Visit by Year 4 of Fordham Primary School to Snailwood
Tuesday [March 3rd] dawned reasonably clear, but better than that, not snowing. Having had to reorganise due to the weather it was preying on our minds slightly.
Thirtyish excited children and various helpers spilled out of the bus, wellies in hand and descended on Reception.
Following a fantastically delivered global warming story from Cathrin and an introduction from me, we snaked our way to the woods to dirty our wellies, oh and plant some trees.
The planting demo, ably provided by Mandy, was listened to intently; the only disappointment showing when the children were told they couldn’t wield the mallets.
In pairs, the children planted over thirty trees, spotting minibeasts and birds as they worked, the mallet wielding adults providing help when requested.
Our time outside finished with a spell of running around and searching for more wildlife, a class photo and a yell of “Thanks.”
Being careful not to drop too much mud on the carpets, we headed back through Reception to the Conference Room to finish off. A drink and snack break-for the children, obviously, was followed by our final presentation, delivered by Rachel at exactly the right level for the children, literally, as she sat on the floor.
The children left with a certificate to commemorate their morning with us, beautifully designed and printed by Claire, sure in the knowledge that they had helped to create a natural habitat for the local wildlife and done their bit to combat global warming.
The children were incredibly well behaved and had loads to contribute to the presentations, it was a great morning.
Lots of positive comments heard as the class left, including “We don’t want to leave, that was great.”
And from and adult helper “That was great, it went smoothly, was really enjoyable and the kids will remember loads from it.”
Job well done. Thanks to Cathrin Seibert, Mandy Richards, Rachel Hawkins, Claire Newham and Claire Kingsley (for mallet wielding)
Submitted by Katrina Arnold
