Betas at Suntrap

Could you survive if you were stranded in Epping Forest overnight? Well, our resourceful Betas (year 4) probably could! Last week they visited the Suntrap Centre in Epping Forest and during a busy morning of shelter building they learned a lot about how to build a successful one - as well as quite a lot about what doesn't work quite so well. In teams they scurried around collecting fallen branches and tried to pick the optimum location to start building. It is fair to say that many of them would have got rather wet and cold had they actually had to spend a night in the forest, but they've learned the basics and had a whole heap of fun in the process.

After lunch, they headed out to Suntrap’s ponds where they caught and identified all manner of creatures from the deep. They were lucky enough to catch a number of newts, however they were keen to escape from the Betas! Back in the classroom they children had a closer look at them under the microscope, drew detailed pictures and learned about their key features and adaptations. It was a day of hands-on, outdoor learning at its best.