Years 7 and 8 Geography Field Trips
Education beyond the four-walled classroom Sunday 14 September 2008Year 7 Geography Trip
Last week, the Year 7s visited Cuckmere Country Park on a study of the ‘Never-Ending Story’ of the River Cuckmere.
The weather forecast wasn’t great but we survived the threatening showers. By 1000hrs we were at the Park office.
We then set off on our expedition of the river and soon we came to a point were we had the best view of the wonderful meanders. Our host then gave a lecture and there was a question and answer session at the end.Children were also able to draw the meanders and other river features that were of interest.
Such short stops dominated our whole journey until we reached the mouth of the river. It was quite an experience for most of our children as all the information we gathered reflected well on the issues we had discussed in class and it was a revelation for some, as it was their first time to visit the place.
Year 7s at work on the beach at Cuckmere Haven
We had our lunch at the mouth of the river and soon after we made our way back following the river channel. This helped the children to have a closer look at the flood plain of the river including the salt marshes. Along the way, the children carried some experiments to determine the strength of the tide from the sea towards the river mouth.
Grey Phalarope
A highlight of the trip was the sightingof a rare species of bird the grey phalarope that breeds in the Arctic and sub arctic tundra; they usually nest in freshwater lakes and ponds. In the winter, they migrate to warm ocean waters where they spend most of the year. However, it appears that bird was diverted off course and is solitary at the Cuckmere river lagoon.
This was a wonderful excursion for all children involved.They managed to link every aspect that we had covered in the classroom to features on the ground. Furthermore it was interesting to see how the story of any river is played again and again as new features are formed due to different river processes hence the title 'The Never-Ending Story'.
Year 8 Geography Trip
Year 8 visited Seven Sisters Country Park to study the conflicts that exist between those who protect our environment and those that promote tourism. Our aim was to see for ourselves how tourism affects the environment. This was an interesting topic for our Year 8 classes. The children had brainstormed in class for a few weeks, and therefore, this was an opportunity for them to experience the conflicts on the ground.
We set off early around 0930 hrs and by 1000 hrs; we were at the park offices. After a brief introduction by our host Allan, we left for the park to see for ourselves the various conflicts that exist.
We travelled through a path specially designed for tourists. As we walked along Allan drew to our attention various issues about caring for the environment. He talked us through the various policies, which the Country Park is implementing to manage the control of environmental degradation in order to allow tourists to continue to enjoy the wonderful scenery and yet maintain its outlook as natural and original as it has always been.
One amazing discovery was that despite the Park playing host to thousands of people, we did not find a single wrapper or any kind of litter on the ground and yet there is not a single refuse bin in the park. Our host told us that refuse bins and big signs of dos and don’ts tend to encourage people to litter and do the wrong things whereas if there are no bins people will obviously keep their litter in their bags and dispose of it when they leave the park.
We had a brief rest at the camp and from there we walked all the way to the mouth of river Cuckmere. We then ended our tour with a brief question and answer session then we set off on our return journey. This trip was a success as we managed to link our book knowledge with what was happening on the ground.
Our Year 8 enjoyed every minute of the tour and their behaviour was exemplary. Allan rated them as the most well behaved and engaging group to visit the park.