the natural world and look at the human impact on these systems and how we can live better, by recycling, energy-saving, minimising waste and avoiding waste in the first place.

Environmental education has branched out into looking at economic and social issues.

One of the main focuses for primary schools has been the new Anglo-Saxon lodge.

It has been built using similar materials to what would have been used in the past.

Many of Worcester's schoolchildren have visited the Anglo-Saxon lodge as part of their history projects.

But before they can get to the lodge they pretend to row in a Viking longboat, which is just one of the many willow sculptures at the centre.

Other willow sculptures include a boot and a storytelling area.

All the activities are building on their understandings, said Mr Rhymer.

Everyone learns a lot more when they enjoy it. It's the same as learning by seeing and doing.

They don't realise they're learning"

The centre can take up to three classes a day four days a week. On Mondays the centre takes in just one class so the administration can be carried out.

But the centre doesn't just teach children. Adults also visit Bishops Wood to go on educational courses and art courses are also held there.

One of the most amazing things to be seen at the centre is the "home for life prototype.

The cave-like dwelling costs less to run than a conventional home and uses less material than the home that you and are used to.

The idea is that it will be covered in soil to blend into the countryside, said Mr Rhymer.

The pod is almost like being in a fairytale. The walls are curved and the dcor is very clean.

Luckily for schoolchildren the centre hasn't been hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis.

There is no livestock kept at the grounds the fields adjoining the centre don't have any livestock in them, and there are no public footpaths going through the site.

So the next time there's a field trip, don't think it will be a boring waste of time, it could be as exciting as my afternoon at Bishops Wood, it was a shame to have to leave.