WILD WORKSHOPS

Each class joined Steven, who had travelled down from Manchester, to have some close encounters with his menagerie of wild creatures. The session started by exploring forest floor habitats (conveniently collected in several plastic boxes) for a close look at the invertebrates within. The children found fast-moving centipedes, and slower flat-backed and striped millipedes (which they admired both with magnifiers and by letting them crawl up their arms), huntsman spiders, woodlice, slugs and two different species of snail. They learnt that the closest relatives to woodlice are lobsters and shrimps because they are, in fact, crustaceans.

Their next encounter was with Steve’s amphibians – a toad, a frog and a newt – and his mice, which were passed from hand to hand around the class.

All the animals encountered were native British animals, and most, the children learnt, could be found in the environments around their homes.

It was a truly inspirational workshop and a great way to finish Science Week. We would like to thank FOFSA for supporting with the cost and Mrs Buckenham for organising the day.