sailing with Year 10 and 11

While travelling in the minibus we asked the pupils if any had done sailing before. One of the pupils said "yeh I did it 7 years ago but I might be a bit rusty". As we got to the place, before going into the water all of the pupils and staff members wore the safety requirements of a waterproof coat with a lifeguard jacket on top. We listened to the health and safety rules of what to do when in the speedboat such as sit along the edge or at the front and hold onto the rope, or bar, when the boat is moving, as well as what not to do. All of the pupils watched as the teacher demonstrated how to sail by pulling the lever forward to go right, backwards to go left and in the middle to go straight. The teacher also showed how to control the sail by pulling the string tight or loosening the string and remembering to duck their heads when the sail came across as they move to the other side of the boat. 

As we got onto the water all of the pupils sat either side of the speedboat as the teacher guided us to what number ball we were going to be sailing around depending on the speed of the wind. We went to number 4. Two of the pupils had a go at navigating the sail boat as the others stayed on the speedboat giving the two pupils guidance as they expressed various directions of "you need to go straight" and "move the lever forward to turn right" as well as encouraging their effects "they are about to crash into that circle shape ball that is right in front of them". While the pupils were sailing the teacher said "shall we go past them quickly and watch the waves hit them". As we watched the waves the group of pupils on the speedboat enjoyed seeing the water go into the sailing boat. One of the pupils said "oh my god my trousers are soaked. 

When we got back to land we all sat down in the sunny weather and eat our lunch on the benches. After the teacher took each of the pupil's out one by one as they travelled around the whole of the lake going the speedboat's top speed. When the first pupil had their go they showed their enjoyment of the ride saying "that was the coolest thing I have ever done". As their peers had their goes the pupil described the experience saying "you will really enjoy it honestly". Walking back to the minibus the group's feedback for the sailing was positive as one pupil explained "I liked directing the sailing boat that was fun".

cooking bacon on a stove at Hartlebury Common with Year 8

 

As we got to Hartlebury Common the pupils enjoyed finding a tree where a small group showed an interest in climbing halfway to "I am trying to find a good seat" when another group worked together to set up the stove, cooking mats, pans and chairs for the cooking. As some of the pupils began to start cooking they decided who was going to take on the role of cooker and who was going to butter the bread. Another group saw a swamp right behind the tree and said "we are going to go and find a frog so we can cook it on the stove". 

As the pupils separated into two small groups one of the pupils asked if they could go for a walk to explore Hartlebury Common as themselves and a member of staff travelled in a circular surrounding talking about past experiences of tripping over small holes, as we could see several of them on the sand pit grounds, on holidays or their siblings own experience when walking to School as the pupil said "yeh my sister tripped over one hole and then another hole right in front of it so it was like she was flying". We also talked about how we had been to Hartlebury Common before and what happened on the Outdoor Ed lesson. The pupil explained "do you remember the last time we came here we saw that bull and Miss Parker nearly touched it". 

Year 9 volunteering for their DoE awards

The pupils walked along the Worcester canal taking it in turns to use a picker to grab and pick up litter of bottles or packets of food and put it into a rubbish bag. All of the pupils had a go at being able to achieve the starting point for the first stage of their DoE bronze award.  

After the pupils had finished picking up as much litter as they could to fill their rubbish bag half way they continued to walk talking about the sights they could see such as one pupil said "can I go in and catch a duck". Another pupil had a discussion about how much they and a staff member thought the flats would cost if someone went to buy one and why there was a building with bars across the windows. We talked about how maybe the building was a car park for the flats at the very top as a saw a door which we thought could lead to stairs or a lift. 

Halfway along the canal we saw a boat stand still waiting for the gate to open so they could get through. The people kindly told us where they had travelled too previously and asked if the pupils would like to push the gate forward to support it opening which a small group of pupils worked together to push it all the way to the other end of the gate pathway. We continued to walk further and as we got to the end of the canal we turned back round to the minibus where we saw a man on another water boat with glitter glasses on top. The pupils listened when the man talked about how he sells the glitter glasses for birthdays and weddings and how he has been living and travelling to various places along the canals for many years.

