DAY 4

Steps 13462

Raining.

Then it stopped.

Then it didn't.

Still, I repeat still, the champion 'pooh sticks' player!

7 is my number of the day:

7 games of Top Trumps lost

7 games of Uno played

7 very minor squabbles taken care of

7 hours of sleep since 5.45am on Monday!

Another excellent day.

The usual fayre at breakfast. I think the children will really miss the food here. So many clean plates and many have tried the odd new thing.

We started with a trip to River Brook to measure width, depth and velocity of the stream's flow. The children had to take 3 measurements and use the mean to find the average. 

We then went to the Stour to compare the brook to a river. The children were excellent. They recorded the river's depth etc using a range of equipment. Great science work by all.

Lunch was taken in the classroom due to the weather and we went to rooms for 30 minutes of free time. I lost 2 Uno games and a game of Top Trumps. Alfie and William are rather good at it (clearly card counters!).

After lunch we went to the ponds/lakes/streams to find invertebrates. The ones we collected were classified, observed and viewed under good quality microscopes. An excellent experience for the children.

Dinner was great - again!

Afterwards we headed for the campfire for a singsong, games and a story (performed - not read - by my good self).

We are all currently together in the mill reminiscing, playing and chatting.

I hope everyone has had the best time. Certainly friendships and memories have been made.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Mrs Ruth and Mrs Taylor who have been incredible as usual.

See you all tomorrow at 12.45pm to 1pm (we are due to leave Flatford a 12pm!)

Take care everyone and see you all tomorrow

DAY 3

Steps 17238

Still raining.

Hard.

Children were tough to wake this morning, all were tired and took a good few hours to get properly into gear.

Breakfast was the same as yesterday and, in general, the children made better sandwiches than yesterday.

Our first lesson was a drama-based activity understanding The Lorax. The children loved acting out their section of the story and there were some excellent narrators and actors.

It's amazing to think that Dr Suess had the foresight to write this story in the early 1970s. The children could relate to it and draw on examples in the world today where similar things happen.

After a break, we went to the nature garden and completed some well needed maintenance work. Some of the boys made a pathway using dead branches and cleared leaves to put into the various beetle hotels that were scattered around. All children made simple bird feeders using lard and seeds.

After lunch we went on our epic walk to Dedham to complete some geography tasks using surveys. The walk was long and some of the children found it tough, but they all persevered and achieved it (over 5km round trip across fields and sloppy mud!)   The children were as polite as ever when asking questions to the public and their work was excellent. Data taken was graphed, in many forms, on return to the classroom.

Dinner was good old-fashioned bangers, mash and peas - ALL children ate it!

After dinner we were supposed to have our stargazing session, but unfortunately the cloud gods were not on our side, so we watched a video on stars instead.

The children are exhausted and are currently all in The Mill, playing well together.

It will be time for rooms in an hour or so as we have had our breakfast time moved forward 30 minutes 😆😆😆😆😆. They will hear their doors bang earlier tomorrow.

Anyway, good night all from rainy Flatford. Water day tomorrow - we all cannot wait. 

Write more soon

Mr Sandford.

DAY 2

Steps 16735

Another excellent day.

Apart from the rain.

And the wind.

Children woke early and enjoyed a splendid breakfast of sausages, beans, hash browns and limitless toast. There was cereal and fruit as well. Everyone left the dining hall full to the brim.

Then it was to the sandwich making room. I make it sound like something from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory...

Buttering bread had to be seen to be believed and as for the knife work...! Eventually everyone had something resembling a sandwich and off we went to our rooms to get ready for the day.

First, we returned to our animal traps to see what we'd caught. Jamie and Alfie managed to snare a shrew. These are wonderful creatures, and it was a real experience to examine one up close. Jasmine caught a mouse in her humane trap, and this too was fun to examine. Watching them both scamper and hop away after release was great.

After that, we learnt how to read an OS map. This included symbols, scale and 4 and 6 figure map references. Children learnt fast (we did a little pre teaching last week!). Shortly after, we learnt the 16-point compass, how to read a compass and how to read bearings. This was a lot to take in in an hour and all of you should be proud of how quickly they grasped these tricky concepts.

Afre a break, we split into groups and went orienteering. The course was around 3km and involved reading maps, bearings, and compass directions. Every group did well, and all tried so hard with the problems they were given. Mrs Taylor's team beat my team by 1 solitary point. 

At lunch, the children had to eat their creations (sandwiches) a few objected to the ham (which was clearly not processed enough!!!).It was 'off the bone' - but most enjoyed it.

During the afternoon we created maps, solved riddles ('bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny, whoosh, bunny, whoosh, bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny' - you will have to ask them when they get home...😆😆😆), Learnt more about scale and found hidden treasure.

Dinner was great. Pizza, chips, and bread and butter pudding. Many tried the pudding and enjoyed it.

Afte dinner we learnt about various green artists - those that sculpt from nature. The children's creations were excellent and most worked so hard to create something.

We are currently in rooms enjoying the evening. Games, jokes and friendships are being played and made. Children are in great spirits and really are having an amazing time. So many memories for them.

Write more tomorrow

Mr Sandford

DAY 1

Steps 18462

We left Waldingfield a trifle late, but the time was soon made up by our excellent driver.

On arrival, most children navigated the 750m walk from the car park to Flatford Mill - I say most, 3 of us did struggle! 

We had lunch on Home Farm field and the children enjoyed a football session straight after.

Simon, our tutor, arrived around 1pm, introduced himself and showed us to our various accommodations.

The boys are staying in the mill (the main building) and the girls are in a lovely bungalow near our classroom.

Everyone made their beds well and put duvets on successfully. Jake and Eleanor were the heroes here, helping many other children - I'm sure it didn't cost the other children too many sweets!

Our first session was 'disappearing mammals'. This involved understanding adaptations, reasons for extinction etc and was very interesting. Children enjoyed the practical side - catching, classifying and studying a range of minibeasts. 

The children learnt that most birds poo and wee from the same 'place'! Lovely!!!

Dinner was great. Chicken meatballs and spaghetti followed by fruit crumble. Lots of children took advantage of second helpings and ate well.

We only have 30 minutes to do dinner and it was a bit of a rush, but everyone managed well.

We then returned to our rooms for half an hour of free time. Children loved the freedom and had fun.

Our evening session was night-time senses walk. There is no light pollution here at all and the children could enjoy listening to the wildlife. We heard many jackdaws and egrets. Jupiter was very visible in the sky this evening.

All the children are currently in the mill and enjoying each other's company. Games of Uno, chess and Top Trumps are in full swing, and I have read a story to those that wanted to listen.

Mrs Ruth and Mrs Taylor have been well topped-up with tea and are about to take the girls back to their bungalow, via a quick visit to the Recreation Room to play table tennis.

It's just gone 10pm and everyone is beginning to flag a little. 

Write more tomorrow 

Mr Sandford.