Enthusiastic STEAM students and outdoor adventurers from Geoffrey Field Junior joined us on the Park on Wednesday 18th May for a series of four cross curricular educational experiences in the fresh air. We were delighted to welcome the 30 Year 3 pupils for their sessions in water collection, water purification, a bug themed scavenger hunt and Seed bomb making. Chemistry teacher, Rachel Milhofer, shared her expertise on filtration supplemented by forays into the water cycle and rock formation from Geography and plant transpiration from Biology. Outdoor Education Manager and DofE Programme Leader, Isaac Walker, had students map reading at speed as they sprinted from one location to another sketching the insects on the scavenger hunt as they went. The seed bomb making, combining a mixture of soil, clay and water with seeds into ball was great fun and a very messy morning for all involved. Fortunately, there was plenty of hand washing before the snacks came out!
“It was lovely,” commented Year 3 teacher, Frances Lancaster, “a good mix of guided and discovery learning.” Fellow Geoffrey Field teacher, Emma Berry added, ‘It was excellent! Great staff and the pupil helpers, Indy and Harry were a credit to your school.” Year 3 pupil, Nessa, clearly enjoyed it too, reflecting “I think the day would have been even better if I could stay here forever!.” “It was awesome! I loved it!” added Zara. “It wasn’t good; it was great!” concluded Leo.
Natasha Coccia, Senior Assistant Head: Partnership and Outreach, commented, “One of the main things that we promote at Leighton Park is the ability to learn in any environment and have experiential learning opportunities. So one of the things that we’re promoting at the moment is outdoor education, and the use of the Park to actually work with other subjects so that you can enrich your learning. So one of the things we’re doing at the moment is combining outdoor education with STEAM and in particular today, Chemistry.”
Reflecting on her pupils experience, Emma continued, “It is just a great opportunity for them to get out of school and to do something ever so different. They wouldn’t have the opportunity maybe to do these kind of activities within our environment so it’s a very positive experience for them, they really really enjoyed it, they’ve had such a lovely time!”
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