Boleyn Park students recently enjoyed a late summer visit to Hanningfield Reservoir and Nature Reserve.
Students from years 8, 9 and 11, visited Hanningfield as a part of their science lessons. Trip organiser, Amanda Pilgrim-White, arranged the event following visits from guest speakers from Essex and Suffolk Water. During these talks, students learned about water treatment and took part in team building exercises – connecting pipes to ensure that all customers had a reliable supply. This engaging activity proved to be a great way to set the scene for the reservoir visit.
Once at the reservoir, students were given a guided tour by the reserve’s education officer. As they toured the nature reserve, students completed a bingo-style quiz sheet, which required them to recognise a variety of leaves. Following this, students went on a bug trail, where they had great fun finding all the bugs in the woods. 🐞🦗🪲
To end the visit, students were able to go into a wildlife hide, which was built specifically for watching the reservoir’s wildlife. This gave students the opportunity to use a pair of binoculars – which was an exciting new experience for some of them. 🦆
As a result of the trip, students were able to learn about, and recognise, a range of wildlife that they had never seen before. This helped to broaden their understanding of the environment and the many species that inhabit it. Students also learned that the water from the reservoir is the same water that supplies their homes. 💧
This was a very enjoyable experience, with students enthusing about how much they had learnt – the highlights including: bird watching and bug hunting.
Acknowledging what a great experience for the students it was, Amanda intends to organise something similar for a different cohort at a future time. She is also looking forward to visiting the link to Hanningfield’s live bat box camera, during lessons, to help students further understand the natural world.
Many thanks to all involved in making this trip such an enjoyable experience for Boleyn Park’s students.
