Non-Mersea

On Wednesday morning, our non-Mersea contingent waved their friends and classmates off, ready and excited to begin their own adventures. After sorting themselves into groups, the children planned a selection of dishes; visited the shop to buy ingredients, then set about creating an array of tasty treats. They demonstrated fantastic cooking skills and awareness of potential risks. By the end of a couple of very intense hours, they had created a feast of Margherita pizza, vegan pancakes, chocolate chip cookies and brownies! Then the tasting began – and they were all hits!!!

Thursday began like a charm, with the sun shining and much excitement about our visit to Call of the Wild. For much of the day, we practically had the park to ourselves and the children saw a wide range of animals, including otters, zebra, reptiles, meerkats, monkeys and African penguins. Our endangered animal experience was fascinating and full of facts, and we got up close and personal to ring-tailed lemurs and black and white Colobus monkeys – even seeing a week-old baby. The children asked some thoughtful and reflective questions, which impressed the keepers. Before heading back to school, we watched a bird of prey display where we saw a range of different birds flying and performing and discovered that owls are not wise at all!! What a myth-buster that was!

Our final day dawned warm and bright and took us to Belfair’s Discovery Centre. The children worked brilliantly in their groups, finding suitable branches, logs and using a tarpaulin to create strong and weatherproof shelters. Once time was up, the groups were made to sit in their den whilst Katie the ranger tested how weatherproof each was – by throwing a bucket of water over the den! Luckily, the children’s skills were up to the task and only splashes were suffered. For the rest of our time, the children practised the craft of Happazome (leaf printing using a hammer and a piece of cloth) and used a flint and steel. After spending some time on the play equipment, we returned to school to create cyanotype prints using special paper and sunlight on the playground, finishing our day with the making and eating of ice-cream sundaes – delicious!

The children behaved impeccably during the three days, both inside and outside of school and the feedback from the outside providers was glowing. They demonstrated so many important skills, including working together and supporting each other, and it was clear that new friendships were made.