 

walking along the paths and through the stream with Year 7B

The pupils enjoyed exploring a variety of streams as they walked along the paths around Leasowes Park. The pupils also showed an interest in travelling in and out, and through the forest trees where one pupil pointed saying "I want to move around like Bear Grylls does". As we got half way the pupils saw a big stream and each had a go at balancing along the stones, splashing through the water or running to the top of the bank and either sliding down on their bottoms or rolly polly's to see how fast they could travel. 

We continued to walk and the pupils saw a big cave with a waterfall as they described the speed of the water as "that is coming down really fast it will completely soak me and everyone in the class". After we carried on walking along the paths which began to lead to the park where one of the pupils saw a hole and said "look how deep this rabbit hole is, I could fit half of my body in there". When we got to the park all of the pupils took it in turns to have a go at seeing how high they could go on the swings, how fast they could go on the spinning top and climbing through obstacle courses on the climbing frame. 

continuing to build a robot with Year 7A

The pupils showed an interest in continuing to build the robot they had started to make in their last DT lesson of Outdoor Ed. The pupils enjoyed using the variety of tools of a saw, planer, sand paper and scrapper. The pupils described what each of the tools are used for with one pupil saying "do you think the sand paper had made the edges and sides smooth" and another explained the use of the saw is "to cut this big piece of wood into two little pieces for the robot's feet". A couple of the pupils enjoyed using the planer to smooth out the bumps that were in the planks of wood and took it in turns as the pupils discussed between each other "do you want to have a go and I will go after?". As the pupils were moving the planer round in a circular motion which was advised from peer on peer teaching from one of the pupils who had used the tool in previous lessons,  they talked about the temperature of how the wood felt after they had used the planer with one pupil saying "wow that is really hot, come and feel it".

The pupils together discussed what resources they  would like to use for the robot's head and body in the next DT lesson as they found plastic materials and game controllers with one pupil suggesting "why don't we drill this game controller to the robot's hands so it looks like it is gaming". 

walk along the river at Leasowes Park with Primary 1

The pupils enjoyed walking around Leasowes Park as they explored through the various streams by using their feet to make footprints in the water, jumping from one side of the stream to the other or using the tree branches to balance along. While we were walking the pupils saw ducks in a pond as one pupil said "can we go for a swim with the ducks". Another pupil replied "no it is too deep, you will sink to the bottom". As we continued we found another stream where we played a game of Simon Says. 

When we finished the game we walked further on in the direction of the park. Halfway along the paths the pupils pointed and said "look there is a cave". We travelled over the bridge and down the steps beside the cave. As we got to it one of the pupils shouted "wow this is so cool, look at the waterfall". The pupils each had a go to see how far in the stream they could reach and how deep the water would be with one pupil describing the temperature as "wow that was so cold, colder than the other streams".

 

As we got to the park all of the pupils showed an interest in either exploring the obstacle courses on the climbing frame, swinging on the swings to see how high they could go as well as seeing how fast they could spin on a spinning top.

Primary 2 taking turns on a rope swing

The pupils showed an interest in having a go on the rope swing as they took it in turns to help one another by pushing the backs to see how high they could go with one pupil saying "I want to go as high as the sky so I can touch the clouds". Before each of the pupils had a turn on the rope swing the teacher went through the safety rule of wearing a helmet to keep them safe. Some of the pupils enjoyed making the choice of either walking around and through the forest tree surrounding or climbing up the rocks to reach the top of the small cliff. As the pupils got to the top they enjoyed sliding down on the sand on their bottoms.

Primary 3 enjoyed walking along the streams at Knapp and Paper Mill Reserve

The pupils showed an interest in looking at the variety of sights as they walked along the Knapp and Paper Mill Reserve fields and streams. One of the pupils picked up a leaf and questioned "why does this leaf smell". We explained that the leaf was an ingredient that is put in pasta and chilies and it was called garlic. We continued to walk and  another pupil pointed to a waterfall and said "wow look at that, the water is coming down really fast". All of the pupils gathered together to look at the waterfall as they talked about past experiences of when and where they had seen a waterfall before. 

As the pupils were walking along the fields one of the pupils showed an interest in talking about what animals could live in the water. We saw a sign which explained what the nature reserve was and acknowledged that kingfishers and otters swim in the stream. We carried on exploring to the end of the stream as half way through all of the pupils began to walk closer and closer to the river edge to spot any of the animals "do you think they will pop up from underneath the water". At the end we saw a path which led down to a wooden bridge as one pupil said "maybe if we go further down we might get closer to the otters to see them".. The pupils showed an interest in travelling along the bridge.

