Minibeast safari 28/06/13

This week we have been able to make the most of the better weather by enjoying lots of outdoor activities.

We began the week with a Minibeast Safari where we counted and logged a selection of minibeast creatures in the Peace Garden. It was lovely to see the children's enthusiasm and excitement, and I was pleased with how co-operatively they worked in their groups.Next week we will use this data to make some graphs.

On Wednesday we enjoyed sharing some time with Giant Class whilst the new 'Sparklers' (next year's Giant Class) visited Miss Cook and got to know their new classroom. We were lucky to have Mr Vann to help us which meant that we could go across the road to the park. Here we were able to explore the surroundings by taking part in a scavenge hunt and then playing some co-operative games. We look forward to meeting up with Giant Class again next week.

Finally, on Thursday, we continued our exploration of the local environment with a walk to Barton Meadows with Nigel Spring where we had a wonderful time searching for and identifying a wide variety of bugs, butterflies and moths. In all, we found 28 different types and there was great excitement when we tracked down an elusive 'green hairstreak' butterfly. We would like to thank Nigel for sharing his knowledge and expertise with us.

In the afternoon, we made our way back to Mill Mead Glade for our Forest School Experience. We had a fantastic time investigating ways in which we could record our outdoor learning. First of all, we experimented using charcoal and chalk. Maddy Irvine and Mrs Quinn instructed us in the art of fire-making and all of the children were eager to have a go at using the sparking tools.They then had a chance to use loppers to cut lengths of stick that we turned into charcoal in a homemade burner on the fire.We will then be able to use this in our creative learning back in school. Thank you to Maddie and Mrs Quinn for making our adventure so exciting.

Trendle Class would also like to say 'thank you' to all of the parent helpers who came with us: Mrs Parry, Mrs O'Donnell, Mr Gallia and Mr Herbert. We need to ensure that your children stay safe during their learning, and with your help they were able to do this.