Author: Calder Lodge School

In Fairsnape class we recently visited Greenlands Farm Village near Carnforth. We are learning about where our food comes from and what we need to keep us healthy. In conjunction to this we are looking at the life cycles of animals and new life. Whilst at Greenlands Farm we met the new born lambs and goats and took turns in feeding them from a bottle. We also met the new born chick and observed the eggs in the incubator. 

We stroked the guinea pigs and rabbits and fed them carrots. We also named one of the bunnies, naming him Thomas. After a fabulous visit we finished the day off at the park; running around and scrambling up the climbing frame. We are looking forward to learning more about animals and how their life cycles throughout this term.

During Spring Term 2022, Calder Class’s topic was ‘Australia’.  We explored the continent, it’s history, geography, culture, customs and wildlife.  

On January 26th, Australians celebrate ‘Australia Day’.  One custom associated with Australia Day is to spend time with family and friends on the beach sharing customary food.  The class made Aztec biscuits and prepared meringue bases to make Strawberry Pavlovas for our beach picnic.

The class visited Heysham Beach in Morecambe on Australia Day.  The boys wrapped up warm and stayed active on the beach to keep the January weather at bay.  They participated in games such as football and throwing activities.  Some just enjoyed drawing in the sand with driftwood that they discovered on the shoreline.  

Mrs Mott found a safe place to set up the barbeque in a sheltered area to avoid the whistling Morecambe Bay winds.  Once the sausages were ready, the boys huddled together to enjoy a warm barbeque lunch.  Pudding consisted of the prepared meringue bases with a good dollop of fresh cream and a sprinkling of delicious strawberries.  Some of the boys (and staff) had never experienced a winter barbeque/picnic before.  

After they had eaten,  the boys strolled over to the nearby park.  They had full tummies, rosy cheeks and pockets full of treasure that they had discovered on the beach.  These treasures were the focus of subsequent Literacy lessons.  The boys created some fantastic adventure stories from the small artefacts that they brought back to school.

The Parlick’s class thoroughly enjoyed their recent school trip to Williamson Park. After learning about different habitats and microhabitats in science this term and exploring how different types of animals adapt to these environments. The children loved being able to observe these different habitats in person; we saw Meerkats, marmosets and even a python! It was really interesting to see how different all of the animals’ enclosures were and the different things each animal needed to survive and grow. 

Our favourite habitat to explore was the Butterfly experience! The children loved being able to see the Butterflies up close and demonstrated great care and concern when travelling around the habitat; making sure they didn’t hurt any butterflies as they explored. We were lucky enough to watch a butterfly hatch from a chrysalis for the very first time! After learning about the life-cycle of a butterfly in class it was fantastic to witness it in person. We even had to use a special mirror when we were exiting the Butterfly House, to check no butterflies were attached to our coats. 

Experiencing the animals and the environments they live in first hand really helped to develop the children’s understanding of different animals’ needs and how these are supported by their habitats. 

The children said:

“I really liked watching the butterfly in the water, I thought it was hurt but it wasn’t. It was just drinking, there were turtles in the water too.”

“The butterflies were so beautiful”

“I liked the butterfly house, it was nice and warm for the butterflies but it made me jump when they tried to land on my coat.”