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Lessons come to life at the zoo
Posted: 9th July 2018Curious young minds got to explore outside of the classroom with a trip to the zoo.
Year 2 pupils at Freshwaters Primary Academy have been studying the book Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett, looking at the vocabulary used, the continent Kalahari Desert is in and the animals they might find there.
As part of their studies, the 56 pupils took a trip to Paradise Wildlife Park, in Hertfordshire, and saw white tigers, white snow leopards, lions, jaguars, reptiles, monkeys, lemas and penguins.
They also took part in an educational talk about dinosaurs, learning about why they became extinct and all about fossils.
Rebecca Freire-Norman, assistant headteacher, said: “One pupil, Oscar, helped the educational teacher to teach his class about dinosaurs as he had so much knowledge. Another pupil, Stanley, is the only child to date at the centre to recognise one fossil as an animal’s tooth!
“The children and staff thoroughly enjoyed the trip. From the moment we told the children about the trip, they were incredibly excited.
“It is so important for children to explore and experience the world beyond their classroom; it is an essential part to their learning and development and helps children to engage in different ways and link what they have learnt to the world around them. So many learning opportunities have arisen from this trip – before and after. The children are even more engaged with their learning because they are linking and building on their experiences of the day.”
The pupils will now study the Kalahari Desert and its climate, which will result in them writing an information text about the desert.