Moat Mount Day 2 - 22nd June 2023

So... after a late night, (sadly Cinderella did not catch her carriage!), and an early start where some children thought they were birds and joined in with the dawn chorus, we have had another exciting day at camp Moat Mount.  After a hearty breakfast we headed out to the assault course.

Before we came to camp, quite a few children were nervous about this activity, but it was wonderful today to see so many saying they had achieved more than they thought they would on the course. They have shown resiliance, bravery and been very supportive of each other to make sure they have all achieved. To finish off they had a pillow fight on the balance bar (sorry parents!)  and had great fun.  I am sure they will tell you lots about the trip but you should be very proud of them for the way they worked together. 

Once back at camp, they made their own sandwiches (job done, get them to do their own from now on) and we sat under the shade of a large tree enjoying the summer sunshine. 

After lunch we did a spot of orienteering. Every group worked so hard together to find the clues, over fallen tree trunks, through brambles, along streams and all the adults were very impressed with their tenacity in wanting to find all the clues. 

After dinner we had the Ladbrooke's Got Talent Show where we were entertained with comedy acts, singers and gymnastics, with special guests Palmer Cowell, Bruno Tollelionioni, Misha Dixon and Mandy Holden (the names might sound a bit familiar) as judges.

Finally, we again had marshmallows and hot chocolate around the campfire, before falling into bed and hopefully fast asleep before 10 pm tonight.

The children will be very excited about seeing you all tomorrow, until then, goodnight.

Moat Mount Day 1 - 21st June 2023

Well, what a day we’ve had!

Once we arrived at the centre, we barely had time to put our cases in the dorms before we went off to do some pond dipping. Armed with fishing nets, we wound our way through the woods to the pond. Unfortunately, there was nothing big enough in our nets for tea, but we did find some water louse, pond skaters, water beetles and a Damsel Fly Nymph. The girls dipped the biggest creature – well done girls! We also saw a rather large carp swimming around, plenty of baby ducks and dragon flies.

We headed back to the centre for a well-deserved lunch and then set off again for group problem solving activities. Every single one of the children played their part and we had lots of compliments from the staff at the centre about how well the children had worked together to solve the problems, which included a crocodile infested river to cross, walking with a big foot, a large maze to conquer and a spider’s web to tackle. Then it was back to base for some cake.

After some free time exploring we had dinner and then we were off again on a scavenger hunt. Careering around the field, finding clues, the children were in their element. They helped each other and managed to find most of the clues.

They finished off the evening with hot chocolate and marshmallows around the campfire before going of to bed… and finally sleep.

Hopefully the weather will be good to us again tomorrow, ready for another set of adventures.

Celtic Harmony - 24th April 2023

On a very chilly Monday, 24^th April, years 3 and 4 visited Celtic Harmony in Brickenden to learn more about the way of life in the Stone Age through to the Iron Age eras.

Splitting into 2 groups, the children learned how Stone Age people used flint for everyday tools and weapons. The weapons were for hunting food, as they rarely fell out with their neighbours and war was unheard of. Instead of napping flint, they used a small tablet of soap to replace the flint and a lolly stick to replace the round hand stone which our ancestors used to shape the flint.

Next, we moved on to making some bread. First, the children ground some flour from wheat using a quern stone. This is basically two very large round stones placed on top of each other. The top stone has a hole in the top, through which the wheat is passed. The top stone is turned by hand and the wheat is then ground between the two stones. Sometimes it can take more than one go, to grind the wheat into a fine enough powder. This is then mixed with water to make the dough – a very messy experience!

We then moved on to the Iron Age and learned how to make a coil pot. The pots of the time were bulbous at the bottom, with a lip at the top, so they could be hung over a fire for cooking. Later, beakers were from bronze, introduced by the Beaker people, immigrants from other parts of Europe and named after the pots they made. These had a flatter bottom, were smaller and used for mixing things and carrying liquids. The were decorated with lots of small dots or other patterns.

Finally, we ended the day with a magic story about a warrior who had upset the druids and been turned into a frog. He broke the spell, only when he was accepted into a family’s home. As the story was being told, the fire magically changed to have blue and green flames!

The children thoroughly enjoyed the day and their learning will be a platform for our current topic Horrible Histories.

Pneumatic cars - March 2023

Year 4 ended their Spring Term topic, Incredible Inventions, with a Grand Prix of their balloon powered (pneumatic) cars.

The children had made their cars in Design and Technology using a recycled plastic bottle for the body, straw for the axle sleeves, dowling for the axles, 50mm wooden wheels, plastic tubing and of course ballooons. They had been using hacksaws, glue guns and scissors to make their creations, and some had even given them ’go faster’ names, such as Cheetah!

The big event took place in the new build, and the children raced their cars across the tables. Most only managed a short distance, but Leila and Fjolla managed almost two full tables lengths with their cars stopping with a dead heat, which then required a final to decide a winner.

Using Mrs MacCormack’s go faster ball pump, the eventual winner was Leila, by a length.

As you can see the girls were delighted with the result.