  

 

walk around Himley Halls with Year 10

The pupils showed an interest in walking around Himley Halls as one pupil enjoyed riding their mountain bike. The pupils talked about what sights they could see with one pupil saying "look there are swans" as well as ducks. The pupils started to look at the swans up close. We saw two swans begin to chase after each other as one pupil questioned "why does that one duck keep chasing the other one". We continued to walk along the river where we saw a field of sheep, a baby ducks nest and as we were walking back to the minibus the pupils showed an interest in swinging on tree branches. After we went to RSS and played a group game of Volleyball using their feet and hands.

walk along the river and over Worcester Racecourse with Year 8

The pupils showed an interest in taking a ball with them to Worcester Racecourse. As we got to the racecourse we stopped half way and the pupils enjoyed playing a game of football. We continued to walk to the other side of pitch croft and over Sabrina Bridge where we talked about what the builders had done differently with one pupil saying "the planks aren't wooden anymore they are more like tarmac" and how long it took for the bridge to be built. One pupil identified the length "it took them like 10 weeks didn't it before you could walk over the bridge again". 

The pupils then showed an interest in exploring the variety of equipment in Cripplegate Park. The pupils split themselves into two groups as one group climbed to the top of the climbing tower and the other tried to complete the obstacle course of walking along a rock climbing wall, balancing on a moving beam and swinging their body and arms side to side from one end of the money bars to the other. After the park we walked back to School to way we had came as we ran along the racecourse travelling through the water sprinklers. 

Year 9 exploring the sights of Habberley Valley

The pupils enjoyed walking around Habberley Valley as we found a spot in the sunshine and made the decision to stay and began to sit down on the grass or little humps in the rocks with the encouragement of using their imagination to sun bathe. The pupils then chose to walk to the top of the small cliffs as they talked about the weather and what they could see such as one pupil explained that the weather "in America they get a lot more sun than we do, that's why I would like to go and live there" and another described the colour of the sky as "it's blue with no clouds they have all disappeared". 

playing p.e games with Year 7B at Worcester Racecourse

The pupils showed an interest in walking down the steps to Worcester Racecourse. As we got there the teacher went through what p.e equipment they had brought for the pupils to explore. The objects were tennis rackets and ball, skipping ropes, boxing gloves, and baseball gloves and ball. All of the pupils enjoyed sharing and having a go with each equipment as they worked together in groups or pairs to bat the balls back and forth to one another or seeing how far and high they could throw. 

walk around Worcester Racecourse with Year 7A

The pupils enjoyed walking down the steps which led to the middle of Worcester Racecourse. As we got to pitch croft two of the pupils had a running race from one tree to another to see who could get there the quickest. We continued to walk where one pupil said "are we going near to the tree that looks like it has been electrocuted". The pupil identified the tree as "we are going to call it the lightening tree". 

When we got to the tree we played a few games of tracker as the pupils worked together to describe where they were going to hide. One of the pupils stayed by the tree and talked about what different coloured ladybirds there are such as black, yellow, "there are orange and black", if any of them are poisonous and where they come from. All of the pupils showed an interest in walking to Ghulevelt Park. 

walking to the top of the Malvern Hills with Primary 1

The pupils enjoyed travelling to the top of the Malvern Hills in a variety of motions such as running a group to see who could run the fastest or walking as they talked about the views they could see. One pupil said "look there are people and parachutes up in the sky". The pupil continued to say "there are 5 of them". As we could see more and more of the parachutes appear behind the hills the pupil said "look they can going so high they are close to the clouds". and counted to the number "11" in total. 

As we got half way up the hill we found a bench as all of the pupils and staff sat down to look at the sight with one pupil saying "is that all of Malvern we can see". We continued to walk to the top where we could people getting themselves ready to take off with their parachutes. The pupils showed an interest in understanding how the parachutes get into the air with one pupil saying "why doesn't the man just ran and jump". We explained that the wind needed to be strong for the parachute to lift into the air and stay up without falling back down in the sky before the person could set off and start flying. The pupils enjoyed sitting and watching as they talked about which of the parachutes were their favourite with one pupil identifying the colours "I like the blue one it is my favourite colour, it also has a bit of grey in it too". Another pupil pointed and said "I like the red, white and yellow one". 

