Churcher's College Junior School Virtual Expedition Day

After being away from their peers for almost six weeks the whole of Churcher's College Junior School set off on a Virtual School Trip on a home learning day with a difference.

In Reception the children set off for the farm and were excited to see lots of different farm animals. They learnt about the special names for animal babies. We made sure we didn’t forget the wonder of our own backyard/gardens and the children played ‘What can I find’ bingo.

Years 1 and 2 enjoyed visiting Longleat Safari park and using their field guide to spot the animals they saw en route. During their travels they completed a map of the parts of the world the animals they saw came from and the children went to find out what trees they had in their gardens or on local walks, and some matched them perfectly!

Year 2 thought about the way animals change as they grow and how some babies look like their parents whilst others don’t. Year 3 and 4 also visited Longleat and looked at where animals came from. They were delighted to see some animals ‘live’ all the way in San Diego Zoo, where the orangutans were particularly helpful in showing off to the camera.

Year 3 then visited the International Space Station to learn what it is like to be an astronaut. On their own doorstep, these year groups were encouraged to go out and about to do some bird spotting too.

Year 4 wrote persuasive letters, totally mastering the art of emotional blackmail!

Year 5 set off to the British Museum armed with a worksheet to investigate the animals they could find in Room 27- the Aztec Gallery. This was then followed by a trip to Mexico to the National Museum to see their prize exhibit the Aztec Calendar Stone. Children were then invited to make their own, considering the symmetry in their design and the symbolism. They then headed off to space to see the surface of Mars and think about places on earth that had similarities to the planets, followed by a short trip to a planetarium and a voyage to the edge of space. Just before lunch they had a quick tour to the Great Wall of China and stopped to take their photos and send postcards home!

Y6 were given their morning briefing, packed their bags and headed off to Washington to the Smithsonian Museum of National History in search of fossils. They were keen to take photos when they found them! They were given a talk by an expert paleobiologist before showing their new found knowledge in a quiz - attaining excellent scores! They then headed back to the South England coast and went hunting for ammonites virtually - sharing the certificates they were awarded with pride. After a short break on a roller coaster they headed off in the style of Howard Carter to explore the tombs of Queen Meresankh III and Pharoah Ramesses VI. The last journey of the day was to wind farms on google earth and their challenge to write persuasive letters to local governments convincing them of the advantages of this form of power. It was delightful to see how Y6 entered into the spirit of their school trip and send in many additional videos of their experiences and their finds along the way!

We were also very impressed with the journals that both Y5 and 6 completed of their travels and think we had some future travel journalists amongst them!