On 25th June 2024, Maple Class had a wonderful time at the Briars! They enjoyed pond dipping, walking to Pooh Bridge, looking for different plants, footprints and animals on route, and a walk through the woodland and the wildflower meadow. Mrs Rowberry began by explaining what sorts of animals, insects and pond creatures we were likely to see and the children were fascinated and excited to start.
The pond dipping was incredible! The children had small nets to dip into the pond and they were encouraged to gently shake their nets to release anything that they had found. They saw some amazing things, using microscopes to help them spot small details. They found newts (both an adult and a baby), mayfly and midge larvae, water boatmen, pond skaters, blood-worms and dragon fly larvae. The plants were also amazing with waterlilies and pond weed, as well as a whole host of other plants supporting the pond life.
On the walk to Pooh Bridge, the class spotted a wide array of plants and insects, as well as some gorgeous horses. The children worked hard to spot different footprints in the mud and created some of their own. Once there, they wrote some small notes for Pooh Bear and posted them in the box!
After collecting some little sticks, they had a game of ‘Pooh Sticks’ throwing them over one side of the bridge to see which one travelled the most quickly to the other.
It was then time for a special mini-beast peek turning over sections of big trees and discovering lots and lots of wonderful mini-beasts! Maple Class learned about how careful they needed to be with all of the creatures and plants around them and they watched as the creatures tried hard to keep out of the light.
Setting off back through the woods, Mrs Rowberry had made some little traps to catch insects in and the children were able to see beetles and woodlice close up. In the meadow, they used nets to sweep along and see if they could find any creatures in the long grass.
After a lovely picnic lunch, the class headed back to school. It was a long walk but they enjoyed listening out for the birds and spotting familiar things in the landscape.
Happily, the children noticed the church spire from a long way away which helped them to find their way back to school!
