We all had a fantastic day at Kew Gardens, learning about plants and exploring a fraction of the many beautiful and amazing things at this world-famous site. The children were enthusiastic, energetic and represented the school very well. Emma, the teacher, said how much she enjoyed their sense of fun and excitement. She led sessions where we learnt about plant explorers from the past and today and the equipment they need : can your child tell you why you need a trowel when you go looking for plants? The children practised describing plants, using knowledge from their time at primary school such as the names for parts of a plant. They also classified leaves using a key where they thought of the yes/no questions themselves. The children became acquainted with the resident geese, young and old, who appreciated some left-over breadstick and would have happily shared the rest of the children’s lunches, too. The weather was perfect and thank you for sending the children so well-prepared, with everything you were asked to provide. We were all amazed by The Hive, which will give us some insight into what a “pavilion” is in our D&T learning. The plants in the Temperate House and outside the Palm House provided opportunities for the children to practise their sketching skills which they have been learning with Mrs Bartley. The children will use what they did and learnt today in learning back in class.
A huge thank you, as ever, to the parent helpers. Wednesday is not an easy day to get time away from work and we really appreciate the effort made in coming and having to make up for the lost time in either work or jobs at home. Thank you also to Miss Jilly, from the office, who came with us – there aren’t any photos of her, unfortunately. Again, I am sorry for the high cost of the event but we did have a great day, and a full one as they journey there was completed in just under an hour.
