Trips


Cranedale 3 On Tuesday 15th June, Year 5 went to visit the Cranedale Centre in Kirby Grindalythe , East Yorkshire for a three day field trip.


The Centre, an old farm, is set in beautiful countryside and has converted its outbuildings into dormitories, classrooms and other facilities. Although there were many great ways to relax, such as a common room, tuck shop and tennis courts, pupils were very busy exploring the surrounding countryside.


Visits included moorland exploring where the children had to measure the flow of the river and collect samples of the many mini-beasts found in the water. The day was completed by a steep climb to the top of a tumulus, and though many had weary legs, everyone agreed it was worth the hike to enjoy the breathtaking views .


Our visit to the RSPB centre at Bempton Cliffs gave us the chance to see many of the different sea birds in their natural habitat. We enjoyed using binoculars and spotted gannets, guillemots, kittiwakes, herring gulls and razorbills. The lucky ones amongst us even spotted some puffins, which proved to be very shy ! Our bird watching was followed by visiting Flamborough Head where we picnicked by the lighthouse, which sadly was undergoing some very noisy building work. After lunch we went to explore the area, and amongst the cliffs we saw a dinosaur – the Flamboroughsaurus – or at least High Stacks, a rock formation that looked like a prehistoric creature. We learned how to do a field sketch and all about erosion and how this will affect the stacks in the future.


Our next activity involved going onto the beach. Whilst climbing the 185 steps down we hoped that what lay ahead would be worth it. When we saw the rock-pools and found out that we were going hunting for snails and crabs, we quickly agreed it had been worth the climb. Everyone was lucky and caught many different types of crab and snail. Mr Thackway wasn’t so lucky when the Velvet Swimming Crab he caught gave him a nasty nip. After comparing our catch and identifying what we had in our buckets we released them into the rock-pools to be caught again another day.


In the evenings we had some free time but also had to go to the classroom after dinner for lessons ! However, they were fun activities and involved keeping an Eco Book, detailing our trip and going orienteering.


On our final day we set off to the fields in small teams where we played a variety of games that encouraged us to work together. The live wire was a favourite and involved everyone working in partnership to get as many people as possible from one end of the course to the other.


We learnt many new skills on our trip, such as coping with being away from home, trying new things, working with new people and how to get all our things back in our suitcase at the end ! It was a great experience enjoyed by children and staff alike.


2009-2010 67


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