Primary 2 making sand volcano's

The pupils showed an interest in exploring Hartlebury Common as they talked about walking through the sand and seeing the view from the top of the hill. As we halfway walking the teacher gave the pupils the choice of travelling to the top or playing a game. The pupils chose to interact with the game as the teacher went through the rules of how to play. The teacher explained the game was like Simon says where the pupils would need to move to different areas on the Simon says command. The pupils enjoyed running to the areas as the teacher said Simon says go to zero or Simon says go to post. The pupils also enjoyed moving their bodies in a various of motions such as placing their bodies on the sand or changing directions quickly depending on the time each command was spoken.  

After all of the pupils took part in a sand sculpting challenge where they had the choice of working in pairs or individually to make the tallest volcano they could using the sand. All of the pupils talked about how they were going to make their's different to their peers with one pupil saying "look the inside of my volcano is the widest". Another pupil explained the size of their volcano as "mine is the tallest". The paired up pupils decided who was going to take on what role "I am going to scoop up the sand with my hands so we have wet sand for our volcano's eruption and their peer is going to make the body". The pupils also talked about how they had made two volcano's "this one has a road around it, I used my feet to make a circle".

cooking bacon sandwiches with Year 8

The pupils showed an interest in making their own bacon sandwiches using the stoves and ovens in the food tech room. The pupils each took a hoob as they worked independently or in groups to flip their bacon over with one pupil saying "I think mine will need to be flipped 6 times" and to watch as their pieces of bacon began to brown and potentially go crispy as one pupil saying "I like mine when it is a little burnt around the edges". The pupil's made a sandwich for themselves and for each other as well as the staff saying "would you like a bacon sandwich miss". 

Year 9 exploring the length of Dry Mill Lane's stream

While we were travelling through the forest banks of Dry Mill Lane the pupils enjoyed finding different length sticks as they talked about using the stick "to go fishing see what fishes I can find". As we got to the stream the pupils either travelled the outer layer area of the water or walked through the middle of the stream seeing how deep the water went. One of the pupil's said "half of my body is covered by water". In the middle of the long stream the pupils found a pile of big tree branches and as a group worked together to demolish the standing of the branches with the pupils holding both ends and beginning to shake it watching small pieces of the tree disintegrate into the water. One of the pupil's response to what they were going to do with the branch when it breaks free was "we are going to see how far it travels down the stream". At the end of the lesson we asked for the pupil's feedback on how they thought outdoor ed had gone with some of the responses being positive of "I really liked using the rocks to break away parts of the branches" and "my favourite bit was seeing how deep the water was using my body, it came up past my knees".

Year 7B's exploration of Dry Mill's Lane

As we were walking we noticed a sign telling us about what trail we were about to go on and what animals we might see with one pupils saying "look there's a butterfly".

As we continued the pupils talked about how deep they thought the water would be when they got to the stream by showing an interest in travelling through the water. One pupil said "is it going to come up to my knees". When we got to the stream all of the pupils enjoyed either walking in their wellies along the water bank or some chose to take their shoes and socks off saying "I want to feel the water in my toes". While they were in the stream the pupils talked about the temperature of the water descriptively explaining it as "really cold that my feet feel numb" and also explored the length of the stream identifying the depth as "wow this is really deep that I feel my whole body is going in". The pupils showed an interest in skimming stones as they had a competition to see who could make the most plops in the water. 

cooking hotdogs with Year 7A

 

At the start of the lesson the teacher went through all the safety rules which included not standing too close to the stove when the gas is lit and not to touch the middle part of the pan when the stove is on but to hold the handle while they are turning the sausages. The pupils took it in turns to each have a go at flipping the sausages over as they watched the pink sausages turn a different colour saying "are they done now they look a brown colour". As one of the pupils continued to turn the sausages over another pupil began to cut the onion into little pieces as they asked the question "are these small enough to go in the pan". 

After the pupils had cooked the food they all enjoyed eating the hotdogs saying "the ketchup and hotdog together is yummy" and "look I have onions and cheese in the roll and it tastes good but first I am going to have my sausage".